News Release

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of trustees met Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration Center on the Creston campus.

The SWCC board heard a report from Devon Tyler-Leith of Tyler Insurance Services, Inc., Creston, concerning the college’s insurance coverage. Tyler noted the Worker’s Compensation Modification Factor decreased from 1.33 to .97. Tyler said the National Council on Compensation Insurance miscalculated rates for the state of Iowa on 2019 renewals, which will result in the college receiving a refund check for 2.3 percent of its premium for this particular renewal. She also noted the Iowa Association of School Boards negotiated a “group” price for the college’s Cyber Liability policy, saving the college $3,766.

Dr. Dennis Goldford, Drake University professor, will be presenting, “A Novel Form of Government: Federalism and Individual Rights” on Monday, Sept. 16, 2019, at 10 a.m., in the Southwestern Community College (SWCC) Instructional Center, room 220. The public is invited to attend.

CRESTON — The TRIO Educational Talent Search (ETS) program at Southwestern Community College (SWCC) is hosting an ACT Boot Camp on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., in the college’s Instructional Center, room 180, to assist high school students in preparation for the ACT Test.

CRESTON, IOWA – (September 3, 2019) – Southwestern Community College’s Educational Talent Search (ETS) program invites high school seniors and their parents to attend Creston’s FAFSA Ready Iowa to complete college financial aid paperwork on Wed., October 2, 2019, from 3-7 p.m., in the college’s Instructional Center, rooms 208 and 210.

The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of trustees met electronically on Tues., August 13, 2019, at 8 a.m. in the president’s office in the college’s Administration Center.

The SWCC board approved the hiring of Jon Oswald of Murray as electrical technology instructor for the 2019-20 academic year. Oswald, who has a Journeyman Class A Electrical License, was most recently employed as an electrical maintenance technician at Wellman Dynamics Corporation in Creston. He has been at Wellman’s since 2010. Prior to that, he was an electrician for Capstone Contracting in Creston and Baker Electric in Des Moines.

Aug. 7, 2019, Jackson, Mississippi — Ella Rutherford, student at Southwestern Community College (SWCC) in Creston, Iowa, is one of 207 Phi Theta Kappa members named a 2019 Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship.

July 29, 2019, CRESTON, Iowa—Southwestern Community College (SWCC) announced today Kim Bishop will be the college’s next dean of student services. She will begin overseeing the student services department on Aug. 20, 2019, just in time for the start of the fall 2019 semester at SWCC on Aug. 28, 2019.

CRESTON — Representatives from Southwestern Community College (SWCC) were on-hand Thursday, July 18, 2019, at Osceola Food, a local manufacturing facility owned by Hormel Foods Corporation (NYSE:HRL), to sign four Osceola Food employees for SWCC’s industrial technology program in Creston.

Creston— High school students from Southwestern Community College’s region were offered a unique learning opportunity during summer 2019. For the first-time ever, SWCC offered Summer Career Academies in the areas of welding and information technology - programming—and, due to state funding, the students were able to complete the Career Academies free of charge.

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met on Tuesday, July 9, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the college’s Administration Center for their regular board meeting.

CRESTON, Iowa—Southwestern Community College’s (SWCC’s) welding fabrication team came home from the 2019 SkillsUSA Championship, held June 24-28, 2019, in Louisville, KY, with a third-place national finish.

Southwestern Community College's (SWCC's) agricultural department and the Union County Historical Society are co-hosting an Old Time Wheat Threshing Demonstration in July at the SWCC agricultural site, north of the SWCC Creston campus on Green Valley Road, in conjunction with Creston's Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met on Tuesday, June 11, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the college’s Administration Center for its regular board meeting.

The consent agenda was approved as presented.

In personnel, the board voted to approve the employment of Diogenes Ayala, criminal justice instructor. The board also approved the resignation of Alex Anderson, automotive repair technology instructor, effective June 28, 2019.

The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) Drama Club is hosting the 2019 Joseph Larson Little Spartan Drama Camp from June 24-27 in the college's Performing Arts Center theater.

Age groups will be divided as follows:

• Ages 5-7 - Monday, June 24-27, 8-10 a.m.
• Ages 8-10 - Monday, June 24-27, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

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  Published May 30, 2019 12:16 pm

Ten Southwestern Community College (SWCC) career and technical education students qualified for the National SkillsUSA Championships following state competition at Iowa SkillsUSA competition on Friday, April 26, 2019.

CRESTON – The Southwestern men’s and women’s basketball program will be hosting youth camps in June.

The Southwestern Boys Individual Skills camp will be June 5-7 in the SWCC Student Center gymnasium. Youth in kindergarten through second grade will be from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., with an emphasis on the basic fundamentals and making the game fun. Each camper will receive a T-shirt. The cost is $35.

Youth in grades 3-8 will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a focus on the fundamentals in the morning. The afternoon will include daily contests and games. Each camper will receive a T-shirt. The cost is $90.

The Southwestern men’s program is also holding a high school team camp on June 8-9. The cost is $150 for one day or $250 for both days. Teams can stay overnight in on-campus apartments for $500 (including camp entry fee for both days). Teams will play three games a day. Both JV and varsity teams are encouraged to participate.

