College News

Published August 20, 2020 9:50 am

The Allies Club is new at Southwestern Community College for the fall 2020 semester! The club's first meeting is Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020, at 6:30 p.m., in the Instructional Center courtyard gazebo (the outdoor area in the middle of the Instructional Center). All SWCC students are invited to attend.

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Published August 19, 2020 2:22 pm

CRESTON,IOWA. (August 14, 2020) – The U.S. Department of Education announced that Southwestern Community College will receive a federal TRIO Student Support Services (SSS) grant of $312,549 to help more students succeed in and graduate from college. Southwestern’s SSS program services 180 students each year and has helped hundreds of students graduate and transfer to four-year universities throughout the years. The college has had a successful TRIO-SSS grant since 1997.

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Published August 18, 2020 4:59 pm

Dr. Barb Crittenden, Southwestern Community College president, provided a virtual welcome to students for the fall 2020 semester. The semester begins tomorrow, Aug. 19, and wraps up on Friday, Dec. 11, 2020. The semester was altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Published August 17, 2020 9:19 am

August 2020 COVID-19 question and answer for students

Q: What should I do if I am not feeling well?

1. Stay home and do not attend class.
2. Contact your instructor/s to let him/her know you will not be attending class and to develop a plan for completing course requirements.
3. Self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms include:
   a. Fever or chills
   b. Cough
   c. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
   d. Fatigue
   e. Muscle or body aches
   f. Headache
   g. New loss of taste or smell
   h. Sore throat
   i. Congestion or runny nose
   j. Nausea or vomiting
   k. Diarrhea
4. If symptoms persist, seek an evaluation by a healthcare provider or get tested for COVID-19 through Test Iowa. There is a Test Iowa location at Greater Regional Medical Center in Creston, across from the main campus. To initiate the process, go to the Test Iowa website, www.testiowa.com. You will be asked to complete an assessment, be assigned a unique identifier, and be provided with instructions regarding testing.
5. While you wait for your test results, please continue to self-isolate at home and do not return to classes.
6. If you receive a positive COVID-19 test, please notify the dean of student services, Kim Bishop, at 641.782.1413 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You must self-isolate until the following have occurred:
   a. No fever for at least 24 hours (that is one full day of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fever), AND
   b. Symptoms have improved (e.g., cough and shortness of breath have improved), AND
   c. At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
7. If you receive a negative COVID-19 diagnostic test result or an alternative diagnosis by a health care provider, you may return to classes after 24 hours with no fever (without the use of fever-reducing medicines) and symptoms have improved.

Q: What if I have been exposed to COVID-19?

1. Stay home and do not come to class.
2. Contact your instructor/s and let him/her know you will not be attending class and to develop a plan for completing course requirements.
3. Notify the dean of student services, Kim Bishop, at 641.782.1413 or at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
4. Self-isolate for 14 days.
5. Self-monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19. Symptoms include:
   a. Fever or chills
   b. Cough
   c. Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
   d. Fatigue
   e. Muscle or body aches
   f. Headache
   g. New loss of taste or smell
   h. Sore throat
   i. Congestion or runny nose
   j. Nausea or vomiting
   k. Diarrhea
6. If you become symptomatic, seek an evaluation by a healthcare provider or get tested for COVID-19 through Test Iowa. There is a Test Iowa location at Greater Regional Health in Creston, across from the main campus. To initiate the process, go to the Test Iowa website, www.testiowa.com. You will be asked to complete an assessment, be assigned a unique identifier, and be provided with instructions regarding testing.
7. If you receive a positive COVID-19 test, please update the dean of student services of your test results. You must self-isolate until the following have occurred:
   a. No fever for at least 24 hours (that is one full day of no fever without the use of medicine that reduces fever), AND
   b. Symptoms have improved (e.g., cough and shortness of breath have improved), AND
   c. At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.
8. If you do not receive a positive test result and remain symptom free for 14 days, you may return to classes.

Will I be notified if I have been exposed to COVID-19 at SWCC?
If an individual is diagnosed with COVID-19, the Department of Public Health will conduct a case investigation to identify those who have been in close contact with the individual and make contacts to notify them of the exposure.

Published August 13, 2020 5:41 pm

The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of trustees met electronically on Tues., Aug. 11, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting was held electronically due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Published August 10, 2020 1:55 pm

Southwestern Community College (SWCC) has signed and returned the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act certification and agreement form and intends to use the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50 percent of the emergency financial aid grants to students.

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Published July 17, 2020 5:59 pm

Dr. John Franklin has been announced as Southwestern Community College's new assistant vice president of instruction. Franklin replaces Lindsay Stoaks, who vacated the position to become the college's vice president of instruction in February 2020.

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Published July 15, 2020 4:26 pm

Creston— The Southwestern Community College (SWCC) board of directors met electronically on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, at 5:30 p.m. The meeting was held electronically due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The board approved annual dues to the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees, the Association of Community College Trustees, and the Higher Learning Commission.

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Published July 14, 2020 3:51 pm

Southwestern Community College (SWCC) has signed and returned the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act certification and agreement form and intends to use the funds to provide the mandated amount of at least 50 percent of the emergency financial aid grants to students.

SWCC has $293,694 available for the HEERF student portion.

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