Located on Boyson Road in Hiawatha, the Linn County Regional Center offers in-person courses and various educational services for traditional students and adult learners, as well as dual-credit opportunities for current high schoolers.
The Linn County Regional Center is also the primary location for the Occupational Therapy Assistant and Physical Therapy Assistant programs. Required program conferences and placement testing, as well as prerequisites and core arts and sciences classes, are all offered directly at the center.
Area high school students can enroll in Career Academies – dual-credit programs focused around certain careers and areas of interest – at Kirkwood's Regional Center at the University of Iowa. Career Academies give students the opportunity to explore potential career paths and get a headstart on their college degreee – at NO COST to them or their families.
The center includes all the resources adult learners need to succeed at Kirkwood. Find information about classes, advisors who can help you make the right decisions, and much more!
Start off closer to home! Traditional students can start toward any of our 130+ degree programs by taking general education courses at Jones County Regional Center.
| Mindy Thornton | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Director | |||||
| Email: | mindy.thornton@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Bio: | A Kirkwood Administrator since June 2006, Mindy brings a positive attitude, forward-thinking strategy, and a strong background in communication, community relations, and student services to the team as Director of the Linn County Regional Center. Mindy is a graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, with a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications and has a Master’s in Organizational Leadership from St. Ambrose University. As a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach, Mindy helps others identify and aim their unique talents to their work in order to consistently bring their "A-game" and strengths to the workplace and organization as a whole. | |||||
| Neal Davis | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Student and Academic Support Coordinator | |||||
| Email: | neal.davis@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Calendly: | calendly.com/nealdavis | |||||
| Bio: | Neal joined the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center staff in April 2021. In his role as Student and Academic Support Coordinator, he works with area high school students who are enrolled in one of Linn Regionals many Academy offerings. Neal is responsible for advising and assisting students as they earn college credit through Kirkwood while still in high school. He is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University where he earned is Bachelor’s degree in Broadcasting and his Master’s degree in Higher Education Leadership. Neal has worked with high school students in a college setting throughout most of his career and is thrilled to be doing so at Kirkwood. | |||||
| Amber Aiken | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | Center Coordinator | |||||
| Email: | amber.aiken@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Bio: | In her role as Center Coordinator Amber works extensively with the College Credit in High School program and is responsible for assisting with registrations, textbook check out, supporting faculty, and greeting students and visitors in the main office. She has been with Kirkwood since 1994 and is a Kirkwood graduate. In her free time, Amber enjoys being creative with photography, art, gardening, and spending time with her husband and two dogs. | |||||
| Craig O’Brien | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title: | PT Test Center Associate | |||||
| Email: | cobrien@kirkwood.edu | |||||
| Bio: | Craig has worked for Kirkwood’s Linn County Regional Center since it opened in fall 2013. Prior to that, he was Kirkwood’s Director of Media and AV Services for 23 years. A graduate of the University of Iowa, Craig now helps troubleshoot technical issues, provides AV assistance, and works in the Test Center. | |||||
ICAN empowers Iowans to achieve their educational and career goals through statewide comprehensive outreach, initiatives and partnerships with schools, groups, and businesses. The program helps more than 300,000 students, parents, and education professionals prepare for college each year.
Through ICAN, the Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa can help students at any stage of the planning process, from determining career choices, to lining up colleges that offer the appropriate programs and majors, to coming up with a strategy to finance it all.
Corporate training can help teams take advantage of opportunities, work more harmoniously, and be more effective. Linn County Regional Center can host a wide range of corporate training options individualized to your organization's needs.
Linn County Regional Center houses the Workplace Learning Connection, which brings high school students together with local business and industry to provide job shadows and internships.
1770 Boyson Road
Hiawatha, IA
Call the Linn County Regional Center: 319-398-1052
Email: linn.regional@kirkwood.edu