Kirkwood Community College News

Winemaking Class Series Begins Soon

Steve C.

Six courses offer practical overview and skill-building on growing Iowa industry

For those interested in entering the growing vineyard and winery markets in Iowa, Kirkwood Community College will offer a six-part Winemaking & Winery Facility Management course series. In the next year Kirkwood Continuing Education will hold a six-course series, with a certificate awarded upon completion.

The courses begin with "Winemaking 101," then continue with classes on fermentation and post-fermentation management; winery facilities, marketing and regulation, then a finale course on wines from pre-bottling to sales to the consumer.

Each course is taught in four evening classes, with a mixture of classroom and working winery instruction at Kirkwood's new teaching winery in Washington Hall on the Cedar Rapids campus. Much of the students' time will be spent in direct winery experience under close guidance of instructor Lucas McIntire, a professional winemaker with nearly a decade of contracted wine production at several eastern Iowa commercial wineries. During his career McIntire has produced thousands of gallons of wine in many varieties for sale to the public.

Ideally, students will complete all six courses to earn the Winemaking & Winery Facility Management Certificate. Class tuition is $49 for each of the classes. Students who enroll for the six-course series will receive a discount. For flexibility of student schedules and needs, each class may also be taken separately with unique attention given to each student's background and interests. All courses are scheduled for completion in early 2011.

More information on the Winemaking & Wine Facility Management courses is available by calling Kirkwood Viticulturist Tom Moore at (319) 398-5899, Ext. 4010; or Instructor Lucas McIntire, (563) 599-9608.

ACT Gives $2 Million for Kirkwood Scholarships

Steve C.

Largest-ever donation to create endowed fund for science, tech program students
CEDAR RAPIDS�Future generations of Iowa scientists, technicians and educators just got another two million reasons to feel encouraged about their studies at Kirkwood Community College.

ACT, Inc. has committed $2 million to establish an endowed ACT Scholarship Fund at Kirkwood. The major gift through the Kirkwood Foundation will ensure substantial funds for students pursuing studies and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) areas.

The Iowa City based educational testing and research firm pledged the funds to promote studies in science and technical fields, identified by many Corridor business and industry leaders as crucial to the strength and economic growth of Iowa and the Midwest.

ACT Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dick Ferguson noted the long, wide-ranging partnership between Kirkwood and the company in sharing news of the gift.

"We are proud and delighted to make this commitment to student scholarship and success, with an esteemed partner college who shares our spirit of excellence. ACT is a non-profit, mission-driven organization, dedicated to helping people achieve education and workplace success. We admire and value the efforts of two year colleges, like Kirkwood, that directly connect education and workforce requirements.

This gift recognizes the long and productive relationship between ACT and Kirkwood. Our ACT staff has benefitted from Kirkwood training and many of our employees are Kirkwood graduates. We hope this commitment will play an important role in the future of student success and economic vitality in Iowa," Ferguson observed.

Kirkwood President Mick Starcevich hailed the ACT gift as "one of the brightest days ever" for the college.

"I am nearly speechless with this news, this wonderful vote of support for Kirkwood and our mission. The ACT endowment is our single largest gift and will mean many opportunities for students for generations to come. ACT understands the skills and knowledge our current and future workforce needs to stay competitive around the world. Their consistent work with Kirkwood and others to identify and encourage solid employee skills has been a cornerstone of our partnerships in job growth and economic development. We are proud of our partnership with ACT and are truly grateful for this gift," Starcevich said.

Since 2005 Kirkwood has been a partner with ACT in implementing the National Career Readiness Certificate/Iowa Career Readiness Certificate, with 145 employers involved in the region. More than 3,000 certificates have been awarded to individual employees since the program's inception at Kirkwood. The NCRC/ICRC is a national and state system, a comprehensive employment tool that links qualified individuals with employers who recognize the value of skilled job applicants and employees.

Kirkwood Vice President of Resource Development Kathy Hall saluted the "transformational scope" of the ACT gift in her remarks.

"We appreciate this wonderful vote of confidence for Kirkwood's education and training programs," Hall said. "ACT has been a stalwart partner in many positive initiatives with tangible benefits to individual employees and companies of all sizes. The endowed support that starts today will benefit students for generations to come. The fruits of this gift will make good things possible long after the present day."

More information on scholarship opportunities through the Kirkwood Foundation is available from the college website:

www.kirkwood.edu/foundation

Graduate wins national literary award

Steve C.

Sharon Cozzolino transfers to Coe College this fall after earning League for Innovation honors

Poignant poetry describing a death in the family has earned a national literary honor for a Kirkwood Community College graduate. Sharon Cozzolino won a Second Place award in the 2009-10 National Student Literary Competition of the League for Innovation in the Community College.

Cozzolino's poem, "Dying Clean" was chosen from a nationwide pool of entries representing top community college student works. Her work was judged to be superior among writing from dozens of top two-year colleges from Seattle and Phoenix to Dallas and Baltimore.

Cozzolino grew up in Chicago and has lived in the Cedar Rapids area for the past decade. During her two years at Kirkwood she distinguished herself as a member of Phi Theta Kappa and earning membership on the Kirkwood Dean's List. She credited Kirkwood professors and the college's "supportive atmosphere" in her educational progress.

"I'm very proud to have won this recognition for my poetry. Thanks to wonderful Kirkwood instructors, I am now convinced I can go on from my BA degree to earn an MFA, and eventually a Ph.D., then use what I have learned in turn to help others learn as a college English professor," Cozzolino said.

