Mount Mercy and Kirkwood partner to help veterans, international students

CEDAR RAPIDS - In these hypercompetitive times in higher education in Iowa, with both public and private schools clamoring for every qualified student they can get, Mount Mercy University and Kirkwood Community College are taking the guesswork out of the admissions process for some applicants.

Administrators with the two Cedar Rapids-based schools have signed 'guaranteed admission agreements” aimed at helping veteran and international students achieve a four-year degree. The deals promise admission into Mount Mercy's traditional undergraduate program for veteran and international students who have earned an associate degree from Kirkwood.

The agreements also include scholarships and additional advising opportunities for the two student populations. Military personnel can obtain a $1,000 renewable scholarship, and international students will be eligible for 'generous” transfer awards.

Some international students also could qualify for a residential grant of $3,500 to help with on-campus living at Mount Mercy.

Efforts to save veterans on their daily living expenses include 'Veterans Free Lunch Friday,” which is offered at Mount Mercy but also is available to any veterans enrolled at Kirkwood who plan to transfer to the four-year private Catholic liberals arts university.

Administrators at both schools say the admission agreements further collaboration between the institutions.

'It's always ideal to work together with such a fine institution,” Bill Lamb, vice president of academic affairs at Kirkwood, said in a news release. 'The agreements we're signing will build more opportunities for our students to succeed.”

Rob Callahan, vice president for enrollment and student services at Mount Mercy, said the deals help students by providing a clear vision for next steps after graduation.

'Veteran and international students will benefit from having a visible, established pipeline at Mount Mercy University when they complete their associate degree from Kirkwood,” Callahan said in a statement.

Mount Mercy offers baccalaureate and graduate education to about 1,800 students, including 50 international students and 40 veterans. Kirkwood has more credit programs than any community college in Iowa and more than 25,000 college-credit students a year, including 356 students from 66 countries. Over the past year - from Fall 2013 to Fall 2014 - Kirkwood has enrolled 655 veterans, a number expected to grow in the spring.

The announcement of the pair's partnership comes as funding becomes increasingly tight for public and private universities and as competition for eligible students surges.

The Board of Regents over the summer approved a new funding model for its public universities - University of Iowa, Iowa State University, and University of Northern Iowa - that aims to allocate state appropriations based on enrollment and performance metrics. Beginning in the next budget year, the board plans to tie 60 percent of state dollars to resident enrollment, 5 percent to graduate and professional enrollment, and 30 percent to performance metrics - like access, research, and degree completion. The remaining 5 percent will be left up to the board to decide.

That change has the universities - and consequently the private and community colleges - fighting harder for the shrinking pool of college-bound Iowans. UI recruiters, for example, have ramped up efforts with larger campus visit events and massive marketing campaigns.

Private colleges have announced new Iowa-specific scholarships and incentives. But public, private, and community colleges also have stressed a desire to maintain - if not grow - student interest outside Iowa.

The schools are rolling out new degree programs and course offerings believed to be widely popular.

Cornell College last week announced the launch of two new academic programs aimed at helping 'prepare students for careers after graduation.” Beginning next school year, the college will offer business and engineering sciences programs.

Those were chosen, according to Cornell officials, because of interest prospective students have shown, because they're a good fit with programs already offered at Cornell, and because they'll prepare graduates for careers in 'vital, growing fields with many employment opportunities.”

'These new programs are part of our strategic plan to innovate within the liberal arts and offer new opportunities that we know interest students, and will fill a need beyond Cornell College,” Cornell President Jonathan Brand said in a news release.