NICC president search comes at a time of change for community colleges

(Northeast Iowa Community College is in the process of searching for a new president.  decorahnews.com's Paul Scott recently attended a public forum set up for one of the candidates to get a feel for what factors might be important in a new president)

The questions asked by staff members and by students at the public forum covered a lot of ground, but they all had one factor in common--a recognition that change is sweeping through education, including community colleges.

For instance, there's the impact of on-line education through institutions like the University of Phoenix.  NICC has announced 2,100 people are taking its on-line classes this fall.  But the school wants to attract students by being able to offer more personal attention than sometimes is offered through on-line courses.

Another question involved the ability of NICC to stay up-to-date on the resources and materials it offers its students.  That's a big concern, especially when it comes to expensive technology.  The school has tried to limit its expenses by partnering with businesses or other institutions.

Another change sweeping through education is even greater supervision by the federal government.  President Obama is proposing that community colleges over the next 5 years improve their graduation rates from 38 percent of students enrolled to 55 percent.

That's because the overall trend affecting community colleges is the demand by businesses for better educated employees.  That makes the programs offered by NICC and other community colleges even more critical to economic development.  One community college official put it simply: "In order to compete, you must complete."