Kirkwood Vice President of Instruction, Dr. Bill Lamb praised Cozzolino's positive contributions to the college and her own academic success.

"We are quite proud of Sharon's accomplishments at Kirkwood, especially the League for Innovation National Literary Competition. This contest draws the best writers and creative minds from around the nation into one competitive arena. Sharon is duly recognized as one of America's community college best," Lamb said.

Cozzolino is ready to continue her academic career this fall at Coe College in Cedar Rapids, where she will focus on three areas of study: English, creative writing and psychology. She will continue her college work with substantial scholarship awards from Coe and Phi Theta Kappa.
# # #

The League for Innovation is an international organization dedicated to catalyzing the community college movement. The organization encourages creative projects and collaboration to improve and expand opportunities at two-year colleges in the U.S. and around the world. Kirkwood is one of 19 League Board Member colleges and the only college in Iowa to hold that distinction.

Kirkwood Volleyball Returns to the Nets

Bre M.

The Kirkwood Community College Women's Volleyball team is ready to hit the court this fall. The Eagles are coming off the 2009 season finishing the year ranked seventh nationally with a perfect 13-0 conference record and 35-10 overall record. Only one loss came from an unranked team.

Kirkwood just missed a berth to the NJCAA National Tournament as Des Moines Area Community College defeated the Eagles in the championship round of the regional tournament. Despite the loss, Heather Brus, Kamille Van Natta and Chanda Goedken were named to the Region XI (b) All-Tournament Team.

The Eagles add fresh talent to the court with seven new players on the roster that, "bring a wide range of skills that will contribute and enhance our program," said Head Coach Jill Williams. Along with the newcomers, the Eagles have seven players returning to the lineup that Williams feels, "have worked hard in the off-season and are ready to start playing."

Chanda Goedken (Farley, Iowa) stepped up in her debut season as an outside hitter. Goedken received ICCAC Athlete of the Week honors after her performance at the ICCAC Crossover Tournament, recording 32 kills and 46 digs in the five match contest. Goedken completed her first season with 400 kills and 454 digs while receiving NJCAA Second Team All-American, Region XI (b) First Team All-Region, First Team ICCAC All-Conference and Kirkwood Freshman of the Year honors.

Competing in all 159 games last season, Ashley Goedken (Dundee, Iowa) returns to the Eagles lineup as a setter. Goedken played a solid offense with 809 assists which accounted for nearly half of the teams 1632 assists. She earned Region XI (b) Second Team All-Region and Honorable Mention ICCAC All-Conference Team honors.

Jordan Brackey of Lake Mills and Cedar Rapids native Kayla Schulte return up front for the Eagles. Schulte led the team in blocks with 166, and Brackey led the team in aces with 41. Amber Pitz, also from Farley, is back as a libero for the Eagles. After averaging 15 digs per game in one week-long stretch last year, she was named ICCAC Athlete of the Week.

Heather Brus joins the Kirkwood coaching staff after her two-year stint as an Eagle. In her freshman year, Brus made the Kirkwood Dean's list and received ICCAC First Team All-Academic honors. Last season, she earned NJCAA Second Team All-American, Region XI (b) First Team All-Region, First Team All-Conference and Academic All-American accolades. Brus plans to pursue her Business degree from Kirkwood while taking on her new role as an assistant coach.

The 2010 season kicks-off Friday, August 27 with an invitational at Southeastern Community College in Burlington. The Eagles open with a match at 1 p.m. against Prairie State and at 5 p.m. against North Lake. Saturday morning the women pair-up against Kansas City at 11 a.m. and finish the tournament with the second contest of the day against Lincoln at 3 p.m. The Eagles compete in their conference opener at Marshalltown Community College on September 1.

For a complete schedule of Kirkwood Women's Volleyball, please visit www.kirkwood.edu/volleyball

[PHOTO: Amelia Johnson delivers a serve during practice in Johnson Hall. The Osage native is one of seven returning Eagles this season. ]

Finding Keys to Energy Savings

Steve C./Kim J.

New Kirkwood certificate program aims to build knowledge and skills for home and business

For homeowners, small business operators and everyone interested in new strategies to save energy and money, Kirkwood Community College will present a new Energy Efficiency Consumer Education program. A series of five short-format courses will give people practical tips and tools to make homes, offices and other buildings more energy efficient.

Classes in the Energy Efficiency Consumer Education program include: Energy Audit Concepts, Weatherization and Your Home, Retrofitting Existing Structures to Reduce Energy Costs, Upgrading HVAC Systems to Reduce Energy Consumption, and Energy Star�How It Saves You Money!

The new class series was developed by Kirkwood and the CIPCO system of energy cooperatives: Linn County Rural Electric Cooperative, Maquoketa Valley Electric Cooperative, East-Central Iowa Rural Electric Cooperative, and Eastern Iowa Light & Power. Members of the participating electric cooperatives can submit certificates of attendance for one or all of the program courses and receive a credit for one-half of course tuition as a credit on their monthly energy bill.

Tuition for each class is just $19, with grant support to ensure accessibility to as many attendees as possible. A package of five of the core energy efficiency classes is available for $95. With the one-half tuition credit from their respective cooperative, participants can gain five courses of energy efficiency knowledge for under $50.

The classes are supported by a grant from the Iowa Power Fund Board and Iowa Office of Energy Independence. Customers of the participating electric cooperatives can submit certificates of attendance for one or all of the program courses and receive a credit for one-half of course tuition as a credit on their monthly energy bill. Persons who finish each course will receive certificates of completion for verification with their respective cooperative.

