Kirkwood to relocate and cut Iowa City services, sell branch

After warning faculty and staff last month of likely changes to its 32-year-old Iowa City campus, Kirkwood Community College confirmed Thursday it’s moving most of that branch’s operations to its regional center in Coralville and selling the Iowa City campus.

“The Kirkwood Regional Center at the University of Iowa meets our needs as it has plenty of space,” Kirkwood President Lori Sundberg said in a statement about the changes expected by fall. “Our research also indicates the site is a more accessible location for the community overall.”

Following a campus study and community survey, Kirkwood has decided to move both credit and noncredit courses to the regional center this year “to continue to meet the needs of Johnson County while decreasing the operational costs of having two large facilities in the same metro area.”

Kirkwood, based in Cedar Rapids with six regional centers and other locations across Eastern Iowa, also is exploring expanding its partnership with the Iowa City Community School District at the district’s newly-acquired ACT campus facility.

That, Sundberg said, “makes good sense as it allows us to maintain a presence in Iowa City in a more cost effective manner with current enrollment levels.”

“The new locations, as well as the cost savings, will allow us to focus more resources to give our students the support they need to succeed," she said.

A recent Kirkwood assessment of its assets found if nothing changed over the next 24 years, the college would spend nearly $40 million maintaining the 97,094-square-foot Iowa City campus — which has a current classroom-use rate under 40 percent and saw a 75 percent enrollment slide from 2016 to 2021.

Given those drops, Sundberg said, Kirkwood also will cut the number of sections offered “to best meet the needs of current enrollment levels in Johnson County.”

“Based upon the number of face-to-face sections needed in Iowa City, we will be able to meet student demand by reducing sections and maximizing enrollment,” Sundberg wrote Thursday in a message to faculty and staff.

In that message, she said “most, if not all” faculty offices will move from Iowa City to the main campus in Cedar Rapids.

Kirkwood officials in a Thursday afternoon news release, said research shows student needs are “much different today than they have been in the past.”

“In order to ensure higher student retention and completion rates, a shift toward a personalized student support approach has become a necessity for higher ed institutions,” officials said. “College officials expect this to be an ongoing need as students continue to arrive on campus with life challenges that make pursing an academic journey difficult.”

About a potential expansion of Kirkwood’s collaboration with Iowa City Public Schools, Sundberg in her message said, “There are many potential synergies that could result from being physically located closer to such a crucial K-12 partner.”

“Discussions are ongoing and I will provide you with further updates once we have them.”

In a statement, Sundberg acknowledged resource allocation is a balancing act.

"We face a challenge in figuring out how best to support today's students both inside and outside of the classroom, while also balancing our expenses and revenues," she said. "This consolidation allows our institution to focus more of our resources on student support.”

Kirkwood expects to save about $400,000 annually by selling the Iowa City campus and has assembled a team to finalize operational plans for fall.

“From the start, we pledged to provide a transparent and timely process and I’ve tried to keep everyone informed as we look at every possible angle that allows us to better serve our students and our district in a cost-effective manner,” Sundberg wrote. “I encourage everyone to work collaboratively as we embark on this move and also ask each of you to consider ways that you personally can help to make it a success.”

In her message to faculty and staff, Sundberg stated plainly, “Kirkwood is financially strong.”

“However, we will need to get our expenses in line with our revenues to ensure our fiscal strength for the future,” she wrote.

Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.

Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com