By Sam Simpson
IV Leader Opinion Editor, Sept. 2, 2010
As a major addition to IVCC, the beginning of the fall 2010 semester marked the grand opening of the IVCC Ottawa Center.
According to IVCC President Jerry Corcoran, the number of attendees at the opening of the satellite center on Aug. 9, business after-hours on Aug. 10, and the open house on Aug. 12 far surpassed his expectations.
“I spent some time at the Center on the first day of classes on the 18th,” said Corcoran, “and our students and faculty were very upbeat and appreciative of the facility.”
When asked about why the IVCC Ottawa Center was created, Corcoran responded, “The bottom line is a large group of individuals came together for a common cause—to create a first-class teaching and learning institution that would be more convenient for individuals on the east side of the
college's district—and we have achieved our goal.”
Corcoran added that another benefit is it is estimated that “a typical full-time student from the east side of our 2,000-square mile district can save anywhere from $1,500-$2,000 year in transportation costs by taking classes at the Ottawa Center.”
He continued, “When you add that savings to our textbook rental program and our low tuition and universal fee rate, there’s no doubt in my mind that we’re really following through on three themes that have become the core of our marketing strategy: high quality programs and services, at a very low cost, and now more convenient than ever before.”
Among his other thoughts was the idea that the development and convenience of the center has likely encouraged many people to pursue a college education. He added that instead of just night classes, now there are courses being offered throughout the entire day, which will increase the number of students enrolled, and hopefully increase the number of credit hours they are taking as well.
“Naturally, enrollments are one way to measure the success of any such initiative,” said Corcoran, “and although the unduplicated headcount (374) is very impressive, what I’’m really looking forward to seeing is the data that will be collected from our Ottawa Center students in a few weeks indicating the extent to which establishing the new center affected their decision to pursue higher education and the number of credit hours they are taking. What I find to be most interesting right now is at least one-third of the students at the Ottawa Center have no IVCC completed credits. We believe that convenience makes a difference.”
The IVCC President was impressed and extremely satisfied with the successful completion of the Ottawa Center. “Once you factor into the mix the wide variety of both credit and noncredit courses we’re offering,”” said Corcoran, “our effort really underscores the true mission of community colleges: to be active centers of learning that offer remedial and developmental education, vocational and technical training, the first two years of college for high school students planning to transfer on to a four-year college or university, and ongoing continuing education.
“And because of our presence in Ottawa, a unique partnership has been established with Marquette Academy, thanks to Dr. (Rick) Pearce, whereby we’ll be offering an Algebra Refresher class to help students bypass being placed into remedial math, and at the same time we’’ll be launching a Running Start program on a pilot basis with the goal being that high school students will have the chance to concurrently earn both a high school diploma and associate degree by the end of their senior year.”
Corcoran also gave credit and recognition to those who have dedicated so much time and effort to the creation of the addition.
He stated, “None of this would have happened were it not for the tremendous support we received from the Ottawa City Council, led by Mayor Bob Eschbach and his leadership team, especially the city’’s economic development director, Reed Wilson, and the chamber of commerce director, Boyd Palmer.
“From the college’s side, obviously, the IVCC Board of Trustees needs to be recognized for its courage and vision, as should two key administrators, Dr. Rick Pearce and Sue Isermann, both of whom worked closely with the city’s architects on designing the center and making sure we met all expectations. Ms. Isermann is the administrator we asked to really launch the center and she’s doing a super job!”
On a closing note, Corcoran said, “I’ll always appreciate the kind words of our IVCC Board Chair, Mr. Dennis Thompson, at the grand opening when he stated that it’’s not unusual to talk about these kinds of projects (establishing a satellite center) over the years, but oftentimes we never have a chance to see the plans actually carried out. In this case, everyone stayed focused, worked hard, and got the job done. Overall, this has been a great experience, and I could not be more proud of the work done by everyone to get us to this point.”