Additionally, Kirkwood Community College has worked in partnership with Water Tower Place to develop "The Green Roof is Growing." Another opportunity for business owners and developers to learn about return on investment potential and opportunities for significant social, economic and environmental benefits. The class will be held at Water Tower Place with a tuition of $19. This class is not part of the Energy Efficiency Consumer Education Certificate.

More information and registration for the Energy Consumer Certificate Series is available on the Kirkwood website:

www.kirkwood.edu/ce

Kirkwood named Military Friendly School

Steve C./GI Jobs

National group notes resources, support found on top campuses

G.I. Jobs has announced its 2011 list of Military Friendly Schools in the U.S. One of their top schools in the study was Kirkwood Community College. The Cedar Rapids based two-year college reports more than 800 student-veterans enrolled for college credit classes in the past academic year, and another strong year about to start.

The veterans-focused publisher honors the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools they believe are "doing the most to embrace America's veterans as students."

Kirkwood is among many community colleges seeing a rise in veterans registered for classes in the past year. College officials noted more than 800 former military service members who took classes in the 2009-10 academic year.

Vice President of Enrollment Services Kristie Fisher noted the national publisher's criteria for the citation "speaks to the service and mission" inherent at Kirkwood.

"We are honored for this renewed recommendation and appreciate the vote of confidence reflected in this distinction. The credit belongs to Vicki Terronez, our veterans educational liaison. She is completely dedicated to helping our student-veterans adjust not only to the rigors of college life, and also to finding ways to help them adjust to the different dynamics of civilian life, too," Fisher observed.

Terronez credited the "top-notch bunch of people" that characterize the student-veterans choosing Kirkwood for their post-service education. "Early in the year we thought our enrollment would go down with more than three thousand National Guard members mobilizing for overseas duty. To the contrary, our veterans numbers continue to grow. This is a remarkable bunch of people to work with, a joy to serve them," Terronez said.

Support services at Kirkwood include a dedicated Veterans Lounge area in Iowa Hall. This room was created in 2008 to provide a special spot for former military personnel to socialize, study and access veteran-specific resources and information as needed.

Two other eastern Iowa Corridor colleges made this year's G.I. Jobs list: Cornell College in Mount Vernon and The University of Iowa.

Schools on the list range from state universities and private colleges to community colleges and trade schools. The common bond is their shared priority of recruiting students with military experience.

Schools on the Military Friendly Schools list also offer additional benefits to student veterans such as on-campus veterans programs, credit for service, military spouse programs and more.

Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students and academic accreditations. The complete list of American colleges credited as Military Friendly Schools is found on the publisher's website:

www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/2011list.

The list was compiled through exhaustive research starting last April during which G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide. A full list of board members can be found at

http://militaryfriendlyschools.com/Article/advisory-board/
The newly redesigned website, found at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com, features interactive tools and search functionality to assist military veterans in choosing schools that best meet their personal educational needs. The site currently shows 2010 Military Friendly Schools but will switch to the 2011 list in late September.

ABOUT G.I. Jobs
G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) is published by Victory Media, a veteran-owned business which also publishes The Guide to Military Friendly Schools, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines and annually rates the nation's "Military Friendly Employers," "Military Spouse Friendly Employers" and "Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses."

Indonesian Educators to Learn in U.S. Exchange

Steve C./Carol S.B.

Wash., Hawai'i colleges will host 20 educators in 2011 CCID-managed program

Once more, educators from afar will call America home as they study new instruction methods with a side of U.S. cultural understanding.

That is the goal of a new exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State and coordinated by Community Colleges for International Development. The pilot program will begin in the summer of 2011, with another two years of continuation based on funding availability.

The $500,000 award will support the 20 educators' travel, coursework and other expenses for each of the planned three years of the program. Highline Community College in Washington State and Kapi'olani Community College in Hawai'i will host the educators in the pilot year of the new project. Kirkwood is the host institution for CCID, and both entities will co-manage and administer the Federal grant supporting the program.

Participating Indonesian educators and administrators will come from the country's polytechnic schools, similar in structure and mission to some U.S. community colleges.

CCID National Director Dr. Carol Stax Brown said the project is a an outgrowth of a successful exchange project that brought more than two dozen Egyptian educators to the U.S. in the 2008 and 2009 academic years.

"The educators from Egypt attended nine months of training in our country, then returned with this newly gained knowledge that we hope will enrich teaching and learning in their country," she said.

Kirkwood's and CCID's success in administering that program along with the expertise of Highline and Kapi'olani provided a strong proposal for the Indonesia project.

"We are pleased to expand our involvement with Indonesia via this new program, a country that has been sending an increasing number of students to the U.S. for the past three years through the Community College Initiative program. This new program focused on faculty and administrators will assist the nation of Indonesia in building the quality and capacity of their polytechnic educational system. As with our other parts of this effort, this exchange will have a positive impact on these multinational partners of our country as they continue to internationalize their campuses and curriculum," Brown said.

Since 2007, CCID and Kirkwood have welcomed more than 1,000 students through the Community College Initiative, sponsored by the Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. A fourth cohort of international scholars is now studying at Kirkwood and 28 other community colleges throughout the U.S. Fifteen nations are represented in this most recent cohort including India, South Africa, Pakistan, Cameroon, Ghana, Brazil, Egypt and several others.

More information on Community Colleges for International Development is available on the organization's website:
www.ccid.kirkwood.cc.ia.us

Legislative Forum Set, Sept. 13

Steve C./Ingrid W.

