01/14/21: Area Happenings & Accomplishments

Named to fall honor list at NCC

Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon has announced the honor list for the fall semester. Students on the honor list are full-time and have achieved an average grade point of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale.

Several students from this area were recognized.

Everly: Jenny Hollesen, Radiologic Technology; Lucas Sindt, Automotive & Light Duty Diesel; Emily Stallman, Agriculture; Alyssa Zylstra, Practical Nursing.

Hartley: Dylan Miller, Agriculture; Chad Salaets, Associate of Arts; Kourtney Schnurr, Associate Degree Nursing; Kassandra Thompson, Health Information Technology.

Primghar: Maryssa Borden, Clerical Accounting.

Sanborn: Ivan Abonce, Industrial & Commercial Wiring; Elizabeth Carney, Practical Nursing; Brody Elgersma, Associate of Arts; Thomas Richard, Practical Nursing; Cade Schiphoff, Industrial & Commercial Wiring; Ryan Sterler, Heavy Equipment Operation & Maintenance.

NCC ranks No. 4 in nation for cost, quality

MSN Money or MSN.com has recently ranked Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon as the fourth-best community college in the nation by cost and quality. NCC scored a total score of 68.27.

According to MSN Money, the latest annual analysis of U.S. community colleges by WalletHub gives each school an overall score, with a possible total of 100 points. The report ranks schools by the scores which take into account measurements of the cost of an education and students' educational and career outcomes.

NCC is best in nation for upward economic mobility

Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon has been named as the best community college in the nation for colleges that are most associated with upward economic mobility. In a study conducted by the Brookings Institute, "Opportunity Engines: Middle-Class Mobility in Higher Education," NCC ranked No. 1 among two-year schools across the nation.

According to the Brookings Institute, the measure of mobility in the study is the share of students at a college who come from the middle quintile of the parental income distribution and move up at least one quintile in adulthood.

Researchers for The Opportunity Insights Mobility Report Cards used data for this study that built on the College Scorecard Data compiled by the U.S. Department of Education. They also compiled de-identified data from tax returns, linked to information about colleges, to construct this publicly available database for colleges in the United States.

Stubbe announces retirement as president of NCC

Dr. Alethea Stubbe, president of Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, has announced her intentions to retire. Dr. Stubbe submitted a formal request to the board of trustees at a meeting held Jan. 11.

"After much forethought and planning with the board of trustees, I have decided to retire effective June 30, 2021," Stubbe said in a news release. "It has been an honor to work with dedicated faculty and staff whose contributions make a huge difference for our students and northwest Iowa through providing quality, accessible and affordable education and a skilled workforce."

Stubbe has spent 30 years in higher education, including 10 years as NCC's president as of May 1. She said the time was right for her to spend more time with her family and do other things. Her retirement will also provide NCC with the opportunity for a new president to build a new leadership team.

An early retirement package was approved by NCC's board of trustees at its Oct. 26, 2020 meeting. The early retirement option was then available to all NCC employees that met the guidelines set out by the board.

The board will begin the process for a replacement at a meeting on Jan. 18.