NICC's Penny Wills invited to national conference

Northeast Iowa Community College President Penny Wills has been named to represent the nation's community colleges at a U.S. Department of Education regional summit on March 23rd in Indianapolis.

The meeting will bring together federal, labor, industry, education and philanthropic leaders to share successful efforts that increase college completion rates and prepare students for the 21st century workforce.

The summit will share best practices that community college leaders have implemented that increase the number of college graduates and improve the skilled worker labor force.  The summit brings together regional and national leaders in an effort to meet President Barack Obama's goal to have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. The Indianapolis summit is the second in a series of four conferences scheduled nationwide.

Wills received the invitation because of her leadership at Northeast Iowa Community College, which has experienced dramatic enrollment growth during her tenure.  The U.S. Department of Education says it wants community colleges to be integral partners in economic recovery and wants them to help defend federal programs that serve college students, including the Pell Grant and the Community College and Career Training Grant Program.