Heritage Agency and area senior advocacy partners host at Mercy Medical Center

The Heritage Area Agency on Aging, along with area aging and disability service providers and advocates, will host a public forum Monday, September 13. The 10 a.m. program will be held at Mercy Medical Center (701 10th Street SE, Cedar Rapids) in the Hallagan Education Center.

The free public forum aims to educate elected officials and the general public about home and community based services in Iowa, how Iowa can slow the growth of its Medicaid long term care expenditures, and reduce Iowa's over-reliance on institutional based care. The forum will also include discussion on the Olmstead Decision and implications for Iowa seniors and people with disabilities.

All current and candidate state legislators and county supervisors representing Linn, Johnson, Iowa, Cedar, Benton, Jones, and Washington counties have been invited to attend.

The event will feature a 45 minute program followed by a half hour of networking time. The forum is hosted by a coalition of aging and disabilities advocates, plus home and community based service providers. RSVPs are not required but appreciated.

If you have any questions or would like to RSVP call the Heritage Area Agency on Aging 1(319) 398-5559/1(800) 332-5934 or send an e-mail to ingrid.wensel@kirkwood.edu

Constitution Day Programs Set, Sept. 17

Steve C./Jon K.

"Diversity & the Constitution" is theme for talks in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City

Kirkwood Community College will host annual Constitution Day events Friday, Sept 17. Informative programs presented by Kirkwood faculty and visiting speakers are set for both the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City campuses.

Constitution Day events in Cedar Rapids are set for 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Iowa Hall Rooms A-B, third floor. A program in Iowa City will be held from 11 a.m. to noon in the campus commons. The goals are to celebrate the United States Constitution and to inform citizens of this document's impact on their daily lives.

"Diversity and the Constitution" is the theme for the 2010 Kirkwood events. Cedar Rapids topics include the recent Honor Flights of WWII veterans to Washington, DC; The Influence of Greece & Rome on the Founders; "The U.S. Constitution and its Historical Context; Justice for My People: Dr. Hector P. Garcia's Fight for Mexican-American Civil Rights;" "Una Lucha Sin Fin: Latin American Context & History in the Drug War;" and "Marriage Equality = State + Federal Constitution."

Mike Chapman will speak at the Iowa City Campus on Lower Muscatine Road Friday, September 17 from 11 a.m. to noon as part of Constitution Day activities. As the publisher of Iowa History Journal, Chapman has traveled the state to give speeches on a variety of topics. He has written more than 20 books, including Iowans of Impact, which features biographies of 25 famous Iowans; and Achilles: Son of Peleus, Scourge of Troy. His most recent book, Triumph and Tragedy: The Inspiring Stories of Four Football Legends, recounts the playing careers of Fred Becker, Jack Trice, Nile Kinnick, and Johnny Bright, emphasizing their impact on Iowa history.

Kirkwood's Constitution Day events are part of a nationwide series, designed to instill better knowledge and awareness of the U.S. Constitution in daily life. This celebration also fulfills a federal mandate championed by the late Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia, to honor the constitution on Sept. 17 of each year. One of Kirkwood's general education goals is that "Students will recognize the rights and responsibilities of citizenship."

Constitution Day is open to all employees, students and the general public and is free of charge.

Nursing Dean Earns Statewide Award

Steve C.

Sandra Cooper honored by Iowa Community College Trustees group as top administrator of 2010

A Kirkwood Community College dean received singular recognition from the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees. At their annual meeting in Marshalltown on July 29, the IACCT board named Nursing Dean Sandra Cooper as the organization's 2010 Iowa Outstanding Administrator/Manager. They recognized Cooper's efforts to build Kirkwood's Nursing program into one of the largest and most successful in the state.

Commenting on the honor, Cooper focused on larger, shared college goals.

"I am humbled and truly honored to receive this award and would like to express my gratitude to the Board of Trustees for the nomination. To me, the award represents a goal each of us in the college strive to accomplish--student success. The nursing program has taken on several initiatives to improve student outcomes. These have been accomplished by the efforts of a remarkable team of nursing faculty and staff who are very dedicated and committed to the students we serve," she said.

Sandra Cooper joined Kirkwood Community College in 2007 as Director of Nursing and is beginning her 16th year in nursing education. While at Kirkwood, she has led program initiatives to improve student outcomes in one of the largest nursing programs in Iowa.

Cooper is involved in nursing leadership and coordinating council committees with our regional partners. She currently serves on an ethics committee of a local hospital. She has been a nursing faculty member at Northeast Iowa Community College, Iowa Western Community College and University of Iowa College of Nursing. Cooper earned a MSN degree from the University of Iowa, BSN degree from the University of Dubuque, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from Iowa Central Community College.

Throughout her teaching career, Cooper has maintained clinical nursing practice and has 26 years experience in direct patient care. She has published several nursing faculty resources and co-authored a Pharmacology textbook for nursing education, published in October 2009.

In recent years, Kirkwood Nursing students have consistently performed above national examination standards, with several student groups completing the LPN licensure exam at 100 percent pass rates. In the 2009-10 academic year Kirkwood students earned 173 Registered Nurse and 169 Licensed Practical Nurse certifications.

Monroe accepts New Jobs Training post

Steve C.

Since the 1970s Dale Monroe has bridged the worlds of education, business and community development. In 2010 he has taken on a role that blends many aspects of those worlds in one position.

Kirkwood Community College has appointed Monroe as New Jobs Training Manager in the college's Continuing Education and Training division. In his new position, he will work with existing businesses and potentially relocating firms to develop worker training programs for their employees.

