Community Colleges for Iowa advocates with one voice for accessible excellence in education. We are a nonprofit, volunteer membership association and the primary advocate for Iowa’s 15 Community Colleges.
The earliest institutions providing job- or trade-specific higher education in Iowa were formed during the early 1900s. At that time, they were likely to be called junior colleges, trade schools, or vocational-technical (voc-tech) schools. Each institution was centered on high school graduates who needed additional coursework or training to be hired by most employers.
By the 1960s, many institutions had come and gone, and only 16 were still in operation. Most times, the administrative burden was financially unsustainable. There was no framework for leaders to collaborate or share resources to help each other succeed. It was a constantly changing patchwork for which areas had what opportunities. Iowans were confused about where they could enroll, what programs were being offered, and how they could secure a job after completing their program.
The Iowa Legislature made it a top priority to develop a long-term solution for Iowans, institutions, and employers, recognizing that education and workforce work in tandem and are critical to thriving communities in Iowa.
With our state’s largest business and industry spanning manufacturing, agriculture, healthcare, finance, and transportation, leaders discussed what would be needed to have fast-paced, tailored courses, certificates, and degrees to be available in every part of Iowa, setting up Iowans for success to fill in-demand jobs. Ultimately, the carefully constructed “Area Schools Act” was passed in 1965, and the finalized 15 community college districts were designated by the State Board of Education in 1966.
The newly defined statewide model prompted new ways of working. While the previous institutions had relationships with their local K-12 school boards, legislators chose each community college district to have its own board comprised of trustees. Our organization was founded to be a constant resource and resolve challenges for a resilient community college system.
Today, Iowa community colleges serve 120,000 Iowans annually at over 100 locations, helping residents to learn and work close to home. Community Colleges for Iowa bring together trustees, employees, and governmental agencies needed to deliver responsive, relevant programming, and contribute to a positive, resilient economic outlook for Iowa. More than 1,000 advocates follow community college news and speak up for favorable legislation and policies.
Do you need input from Iowa community colleges? Emily handles these matters.
Want to sponsor or check in about our annual events? Monique is our mastermind!
Looking to host a group at our office or process an invoice? Annette’s the way to go!
Curious about community college legislative priorities and the most recent stats and reports? Ryan will give you all the details!
Being the convergence point for all 15 of Iowa’s community colleges is a role we take seriously: exceptional professional development, authentic leadership groups, and to-the-point communication. There are a handful of ways we collaborate with mission-driven nonprofits and businesses as partners and sponsors, working shoulder-to-shoulder for student success.
Our partners represent a wide range of nonprofits and initiatives from statewide to regional to national, each of us contributing as catalysts for progress.
Iowa Nonprofit Alliance (INA) is a membership hub offering services and support specifically for nonprofits. INA welcomes all nonprofits and provides consistent information, resource access, data, and opportunities to connect and learn from other nonprofits. We are proud to be a founding member of the Iowa Nonprofit Alliance!
Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) works to create an environment in the state to foster strong business, economic, governmental, and social opportunities for Iowans. ABI is the largest statewide business organization with more than 1,500 member companies, representing all areas of industry, including manufacturing, financial institutions, law firms, educational institutions, and more.
Iowa Association of School Boards (IASB) serves Iowa school boards and public schools, providing education and advocacy services. IASB strives to engage members with board development opportunities, advocate for the needs of all students in public education, and to enhance organizational responsiveness and capacity.
Iowa Business Council is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization whose members are the chief decision-makers of the state’s largest employers. The Council works to boost Iowa’s economy through leadership, research, and advocacy.
Elevate Advanced Manufacturing is a statewide initiative to promote careers and educational pathways in advanced manufacturing by creating a positive perception of these careers while addressing misconceptions of work environment, safety, and wages.
For over thirty years, women in the State of Iowa have hosted The Way Up Conference to assist women in higher education institutions as they continue to develop their leadership and administrative skills and expertise. The conference has always been designed to provide value for presenters and participants as well as networking opportunities for all.
