College News

Published September 5, 2012 4:24 pm

CRESTON—Southwestern Community College will sponsor the 2012 SWCC SmartStart Kickoff for high school students from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, September 24, 2012.

The SmartStart Kickoff—an open house for students—will be a great chance for high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors to check out SWCC and its campus!  Students will be able to sit in on college classes, visit program areas, talk with instructors and students, and tour the residence halls.  High school students in attendance will receive lunch, a SWCC T-shirt, and the opportunity to win door prizes!  The college will be awarding two $250 SWCC scholarships for senior attendees.

Read More

Published September 4, 2012 5:21 pm

There will be a Drill Team Information Table set up on Tues., September 11, 2012, 10-11 a.m., in the Instructional Center main hallway and again on Wed., September 12, 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. outside the Student Center in conjunction with the SWCC Club Fair.  Stop by and learn more about the 2012-13 Spartan Drill Team and meet the new coach, Melisa Crook. 

Bring your calendar with you because we will be talking about dates for tryouts.

Published August 30, 2012 2:06 pm

Melisa Crook of Creston has been named as SWCC's drill team coach. She will soon be announcing dates for a drill team informational meeting and tryouts.

Crook has a bachelor's degree in sociology from Simpson College in Indianola. She is currently enrolled in the master of arts in teaching program at Simpson.

She is a nationally certified C.L.O.G. instructor. She was employed as a dance instructor at Leslie’s Dance Emporium in Creston for the past 10 years. She was also employed by Creston Community Schools as a mentoring coordinator/at risk counselor for four years.

Watch for additional drill team information as it becomes available.

Published August 28, 2012 8:47 am

CRESTON—The Educational Talent Search (ETS) program at Southwestern Community College will begin recruiting sixth grade students for their pre-college program beginning in September.  Parents should watch for sign-up packets coming home with their sixth grade children, review and complete the application forms, and return the applications to the ETS office at Southwestern Community College.

ETS is a federally funded grant program designed to help students go to college.  ETS outreach advisors work in the schools helping sixth-12th grade students prepare for college.  

If parents are interested in enrolling their children for ETS, but do not receive a packet, they should call their school guidance counselor or contact the ETS office at 800.247.4023, ext. 392, or locally at 641.782.1392.

Middle schools and high schools in Area 14 participating in the ETS program include Bedford, Clarke, Corning, Creston, East Union, Lenox, Murray, Orient-Macksburg, and Villisca.  

TRIO Educational Talent Search is 100 percent federally funded by the U.S. Department of Education.  More than 800 students are served by Area 14’s ETS program.  The office is located on SWCC’s Creston campus.

Published August 24, 2012 5:20 pm

Get organized for the fall 2012 semester! 

Student planners are available at the SWCC Bookstore. 

Cost is $5 each.

Published August 23, 2012 10:02 am

Welcome to college!  We have a great year in store for you at SWCC!  Starting the first week, there are a lot of activities planned.

Sun., August 26

• 9 a.m.-4 p.m. - Student housing move-in. Please report in at the Spartan Suites lobby
• 5:30 p.m. - Pizza party in the Student Center, student housing activity

Mon., August 27

• 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m. - Final career and technical education new student orientation
• 1-5 p.m. - Final arts and sciences new student orientation
• 7 p.m. - SWCC Movie Night at the Strand Theater, downtown Creston, free with SWCC student ID, movie is The Campaign

Tues., August 28

• 5:30 p.m. - Cookout for all SWCC students and employees, area in front of Allied Health & Science Center
• 6 p.m. - Grant Terry Outdoor Concert, area in front of Allied Health & Science Center

Wed., August 29

• FIRST DAY OF CLASSES
• 6:30 p.m. - SWCC Spartans home volleyball opener vs. Marshalltown, first 200 fans receive a FREE Spartan 300 T-shirt.  Meet the team and see the schedule at SWCC Spartans Volleyball.

As you learn your way around Creston, be sure to check out the SWCC Zone website.  There are a lot of Creston and Osceola businesses that give SWCC students discounts just for showing them your SWCC student ID.

Also, keep up on all SWCC events by bookmarking the college's Master Calendar. 

Published August 22, 2012 2:41 pm

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met on Tuesday, August 21, 2012, at 8:30 a.m., for their regular monthly board meeting.  Due to a light agenda, the meeting was held electronically.

In personnel, the board approved the resignation of nursing instructor Steve Orazem who has accepted a similar position at Des Moines Area Community College.  Orazem came to Southwestern in August 2011 from Iowa Methodist Medical Center in Des Moines, where he was employed as manager of the oncology unit.

Read More

Published August 14, 2012 9:33 am

Creston, IA—Southwestern Community College recently announced Beth Kulow of Creston as the first STEM hub manager for southwest Iowa. STEM is an acronym for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.  The state of Iowa has appropriated funding to establish regional STEM hubs across the state.

In May 2012, Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, and University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen announced the selection of six regional network hubs to promote STEM education and economic development across Iowa.  According to the governor’s website, each STEM hub will work with business, education institutions, nonprofit groups and others in their region in a way that best fits local needs, interests, and resources.

Read More

Published August 8, 2012 8:40 am

"Where are all the Skilled Workers?," a workshop to help your community shape tomorrow's workforce by solving problems today, will be held August 28, 2012, from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at the Supertel, 800 Laurel St., in Creston.  The cost is $25 per person and includes lunch.

The workshop features speakers from a variety of backgrounds.  It is being offered as a collaborative effort between Southwestern Community College, Skilled Iowa, IowaWorks Southern Hills, Ready Resource, MATURA, and the Employers' Council of Iowa.

To register, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Published August 6, 2012 8:36 am

Southwestern Community College volleyball camps have wrapped up for summer 2012.  A high school team tournament volleyball camp, held on Friday, August 3, 2012, ended a series of volleyball camps held throughout the summer. According to camp director and SWCC Head Volleyball Coach Melissa Blessington, there were 10 high school teams in attendance on Friday. The SWCC admissions department served lunch to the participants.

Other camps held this summer included a high school individual camp with 24 participants and a middle school camp, where the SWCC volleyball coaches and players hosted approximately 45 participants.

Read More