"It is very exciting to be a part of such a well respected community partner like Kirkwood. I look forward to assisting people and their organizations to access learning solutions and resources that add to their success," Monroe said.

Dale Monroe comes to Kirkwood after a career in Iowa education that spans more than 35 years, plus roles in new and developing companies. Most recently he was superintendent of the Anamosa, Iowa Community School District. Monroe also spent more than two decades in administrative roles at the Linn-Mar Community Schools. Between those jobs he learned business on the job in leadership roles at Fastek International and Farmers State Bank.

Monroe has earned many citations and awards from local and state education and civic organizations. Among them were Marion Business and Community Leader of the Year in 2004, a Hall of Fame award from Linn-Mar, and national leadership honors from Junior Achievement. His civic involvement and support includes work with the Boy Scouts of America, YMCA, Marion Economic Development and Rotary International. Monroe is also well-known in educational circles for work with data-driven decision-making and outcomes-based teaching methods.

Serving and Learning Blend in New Hotel

Steve C.

Kirkwood builds innovative educadtional model as new on-campus "working lab" opens to the public

--by Steve Carpenter, Kirkwood News Service

For Ellen Hemphill, the past year was mighty busy. Even by the standards of her ambitious, job-juggling nature, 2010 has been intense. Dark eyes flash and her hands wave in excitement as she describes "priceless" insights and "once in a lifetime" opportunities to do, learn and earn, all at once.

"I have worked on some of the most complicated projects I could ever have imagined. This was the year I realized how much I love the hotel business," Hemphill says with a grin. "It's the career I always wanted but never knew it."

Whether by design or desire, Hemphill jumped career-first into a new model for education at Kirkwood Community College. The Iowa 30-something snapped up a rare inside internship for her final semester in Kirkwood's Hotel Management program.

In the next decade, the college expects to give career-boosting experiences like Hemphill's to several thousand students. As Kirkwood built a $30 million upscale hotel around her, a new approach to teaching culinary, hotel management and guest care skills was also under construction. Hotel staff and college leaders alike are unabashed in their belief that this new four-story facility will rearrange concepts in higher education in the U.S. and beyond.

As the final touches are added to The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, a team of hospitality professionals have balanced their chosen professions of hotel management, guest relations and culinary arts with other, equally important roles: teachers and mentors. Their daily work is a 24/7 demonstration to complement the classroom and lab projects for students in Kirkwood's five Hospitality Arts courses.

The caring, continually monitored marriage of guest services and education has few working models in the nation. The leadership of Kirkwood Community College knew they were entering pioneer territory as they moved their new teaching facility from concept through design and construction.

In the late summer of 2010, The Hotel has opened and welcomes guests on a daily basis. With a professional staff of about 70, the staff is a bit larger than some 71-room inns found in the private sector. That is by design, according to Hotel General Manager Lee Belfield.

"As we researched and developed the idea of this teaching hotel, I quickly realized that we needed to have people who embraced the idea of learning while working, imparting those skills and that wisdom every day. In my own experience over the years that was the case�and still is, as we work together building this new hotel. I can feel that spirit growing already," he said.

Part of the research and planning for The Hotel at Kirkwood Center involved visiting several of the rare teaching hospitality centers in the U.S. Belfield and others saw teaching hotels in several university settings and listened as staff and faculty members spotlighted successes�and admitted pitfalls along their own learning curves.

"We learned quickly that a successful operation has to create a curriculum and build the learning environment that understand and communicate with each other. We saw how other operations sometimes had problems between the staff and the classroom processes, and integrating students into daily operations," Belfield said. "It was a bolt of clarity for us. We realized as a team that we could have our staff be student instructors, too. The students would know these professionals in a class or lab, then see them do their jobs each day for The Hotel."

This model is underway at Kirkwood, with nearly a dozen leading staff members playing adjunct faculty roles. From sales director and catering manager through the front office manager and executive chef, most of the key operations of the upscale hotel are taught and supervised by dual-role people. Many of those people were also Kirkwood Hospitality Arts graduates themselves, some within the past couple years. Others were Iowa natives who built professional careers in hotel/motel management and restaurant operations before signing on with Kirkwood for this new venture.

The facility itself is designed to maximize educational opportunities while delivering a distinctive guest experience. The Hotel's Class Act Restaurant has a multitude of seating arrangements: bar, tables, banquettes and booths, as well as a special semi-private seating area surrounded by a floor-length curtain.

"Each one of those choices involves a different approach to serving the guest. Each different area is its own opportunity for the diner to enjoy the meal�and for the servers to learn on the job as well," Belfield observed.

In order to organize this rare educational model, the college has given The Hotel's leadership and its Hospitality Arts faculty some leeway to customize the working lab around the realities of a four-story hotel's operations. One early realization was that the standard 50-minute class times and schedule structure of Kirkwood's 120 other academic programs would not easily fit into the practicalities of on-site learning for The Hotel.

About the time construction began on Kirkwood's hotel, revamping of the college's class schedules and student course work was also underway. Hospitality Arts Coordinator Mary Jane German noted the extensive work of college instructors to enhance the student experience with the new facility.

"Our faculty has worked much of the last two years to revise and develop the curriculum to make sure the course content and labs work with the block schedule. By the time the new professional staff team was forming, these new class plans were also coming together. This fall our students will enter into a new way of learning with us," German said.

Executive Chef Melanie Ewalt was until recently in the full-time faculty ranks at Kirkwood and played a role in constructing the new classroom structures and schedule. Now the Executive Chef at the facility, she will see the evolving learning model from both perspectives.

