AMES, IA (02/13/2015)(readMedia)-- Kaitlin Clevenger from Davenport, Iowa (52803) was elected as the vice president of Transfer Admission Ambassador Program. Clevenger is a junior studying event management in the apparel, events, hospitality management department of the College of Human Sciences at Iowa State University.

The Transfer Admissions Ambassador Program (TAAP) is volunteer group that works with the Transfer Admissions Office. The group is made up of transfer students at Iowa State University and works to present a positive, realistic student view of the transfer process to prospective students and parents. The group's members represent the diverse experiences and qualities of transfer students that attend Iowa State University. Clevenger will serve as the vice president during the 2015 spring semester.

DAVENPORT?Waste Commission of Scott County facilities will be closed on Monday, Feb. 16 in observance of Presidents' Day. Normal hours of operation will resume on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Facilities closed include :

·    Scott Area Recycling Center, 5640 Carey Avenue, Davenport
·    Scott Area Landfill, 11555 110th Avenue, Davenport
·    Scott Area Household Hazardous Material Facilities, Davenport
·    Electronic Demanufacturing Facility, 1048 East 59th Street, Davenport

Waste Commission of Scott County is an inter-governmental agency whose mission is to provide environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management for Scott County. For more information about the Commission, please call (563) 381-1300 or visit www.wastecom.com.

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EAST PEORIA, IL (01/30/2015)(readMedia)-- Illinois Central College, East Peoria, released the names of students who earned President's List honors during the Fall 2014 semester. These local students received the honor:

Austin Brimberg of Moline, IL

Jacqueline Twing of Rock Island, IL

Located in East Peoria, Ill., Illinois Central College is a two-year community college that provides a high quality, affordable education to prepare students to enter the workforce or to transfer to a four-year college or university. For more information on ICC, visit icc.edu.

OXFORD, OH (01/29/2015)(readMedia)-- Chloe M Reed of Pleasant Valley (52767) was named to the Miami University fall 2014 president's list.

Miami University students who are ranked in the top three percent of undergraduate students within each division for first semester 2014-15 have been named to the president's list recognizing academic excellence.

Miami University is a public university located in southwestern Ohio, offering more than 120 degree programs in humanities, science, engineering, business, education and fine arts.

You can view Miami's other achievements at commencement, dean's and president's lists.

BISMARCK, ND (01/20/2015)(readMedia)-- Chad Wagner, Davenport, IA, has been named to the President's Honor Roll for the Fall 2014 semester at Bismarck State College.

"BSC students are great; it is always gratifying when the honor roll comes out and students like Chad get the credit they deserve for their focus and hard work," said Dave Clark, BSC interim president.

Students must maintain at least a 3.50 grade point on a 4.00 scale while enrolled in at least 12 semester hours of classes to qualify.

Bismarck State College, an innovative community college in Bismarck, N.D., offers high quality education, workforce training, and enrichment programs reaching local and global communities. For more information, visit bismarckstate.edu.

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (January 16, 2015) - Truman State University has released the Fall 2014 Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs' List. To qualify for this list, an undergraduate student must attain a semester 3.50-3.99 grade point average and must complete 12 semester hours of credit.

Area students include Caitlin Staver of Bettendorf (Psychology and Biology); Allison Fullercamp (Exercise Science), Scott McKillip (Business Administration) and Jennifer Riefe (Communication Disorders), all of Davenport; and Simone Collins of Rock Island (Psychology).

TSU has also released the Fall 2014 President's List. To qualify for this list, an undergraduate student must attain a semester 4.0 grade point average and must complete 12 semester hours of credit.

Area students include Alexandria Avila (Agricultural Science), William Daniel (Accounting), Kayleen Green (History, Pre-Education/Secondary), and Chelsea Wagschal (French, Pre-Education/Secondary), all of Davenport.

Founded in 1867, Truman is Missouri's highly selective public liberal arts and sciences university. Truman has the highest graduation rate among the state's public colleges and universities and approximately 50 percent of Truman students pursue an advanced degree immediately upon graduating. U.S. News & World Report has rated Truman as the No. 1 public university in the Midwest region for 18 consecutive years. Washington Monthly recognized the school as the No. 2 master's university in the nation and Kiplinger's Personal Finance named Truman as one of the 100 Best College Values for 2015.

