NICC, Upper Iowa partner on Manchester center

Upper Iowa University, Northeast Iowa Community College and the City of Manchester officially opened the Manchester Regional Education Partnership Center this month.

The center is at 1200 1/2 W. Main St. in Manchester. A collaborative effort of Upper Iowa, NICC and the city of Manchester, the center offers post-secondary education in the greater Delaware County region. Area residents, business owners, city officials and representatives of the two colleges attended ribbon-cutting ceremonies in the center, in the Dupaco building.

Upper Iowa President Alan G. Walker said he appreciates the important role of community colleges and training programs in the higher education of adult students.

"This type of educational opportunity is extremely important for adult learners, and the Manchester partnership is a truly unique way to offer these kinds of programs," Walker said.

The Manchester Regional Education Partnership is a collaboration of entities aimed at making quality education accessible to the greater Manchester area. The center provides services such as online credit courses for high school students and adult learners and noncredit training programs for local citizens and the business community. The center offers adult basic education, English for Speakers of Other Languages, and GED classes as well as distance education programs offering undergraduate and graduate degrees. The facility has a computer lab and a classroom for business training and credit classes.