"We started with the idea of teaching our students the skills and information they would need to know to be the best of the best. What resulted is a more intense and concentrated version of our past classroom structure that focuses on retaining skills and being the best they can be," Ewalt said.

Students will take part in Culinary Arts, Hotel Management and other course work in a block system, providing insights into how the lodging and restaurant functions are delivered�as they are delivered. Ewalt says the faculty visited some other culinary teaching programs and saw the benefits of a flexible block course setting, then adapted it to the needs of the Kirkwood training program.

"We will have more time to share the techniques and give them direct experience in an efficient time frame. We intend to produce world-class professionals when they leave Kirkwood," Ewalt added.

These and other educational needs have been created in real time and honed in an innovative crucible of necessity, according to Belfield. "We are creating a lot of these ideas and methods around us and adjusting as needed. With a team as savvy and dedicated as these folks are, that's the only way we could do it," he said.

# # #

On a warm July day, Lee Belfield's office is a pulsing cell of activity at the core of this hive of hospitality education. Post-it notes line an overhead credenza while workers in hard hats tote restaurant equipment past his window. Staffers lead new employees through tours and talk schedules, recipes and room amenities, all just outside his door. A set of footsteps begins briskly on carpet then breaks into a trot over new tile floors. A phone behind Belfield rings once and is picked up by an office manager down the hall. He smiles at the palpable energy level all around him.

"We knew going in that we didn't have many models to work from. The places we visited were helpful in many ways, but much of what we learned was a cautionary message. Kirkwood has given us the freedom as well as the responsibility to be the best hospitality program in the world, if we can make it so."

Lee Belfield leans forward and looks intently across his desk to drive home a final point.

"Yes. The world. Kirkwood has been known for excellence in teaching and community service for decades. When we got together as a staff and faculty group early this summer, we talked a long time about what we were all about. As a group we agreed that The Hotel at Kirkwood Center would be a global leader in teaching hospitality skills and understanding for our students, while we provide a defining experience for our guests. I truly believe that we are on the road to delivering that learning while we impart that experience. When our guests leave after a stay here and tell others they experienced just that�and use those terms�we'll know we are getting there."

College Fair at Kirkwood, Sept. 21-22

Steve C./Doug B.

Evening and morning format to allow more visitors
For the first time, Kirkwood Community College will host a two-day college fair. Representatives from dozens of Midwest colleges will share information on their schools on the Kirkwood Cedar Rapids campus Sept. 21-22.

In the past this event was held on a single morning, but Kirkwood Dean of Admissions Doug Bannon feels, "Offering a night session will give students and parents a special time to come out and get information on colleges."

Prospective students and their parents can compare many college choices in one location during the Tuesday night and Wednesday morning sessions. Representatives of nearly 100 higher education institutions will talk with interested area residents during the two sessions in Kirkwood's new Michael J Gould Kirkwood Recreation Center. Public and private colleges and universities from Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, South Dakota and Wisconsin as well as every corner of Iowa will be represented.

The annual college fair is one of the best opportunities to gather a lot of information in one location, according to Bannon.

"Our participating colleges run the gamut from state universities and private colleges to business schools and military academies. We'll have colleges from all around the Midwest represented in the fair. It's pretty rare for area high school students and parents to get 90-plus colleges represented in one spot," Bannon said.

Bannon also emphasized that the college fair is an opportunity to narrow a list of possible college campuses to visit and get information on a variety of colleges at one time.

The 2010 Eastern Iowa College Fair is scheduled September 21 from 6 to 8 p.m. and again on September 22 from 9-11 a.m. The event is free and open to all interested persons. More information on the college fair is available from the Kirkwood Admissions office, 319-398-5517.

Two Programs for the Price of None?

Steve C.

Kirkwood partnership offers GED diploma classes plus welding skills training

For qualified people in eastern Iowa, it is a deal too good to miss. Two deals, in fact. Ten individuals in eastern Iowa could soon be on the path to a catch-up on their education with in-demand skill training to boot.

Kirkwood Community College is launching the Partnership of Academic and Career Education, providing a cohort of students the chance to earn two critical keys to success: a GED diploma and specific training in a skill set sought after by area employers. The PACE program is seeking students who are interested in a welding career and also needing to complete their high school equivalency studies.

The program offers qualified students paid GED instruction and testing fees, paid tuition in a certified welding instruction program, plus incentives as they progress in the program. Kirkwood assistance in transitioning to employment or further education is also part of the PACE program.

High School Completion Programs Director Marcel Kielkucki says such a program "doesn't come along every day" and believes it addresses many needs in one focused approach.

"We were pretty excited when we saw the potential of this project to meet student needs and address workforce opportunities, too. When we presented this program to some people recently, one parent said, �You can get your GED and welding training, too�for free?' We had to agree, it was a pretty good deal," Kielkucki said.

Eligible candidates for the PACE program should be currently employed or have a good work history, and be able to commit to an eight-month program with Saturday and Monday evening classes. The training program will also allow participants to earn career readiness certificates that verify skills and knowledge for future employment. Tuition, study materials and testing fees are covered through grant funding. The program is limited to 10 participants per session.

A workshop explaining the program will be held at Jones Hall on the Cedar Rapids Kirkwood campus Monday, Sept. 13 at 6 p.m. Classes will start Monday, Sept. 20.
More information is available from the Lincoln Learning Center, 319-366-0142; or via e-mail:

cshea@kirkwood.edu

Art for Guests' Sake

Steve C.

