College Level
William Penn University
William Penn University prides itself as an institution that educates future leaders, and university officials are taking the initiative to expand both the facilities and curriculum to better serve its students.
Work continues on the Penn Activity Center and its adjunct COLT - classrooms, offices, locker rooms and training facilities - on the William Penn campus. Work began on the 150,000-square-foot, three-story facility in 2006.
The ground level of the PAC features three basketball courts, 50 yards of artificial turf, a wrestling room, locker rooms and offices for coaches and trainers. The second floor features an overhead track 14 feet above the courts and turf area. The third level in the COLT facility will house a science lab and classrooms for a nursing program. William Penn spokeswoman Diane Ottosson says the university officials would like to have partial use of the facility by the spring semester 2008.
Near the PAC to the north rests the Musco Technology Center. There are two wings to the center - the Industrial Technology program will be housed in the southern wing of the facility. The IT section features a manufacturing lab and a construction lab as well as classrooms and offices. The north wing of the facility will house the Communication Technology department - embodied as the Communication Research Institute, which focuses on digital broadcast studies.
William Penn is expanding its curriculum as it creates new facilities.
William Penn is offering its first graduate-level program - a masters in business leadership. The MBL is a pilot program that began September 5, 2007, at William Penn's College for Working Adults. William Penn also created a new undergraduate program - a digital broadcast studies. It is part of the Communications Research Institute. Marc Rosenwasser is the director of CRI. He is a news producer who worked for Tom Browkau and Katie Couric. He will direct CRI, teach courses and help the university recruit, Ottosson said.
The university also created a nursing program that offers a bachelors of science in nursing. William Penn and Indian Hills Community College are joining forces in a 2+2 program. Indian Hills nursing students can earn their two-year nursing degree and then come to William Penn to complete the last two years of their bachelors degree. Ottosson said Mahaska Health Partnership has a need for nurses who have administrative skills that they learn from a BA program. So, William Penn will give nursing students a chance to further enhance their knowledge and skills.
Vennard College
Vennard College celebrated its 97th anniversary in 2007. It is an interdenominational Christian College.
From 1910-1951, Central Holiness University had its campus at the site of Vennard College. The city of University Park developed around the college, and in 1951, the Chicago Evangelical Institute came to University Park. In 1959, the school changed its name to Vennard College.
The 70-acre Vennard College campus features the Jessop-Bruner Library; the Administration Building, which houses classrooms, a chapel and administrative offices; a gym and maintenance offices; two dormitories; Memorial Hall, a student center; a miniature golf course; a soccer field; and an outdoor amphitheater available to the public.
Vennard College has a student body of 73 from 20 states. It has a faculty and staff of about 15. The college is active with the local community and many local clergy come to teach courses as adjuncts.
Students are required to do "Christian Service," before they graduate with a local church or organization such as Youth for Christ. Besides their professional major, all students are required to major in Bible theology. Vennard College offers associates degrees, bachelors degrees and a 30-hour certificate.
Vennard College also is involved in athletics. It is a member of the Midwest Christian College Conference. They compete in men's soccer, basketball, cross country and golf, and women's volleyball, cross country and basketball.
Vennard College is accredited with the Association for Biblical Higher Education, part of the Council on Higher Education Accreditation. The college has daily chapel services in which the public is invited to attend. Currently, plans are underway for the college's centennial celebration in 2010. Learn more at http://www.vennard.edu.
Indian Hills Community College
Indian Hills Community College, with campuses in Ottumwa and Centerville, is in its fifth decade of serving students in southeast Iowa and the surrounding area. The college has grown to meet the changing needs of the residents of those areas. The college staff members, administration, and board of trustees are committed to providing high quality education opportunities through the Indian Hills programs and facilities.
Between 1996 and 1999, Indian Hills opened facilities in eight counties in the college's 10-county area. These "county service centers" were designed to make it possible for students to pursue a college education without having to travel long distances. And the centers were located in the county-seat communities in those eight counties to try and make them accessible for everyone in those counties.
One of the county service centers is located in Oskaloosa. The William Penn Center is located at 1710 N. Market St. It's open from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm Monday through Thursday, from 8 am to noon on Friday and for specifically scheduled events on Saturday.
The center acts as a conduit between the students who use the facility and the main campus of Indian Hills. Many times the student can find the information they need at the Oskaloosa site. And they can also be connected with the IHCC campus in Ottumwa.
The William Penn Center has an Iowa Communications Network (ICN) room where students can take arts and sciences classes along with a few health occupations classes. The center also has a state-of-the-art computer lab that serves as a research center and study area for IHCC students.
Students can receive instruction to help them complete their GED requirements. The final testing for the GED takes place the first Tuesday of each month. A wide variety of customized learning classes is offered in the center on a regular basis each term.
The Indian Hills William Penn Center prides itself in being a convenient and affordable educational opportunity in the Oskaloosa community.
Iowa State University Extension
The Mahaska County Extension office (Membership Directory) offers a variety of education and continuing education programs that benefit people and area industries.
Whether you are a gardener working on becoming a master gardener or a business owner seeking education for your work force, the Mahaska County Extension office offers courses to fit your needs.
The ISU Extension offers the latest research on programs such as agriculture and natural resources, business and industry, communities, families, and 4-H and other youth programs. The Extension offers access to conferences that offer continuing education units. Iowa State University alumni also are eligible to join the ISU Alumni Association that offers continuing education benefits such as alumni tours.
The Iowa State University Extension works with industries through partnership to develop innovative curricula with technology that responds to the specific training needs of employers such as learner-centered design; faculty, student and business involvement; distance learning technology, including e-learning and e-business; and a focus on quality, efficiency and accountability.
ISU Extension also offers education opportunities such as the Master Gardener program. Learn more at http://www.extension.iastate.edu/mahaska.
St. Ambrose University
St. Ambrose University is an independent, diocesan, Catholic institution of higher learning located in Davenport, Iowa. The University provides a combination of quality instruction in the liberal arts along with pre-professional, professional, career preparation and a variety of life-long learning programs. The entire H.L. McLaughlin MBA Program from St. Ambrose is offered in Ottumwa at Indian Hills Community College.