The Rural Community College Alliance seeks to promote a more economically, culturally, and civically vibrant rural America through advocacy, convening, leveraging resources, and serving as a clearinghouse for innovative practice, policy, and research.
American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The association represents more than 1,000 2-year, associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 12 million students.
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond.
Our sponsors bring expertise to our network, contributing to unpacking the challenges and opportunities facing the institutions we serve. Ways sponsors make our work possible often center on our annual events. This spans from exhibiting, being credited for specific features of our events, speaking at a transition, and more. Our sponsorship prospectus provides more background on the dynamics of each event.
Recently, sponsors who have joined us for several of our annual events, year after year, asked if there was a way to both simplify and up-level their involvement, and now, select organizations have become our year-round sponsors because of their ongoing commitment to Iowa community colleges.
This is the very first role we were meant to work with: helping locally elected trustees who are volunteering to oversee their community college’s operations with special responsibilities. As you can imagine, there are a number of items they’re tasked with, from working with their institution’s president to guiding programming to ensuring sustainable financial practices. No one person can be an expert in everything, especially not as a volunteer balancing work, life, and family, too. Luckily, many of our trustees serve for years, using what they’ve learned before to deepen their impact.
A natural progression was to also support community college employees alongside its trustees. While trustees make strategic decisions, employees handle the execution. We embrace positive working relationships between employees and trustees, as well as those with similar roles or working on similar projects between institutions. Employees are experts in their profession and in the field and are key to our resiliency and success.
Our entire network is focused on student success. We center our work on how we can better support students: know what barriers they face, the tools or experiences that will help them achieve their academic goals and make their coursework even more meaningful, and where they see themselves in the future. While our Iowa community colleges work with students daily, some of our favorite days are when we get to invite students to gain a statewide perspective of their institution and the ways we are investing in their futures alongside them.
Graduating is a beginning, not an end. We keep a close eye on how well our community colleges prepared students for what comes next: transferring to keep their education going, landing the job they wanted in their area of study, and staying in their home community to live and work. We’re grateful for the graduates who share their journey and what community college means to them to help us gain support for these institutions and programs.
Education and business need to work together to create a ready and skilled workforce in our state. We’re at our best when we are able to innovate, create new jobs, and have Iowans feel proud of their work. When getting new technology or scaling to meet demand, community colleges help businesses develop tailored training to upskill teams and recruit Iowans already living in the area to start a new career.
If you didn’t see yourself yet, know you’re still important. Community colleges need support from every Iowan. From families of students to our local officials or economic developers to caring community members, we appreciate your interest in keeping the Iowa Community College System strong.
Send a quick note, and we’ll connect more!
Our strategic focus is built on proactive leadership and evidence-based advocacy. We don’t just react to change; we help shape it. By aligning our vision, we ensure that Iowa’s community colleges remain the first choice for education, workforce training, and community development.
Community Colleges for Iowa is the “doing business as” (DBA) name that represents our diverse collaborations. This brand identity was created to simplify our message and emphasize our shared mission. Whether we are coordinating statewide initiatives or representing the colleges to state and federal policymakers, this name signifies our commitment to accessible excellence and the collective values of our 15 member institutions.
To ensure a consistent and powerful visual representation of our collaborative efforts, please review the Community Colleges for Iowa Brand Standards Guide. This document outlines the official usage rules for our logo, typography, color palettes, and tone of voice. Adhering to these guidelines helps maintain the integrity of our brand across all communication channels, whether you are creating digital content or printed materials.
Access the complete suite of Community Colleges for Iowa logos in various formats for print, web, and internal use. Included in this collection are primary logos, tagline versions, and reversed (white) options. For professional printing or signage, please utilize the vector .EPS files. For digital applications, PowerPoint presentations, or Word documents, the .PNG or .JPG files are recommended.