New teaching hotel at Kirkwood Community College doubles as gallery; 300-plus total works on display

[Cedar Rapids, Iowa] -- When guests and visitors first arrive at The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, the initial impressions can be profound. Created chiefly as a real-world teaching laboratory for Hospitality Arts students, the new 71-room facility at Kirkwood Community College could also be mistaken for an art gallery.

Located on the south side of Cedar Rapids, The Hotel displays works chiefly by Kirkwood students, faculty and alumni, plus a representative selection of noted Iowa and Midwest artists with college or community ties. The hundreds of pieces run the gamut from photographs and paintings to glass, sculptures and textiles.

The man behind this virtual gallery is Arts Specialist Arbe Bareis. A Cedar Rapids native, Bareis was an early champion of using the four floors of guest rooms, common areas and Kirkwood Center conference facilities to showcase the artistic side of both the college and Iowa.

"As soon as I saw the preliminary designs and drawings, I knew The Hotel had great potential for art on display. The level of enthusiasm from all directions has been tremendous, and it shows in the great number of works, the spectrum of styles, and how the wide variety seems to orbit around the theme of Iowa and our people. We are an exciting group of people and that is reflected in Kirkwood's hotel, which probably has more original art on display than any hotel in the country. It is thrilling to be part of what is really a unique happening in the history of the hotel in this country!" Bareis remarked.

Built as a working laboratory for Kirkwood's five Hospitality Arts credit programs, The Hotel developed with a focused aesthetic purpose. General Manager Lee Belfield conceived the facility in 2004, seeing the value of "doing the work, seeing hospitality service in action" as a valuable asset in the learning experience.

"This hotel has been a powerful learning and teaching experience, even in the design and construction phases," Belfield said. "Arbe and our Kirkwood arts faculty get a lot of credit for adding artistic touches to the place, from early in the game."

Artists represented in both the hotel and the adjacent conference center have work in the collections of major museums and institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Roswell Museum and Art Center, the Florida Center for Contemporary Art in Tampa, Yale University, and several U.S. Embassies.

Belfield also said the hundreds of art works add to a core idea in conceptualizing and completing The Hotel. "The pervading feel and dominant theme we have here is caught in an acronym we say every day: �HUT.' That stands for �Hip, Urban and Trendy.' That wasn't just a catchy theme to toss out but a conscious choice, based on what we feel a key trend is in the hospitality industry. We wanted to build a teaching facility to prepare our students to take entry-leadership roles in the top hotel, motel and conference event companies in North America. We believe this teaching facility will give them a top-level learning experience, getting those students prepared for those roles," Belfield added.

To reflect those goals and add an artistic experience for guests, the 320 works in The Hotel's collection have a core student focus. Techniques honed in Kirkwood's Fine Arts classrooms found new presentation spots in every corner of the facility.

"All the photographs in the guest rooms are by Kirkwood students. We had a competition in our photography classes to determine the winners. Also there is a long hallway leading to our Hospitality Arts labs, classrooms and student areas. There are more than 50 photos displayed in that collection, and they are all by our students, too," Bareis said.

A medium not found in many college course listings is glass-making. Kirkwood has one of the few comprehensive glass and ceramic programs at a community college in the Midwest. Bareis said the new teaching hotel is a "true showcase for creative glass" with deep scholastic background.

"We have one of the most creative and driven art glass faculty members around in Conifer Smith. She has been a dynamo in making works for our restaurant, conference rooms and the six suites of The Hotel. There are dozens of glass works on display. The complete effect is profound when people see these," Bareis said.

A visual focal point of these works hangs above dining guests in the Class Act restaurant area. Smith and a student created a glass chandelier suspended above a special circular dining table. The clear globes form a constellation around a larger clear glass globe with white swirls. Set against the deep reds, blacks and whites of the restaurant d�cor, the chandelier creates what Bareis calls a "beautiful and impressive focal point" for visitors.

Other large-format works created for The Hotel include massive collage murals in the student lounge area at the back of The Hotel's first floor. Kirkwood hosted a "topping out party" in November 2009, inviting college supporters and civic leaders to celebrate a milestone in construction with food, drinks and hard-hat tours. Each guest was invited to sign their name to large sheets of Mylar plastic. Those signatures became a backdrop for another student-focused competition.

"We had students in our Graphics Communications classes submit concepts employing those names to create a salute to the community whose encouragement made this place possible. Our winning entry was Erica Wery of Cedar Rapids. Her design will be visible to our students and visitors for years to come," Bareis added.

The two fourteen foot murals show fruits and vegetables in vivid color, with the many signatures seeming to float, embedded within the food images. All told, more than 500 names are worked within the two giant murals.

As Arbe Bareis walks through the Kirkwood Center, he pauses to touch the smoothed stone wall in front of him.

"This sandstone fa�ade was quarried from Stone City, less than 20 miles away. The dark wood you see all through The Hotel is Iowa walnut. There are more than 300 art works that also reflect those artists and their lives here. You might say the entire facility is a sonata to Iowa. It has been a joy to have a part in bringing all this together."

From Adversity to Excellence

Evelyn Cardenas finds opportunity, success and support at Kirkwood; next steps at U of Iowa

She came to a community college for a new start, to press the Reset button on her career. She wanted credentials to match the experience and wisdom already gained, to find new avenues of opportunity. She wanted positives to bolster hopes and make up for a stalled employment situation brought on by recession and job loss.

She did all those things, by many accounts in magnificent fashion. Those accomplishments were only the beginning. She gained new friendships, found occasions for leadership and earned academic honors. She earned financial rewards to continue her studies that made her nearly, literally one in a million. She also developed a faculty and staff fan club�and finished her studies just shy of $20,000 richer in scholarships.

