Time Machine: Kirkwood turns 50

Iowa's community colleges got their start with a 1961 legislative resolution, directing the Department of Public Instruction 'to study and prepare a plan for a statewide system of public area community colleges.'

The department recommended 16 districts for 'merged area schools' in a 1962 study published as 'Education Beyond High School Age.' The report was shelved for a few years until 1964 when, during a speech at an economic development conference in Ames, Iowa's Gov. Harold Hughes advocated for the 60 percent of Iowa high school graduates who were not accepted to four-year colleges.

'I think it is time we faced up to the fact that we are defaulting miserably on the responsibility of supplying a big proportion of our young people with the kind of educational opportunity they want and need,' Hughes said. 'I refer, of course, to vocational-technical training.'

Hughes proposed starting out by building four vocational-technical schools to help solve that problem.

Hughes' speech had a big impact on the Linn County Board of Education (forerunner to the Grant Wood AEA), headed by Ira Larson. A month later, on Jan. 5, 1965, school superintendents and county school boards in the seven-county area surrounding Cedar Rapids met and formed a committee to begin planning a community college.

The Iowa Legislature didn't pass a law until May 29, 1965, but it allowed schools to include arts and science courses. Three days later, the state Department of Public Instruction got a proposal from the new Area 10 to form a college in Cedar Rapids.

Even before Area 10 was approved for a vocational school, property just south of Cedar Rapids, 'reasonably near the junction of U.S. highway 218 and U.S. highway 30' was being eyed as the school's location.

By November 1965, the state vocational school in Linn County was destined to become a community college, according to Larson. He said the law made establishment of community colleges a routine step for the new vocational schools. The school boards could request the state board enlarge the curriculum to include other subjects in addition to technical courses as outlined in the new law.

An election for unpaid directors from the seven counties in Area 10 was held May 10, 1966. A surprising 33 people were candidates for the nine directorships. While Washington County had just one candidate, Cedar and Johnson counties had six each. There were three districts in Linn County with five candidates for the West Cedar Rapids district, three for the East Cedar Rapids district and four in the Linn County district outside Cedar Rapids. Iowa and Jones counties each had three candidates and Benton County had two.

On Friday, June 10, 1966, Dr. Selby Ballantyne, 49, former superintendent of schools in Bettendorf, was appointed superintendent of the Merged Area 10 vocational school. His salary was $24,000 a year. That was soon increased to the state law limit of $25,000 a year.

His first duties were to assist in budgeting and employing office staff. Equipment was purchased from the Cedar Rapids school district's vocational-technical school and the new board levied taxes to operate the school and plan for construction of new facilities. It also took over the vocational-technical school's computer for training and contract services with area companies.

Then, on June 23, 1966, the Area 10 school board voted to ask the state for community college status as well as $1.5 million from the $6 million in state funds authorized the Legislature had authorized for vocational schools to build a new school. Ballantyne said that changing the college's designation would make it eligible for more federal and state aid, discounts on expensive equipment, and allow for more liberal arts classes that would result in lower per-student costs.

Area 10 got its start in rented quarters at 107 Eighth Ave. SE in July 1966. Courses in practical nursing, machine shop, floriculture, auto mechanics, data processing, electronic technology and drafting and design were offered to the 200 students enrolled.

Students in 1966 competed in a name contest for the school, officially known as 'Merged Area (Education) 10, in the Counties of Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington, State of Iowa.' The judges picked 'Cedar Valley Technical Institute,' but a month later the Area 10 board rejected that in favor of the lackluster Area 10 Community College, often shortened to Ten Tech by the media.

In spring 1967, the school moved to 4401 Sixth St. SW., and in 1968, temporary buildings were set up on the school's campus on the far-southwest side off Bowling Street, but classes were still widely scattered in rented facilities around the city.

The school's only sports competitors were an intramural touch football team when students got to choose a mascot, school colors and names for school publications in November 1967. Students ratified a school constitution and elected officers. They chose Eagles as their mascot/nickname, navy blue and white as school colors, 'The Communique' for student newspaper and 'The Silhouette' for yearbook.

In 1969, a farmhouse was chosen for the college superintendent's residence. Remodeling it was estimated to cost $35,000. The 57-year-old house on the Bowling Street edge of the 215-acre campus was purchased from Mr. and Mrs. Glenn Wilkin in March of 1971, but the board actually paid the couple $2,500 to move out early so Ballantyne could move in.

The board also ended months of debate over the more than 200 names submitted and agreed to name the school Kirkwood Community College after Iowa Gov. Samuel J. Kirkwood.

On Oct. 26, 1969, Kirkwood's first building, the $4.9 million Linn Hall, was dedicated. It had 40 classrooms as well as administrative offices. More than 5,000 people toured the new building.

Today, Kirkwood serves students from all over Iowa, the United States and 95 other nations. It comprises 690 acres and 27 buildings on its main campus and regional centers in each of the seven counties.