More information on the boys basketball camps, as well as online registration, can be found here.

The Spartan Youth Basketball Individual Camps, hosted by the Southwestern women’s basketball program, will be held June 10-12 in the SWCC Student Center gymnasium.

The Elite Skills Camp for girls in grades 8-12 will be from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The Youth Skills Camp for girls in grades 3-7 will be from 2 to 4:30 p.m. The cost of each camp is $80.

These camps are designed to develop and improve fundamental skills of all players. Specialized camp instruction will include station work in both offensive and defensive areas, position work, and competitive contests. Various competitions such as 1-on-1, 3-on-3, and 5-on-5 will be implemented throughout camp. The camp will be divided by both age and ability groups, complemented by matching instruction and competition. Teamwork and communication skills will be built into station work and competitions. An emphasis will be placed on teaching the game through positive instruction from coaches and positive interaction with other campers.

For more information, or to register online, click here.

Elevate Advanced Manufacturing has awarded a $500 scholarship to Jacob Hoveland, a senior at Mt. Ayr High School, who will attend Southwestern Community College (SWCC) in Creston this fall.

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met on Tuesday, May 14, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the SWCC Administration Center for its regular monthly board meeting.

The board recessed to hold a Strategy Session from 5:32 p.m. to 5:37 p.m.

When the board reconvened, Tom Lesan, SWCC vice president of economic development, presented bids received for the Ag Addition and the Science Lab Renovation. Lesan reported that all bids came in higher than expected. In a meeting with the construction manager, architect and engineer, it was noted that the cost of materials and labor are up and contracts across the state are coming in higher than anticipated. The projects are scheduled for completion at the end of November 2019.

The board authorized the administration to negotiate a contract with the following low bidders for the Ag Addition and Science Lab Renovation projects:

•     General for the Ag Addition with Grand Construction for an amount not to exceed $1.27 million.
•     Electrical for the Ag Addition with Keul Electric for an amount not to exceed $268,000.
•     Mechanical for the Ag Addition with Camblin Mechanical for an amount not to exceed $296,500.
•     General for the Science Lab Renovation with Grand Construction for an amount not to exceed $760,000.
•     Electrical for the Science Lab Renovation with Keul Electric for an amount not to exceed $246,000.
•     Mechanical for the Science Lab Renovation with Camblin Mechanical for an amount not to exceed $482,300.

The board approved a tuition increase of $6 per credit hour for both in-state and out-of-state residents for the 2019-20 school year. With the increase, total tuition and fees will be $190 per credit hour for in-state students and $197 for out-of-state students.

Changes approved by the board for other fees for the 2019-20 school year include:

•     ADN Nursing Fee RN - $25 increase in the annual fee, charged during the student’s first semester, to cover the cost of supplemental teaching and learning resources that are instrumental in improving student success.
•     PNN Nursing Fee LPN - $25 increase in the annual fee, charged in the student’s first semester, to cover the cost of supplemental teaching and learning resources that are instrumental in improving student success.
•     International Student Processing Fee - $75 increase per application, to cover the increased costs to remain compliant and to provide quality assistance to such individuals.
•     Embedded Content Fees – The ICCOC or SWCC may assess additional fees mid-year based on instructor or course requirements.

In personnel, the board extended the contracts of Bill Taylor, vice president of instruction; Lindsay Stoaks, assistant vice president of instruction; and Dr. Barb Crittenden, president, through June 30, 2020, with a salary increase of 2.5 percent.

The board also appointed Tia Samo as board secretary effective June 1, 2019.

During the president’s report, Dr. Barb Crittenden, SWCC president, reminded the board of the summer commencement ceremony, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 28.

MJ Dolan, IACCT executive director, briefed the board on the recent legislative session and distributed informational materials concerning community colleges.

Bill Taylor, SWCC vice president of instruction, shared results with the board from the recent Iowa SkillsUSA competition. Southwestern students placed well with eight state champions, two second-place winners and two third-place winners. The college had 14 students participating in 10 events. The state champions next compete at the National SkillsUSA June 24-28 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Following the president’s report, Jerry Smith, SWCC board member from Osceola and also SWCC’s Iowa Association of Community College Trustees (IACCT) representative, reported on the recent IACCT board meeting.  Smith reminded the board of the summer IACCT Conference, to be held July 24-26 in Council Bluffs.

Dr. Tony Cass, SWCC board president, presented Mary Jo Skarda, board secretary, with a plaque in appreciation of her years of service as board secretary. Skarda has served as board secretary since 1987.

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NACEP awards accreditation to 26 concurrent enrollment programs for demonstrating high quality and rigorous standards
Seven programs granted initial accreditation for high levels of academic oversight for college courses taught by high school instructors

May 1, 2019, Chapel Hill, North Carolina - The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) Accreditation Commission granted accreditation to 26 concurrent enrollment programs at colleges and universities nationwide. This brings the total number of accredited programs across the country to 112, spanning 22 states.

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met Tuesday, April 9, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the Administration Center on the Creston campus.

The meeting began with a public hearing for the Science Lab Renovation Project. No oral or written objections or petitions were heard or submitted. The board approved the Science Lab Renovation Project as presented.