Evelyn Cardenas completed her studies with honors at Kirkwood Community College in early August, and now embraces more classes at the University of Iowa's Tippie School of Business. She will walk the halls of the Pappajohn building with the knowledge that she holds some of the most prestigious scholarship awards available to any college student in America: A Carver Scholar award, plus a Pearson Prize, given to only 20 students in the U.S. each year.

Her soft-spoken demeanor is tempered with a firm style and direct conversations that focus her approaches to subjects and problems. School work must share life balance with the demands of a home she shares in West Liberty, Iowa with her husband, Eddy and two children.

In addition to the roles of wife, mother and student, Cardenas is also an active community volunteer. She has given of her time to raise funds for school and community projects, the latest equipment and improvements to the West Liberty school playground. She is also a registered notary public and has also helped her Spanish-speaking neighbors fill out employment applications and other forms.

The hopeful, sunny future Cardenas now embraces might seem far away from the struggles she knew three decades ago in a tough north Chicago tenement she recalls as filled with "graffiti, gangs and drugs." Despite the needs she faced in her early years, pride trumped her surroundings. "I have experienced poverty firsthand, and have cheated its grasp," she said.

Cardenas also saw and experienced the value of education early in life. Her early school success was rewarded by acceptance at Lane Technical College Prep High School in Chicago, often cited in "Best in America" listings by various magazines and journals. The bright young student was spurred by her opportunities there and began college after graduation.

But the trials of life were to put a hold on her lofty plans. The new student was also a new mother, and her toddler son developed a life-threatening illness during her first semester of college studies in 1994. Prompt medical treatments saved one-year-old Jason Cardenas, but the extended recovery time forced Evelyn to set her college studies aside and focus on care for Jason at their home. Her husband became the sole provider for the young family.

The financial needs of her young family led Evelyn to work outside the home. She found a job with an engineering company she says valued her "natural abilities to lead with creativity." The job was solid and gave her opportunities for financial and career advancement for more than a decade. Her job survived the sale of the company, but the economic downturn of 2008 caused her position to switch to a temporary role. Evelyn could sense the uncertainty in her situation and started school part-time. Her instincts proved true, as her temp job was cut a few months later.

Evelyn Cardenas and her husband, Eddy decided the time was right to focus her college studies. Cardenas chose to look to Kirkwood to revive her educational goals. She took her few accumulated college credits and applied them toward a Kirkwood associate's degree, taking classes at the Iowa City Campus. She also made plans to continue on at The University of Iowa when she completed her two-year degree.

Her Kirkwood instructors are quick to use words like "articulate," "humble" and "gracious" to describe her contributions to the campus atmosphere on Lower Muscatine Road in Iowa City. Mathematics Professor Doug Gustafson was one of Cardenas's early instructors and became a mentor during her time at Kirkwood.

"Evelyn always juggled her many roles in her family, community and school with great style and expertise. I watched her balance a pretty challenging course load while organizing two back-to-back fundraisers for a new playground back in West Liberty. She was in my Business Calculus class, and most students will tell you that course is no cakewalk! Evelyn simply nailed one of those exams while she ran those fundraisers and kept up with her other classes, too. I just had to shake my head in disbelief! Evelyn is one of the best students I have had the pleasure of teaching, simple as that," Gustafson said.

With her Kirkwood studies reaching an end, it was also Gustafson who encouraged Cardenas to pursue scholarships to help her next steps at UI. She recalls a visit with him in the spring of 2010 that became prophetic.

"I was talking with Doug in the Kirkwood student commons last semester, and told him that the financial challenges of going on to the U of I were pretty big," she recalls. "We talked about ideas for financing my education, and he suggested to keep applying for scholarships and to not give up. The last thing he said to me was, �Evelyn, I bet your luck is about to change.'"

In a matter of weeks, it was true. Cardenas heard in early June that she was awarded $5,200 from the Roy Carver Trust, one of the preeminent scholarship awards for Iowa college students. Just days after that, she also heard that she had received a "top-tier" Pearson Prize for Higher Education, a $10,000 award made by the international educational information firm. The cascade of good news continued a few weeks later when Cardenas received a national Hispanic Student Scholarship Fund award of $2,500.

Together, the awards will assure her financial security as she embraces the role of third-year student in the Tippie School of Business. With her additional support, Cardenas plans to pursue two undergraduate degrees, in business administration with emphasis in marketing, and another degree in international business.

A side benefit of the Pearson Prize was an expense-paid trip to Boston, Mass. in early August to officially accept the award, plus attend educational seminars with top company executives. It was there that she got an "added gift" to her already heady awards for 2010.

"While I was in Boston they told us that the Pearson Prize for Higher Education generated ten thousand entries. That was amazing to me! They chose 10 university and 10 community college winners. To know that I was chosen from all those entries shocked me. That was when the value of the scholarship became more than monetary to me," Cardenas said.

Back at the Kirkwood Iowa City Campus, Doug Gustafson nods his head knowingly when he hears of her observation.

"I was recently reading The Chronicle of Higher Education. They noted that last year there were more than 19 million students in U.S. colleges and universities. It's approaching 20 million students a year," he said. "Now consider Evelyn was one of 20 Pearson Prize winners. With all the rest we know about her, I can easily, mathematically tell you she has earned the status of �one in a million' for us in Iowa. Evelyn Cardenas is going to enjoy a lot of success. I'm confident of that."

[Photo by John Beyer, JBEYER Photography.]