April is Community College Month! Once again, we will be celebrating throughout the month and acknowledging our many connections in our area. I would ask you to share with us how you are connected to Clinton Community College. If you have not yet connected, I invite you to explore the many opportunities to become connected to CCC!

Our connection in the Clinton area began in 1946 with our first fall enrollment of just less than 100 students. While we have seen many changes, our commitment to our students and to providing quality education at a reasonable cost has not changed. Area residents can access a wide array of classes to meet their needs or interests.

Since that first fall we have been privileged to work with a great variety of people. Each student brings a unique story and unique goals with them. We are proud to be able to connect with each of our students.

Our college community works to stay connected to our students as well as to the communities we serve. We are blessed to have a group of dedicated individuals who work very hard to meet the needs of our students. They connect with our students on a daily basis in our classrooms as well as out of the classrooms.

In addition to serving our students at the college, many of our faculty and staff also volunteer their time and talents to the community as volunteers. It is not unusual to find our staff serving on volunteer committees, boards and commissions, and being involved in service organizations.

Our students provide a great connection to the college. Students come to us from all areas and represent a variety of ages and goals. Our students are Iowans — 93 percent of all community college students in the state are Iowa residents.

We have worked to make our students’ time with us as productive as possible. Articulation agreements and joint admission agreements with four-year colleges and universities assist our students in transferring and assure the students that their time and work will be well spent as they prepare for their next step.

Advisory committees and work with our local community assures our students in vocational programs and retraining programs are preparing for skills that will serve them well. Our students tend to stay in the state once they graduate. Statistics show that 85 to 90 percent of community college graduates stay in Iowa. We celebrate our students’ successes and know we are privileged to be able to work with them.

Our graduates are throughout the community. Whether it be the health care field, education, industry, service occupations, city government or our state government, our graduates are working to make a difference. We are proud of their work and proud to be connected to them. We know they are making positive contributions to their field as well as in their community.

There are many, many opportunities to find a connection to Clinton Community College. While our credit courses offer students a beginning to their college education or a start of a new career, our Community Education offerings provide offerings for the life-long learner.

Classes intended to meet the needs of area businesses and industries are offered to assist employees in maintaining the latest skill requirements. Other offerings vary from our annual Eagle Watch, Saturdays at the Arb, Visiting Artists and many programs offered with organizations in our communities.

Our Adult Basic Education offerings assist students wanting to improve basic skills, improve their English skills, or earn their GED. CCC recently hosted our first ever National Issues Forum, which brought people in our community together to discuss issues that impact our community. This past year 13,673 Clinton and Jackson county residents connected with CCC through non-credit offerings.

We also are privileged to be connected to a variety of volunteers at the college. Area residents have shared their time, talents and energy with us through advisory committees, our alumni activities, our Paul B. Sharar Foundation board and by serving as a volunteer with a variety of activities on our campus. We know that we are better for their involvement and know we are very fortunate for our connection to them.

Clinton Community College is a part of a statewide system of community colleges, which provides a great place to get connected. Tuition is kept as reasonable as possible, making it possible for students to attend college close to home.

In Iowa, community colleges enrolled 82,499 credit students this past fall. The colleges remain a great option for new students as typically 52 percent of the first time freshmen in Iowa are enrolled at community colleges. This past fall, 44 percent of all students enrolled in undergraduate programs in Iowa were enrolled at community colleges.

Additionally, 300,000 Iowans are served in our non-credit programs and offerings. Clinton Community College is proud to be connected with this system of community colleges in Iowa which works to provide programming in the state.

April is Community College Month. As we celebrate the month, I encourage you to become connected to CCC!

Karen Vickers is president of Clinton Community College.