Cedar Falls, IA - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today as he traveled with President Obama to Cedar Falls for his announcement on his plans to provide more Americans with access to fast and affordable broadband. Loebsack was recently named to the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over broadband issues.

"The future of economic development in Iowa and across the country depends, in large part, on access to the internet and specifically broadband. I have met with many small businesses, farmers, and rural telecommunication companies who have stressed the importance of expanding high speed internet to rural areas. Broadband also gives small and rural schools the power to vastly expand their educational options, providing students with a cutting-edge 21st Century education regardless of geography. Today's announcement is a necessary step for rural economic development, education, job growth, businesses, farmers, and families

"I was pleased to join President Obama today as he laid out his plan to make sure Iowans and others in rural areas are not left behind. Expanding broadband for all Iowans is critical so that this economic development tool is available for everyone, regardless of where they live."

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DES MOINES, IA (01/13/2015)(readMedia)-- The Iowa State Education Association's (ISEA) priorities for Iowa students have always been clear. Every student, regardless of ZIP code is entitled to a secure, healthy and robust educational environment so they are able to learn. This means funding must be adequate, equitable and sustainable and 6 percent State Supplemental Aid (SSA) for the FY 2016-17 and FY 2017-18 school years is absolutely necessary to meet this goal.

While we applaud the Governor for making anti-bullying legislation a priority, we deeply regret he has ignored the details in how he is proposing to fund Iowa's K-12 public education system. Currently, Iowa ranks 35th in the nation in educational funding per student which is $1,612 below the national average.

Iowa's schools cannot function on a wing and a prayer. We have seen the results of a slight-of-hand approach when the Governor claims he wants our public schools to be the best, yet still underfunds them. It seems to us that he can only tout our 1:1 technology schools and their opportunities for advanced student learning if he funds them properly so they have up- to-date equipment; he can only support our STEM program if he provides the program with enough tools in the labs to teach; and he can only brag about our Advanced Placement classes if he provides the funds for new text books which reflect the current world around us. Our leaders must realize that many Iowa classrooms are operating with outdated equipment, with history books that are over a decade old, technology that predates our students, and crowding with not a desk or square inch of space to spare.

We simply must fund our schools with adequate cost of living adjustments if we want to be competitive. Our hope today was that the Governor would not play politics and claim to support our schools with too little funding. Unfortunately, that is exactly what he has done.

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The ISEA is a professional organization made up of more than 34,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality education for all Iowa students.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (01/08/2015)(readMedia)-- Oklahoma City University is proud to announce that Shannon Beshears of Milan, IL has been named to President's Honor Roll for the fall 2014 semester.

Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours during a semester and maintain a GPA of 3.9 or higher to meet the President's Honor Roll requirements.

Founded in 1904, Oklahoma City University is a non-profit, comprehensive, private United Methodist university that is consistently ranked among the best in its category. OCU students pursue academic excellence through a rigorous liberal arts & sciences core curriculum that focuses on their intellectual, moral and spiritual development.

For more information visit www.okcu.edu

Oklahoma City University is a coeducational, urban private university located in Oklahoma City, in the Uptown district. The university is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and offers a wide variety of degrees in the liberal arts, fine arts, sciences and business. The only Oklahoma institution listed in the top tier of the regional, master's-level university category by U.S. News and World Report, Oklahoma City University is also listed in Forbes' "Best Christian Colleges" & "100 Best College Buys." OCU offers more than 70 undergraduate majors and 23 graduate degrees (including a law degree, MBA and doctoral programs in nursing).

Creates Initiatives to Help Undocumented Immigrants Apply for Federal Administrative Relief and Improve Public Safety in Illinois Communities

CHICAGO - Governor Pat Quinn today issued two executive orders to help support the state's undocumented immigrants in their integration into communities across Illinois. The orders create the Governor's New Americans Welcoming Initiative and the Governor's New Americans Trust Initiative to help undocumented immigrants apply for federal administrative relief and to improve cooperation between immigrants and law enforcement agencies. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to support comprehensive immigration reform and make Illinois a welcoming place for all people.

"Illinois is committed to supporting President Obama's immigration action and helping eligible residents apply for federal administrative relief," Governor Quinn said. "In Illinois, we want everyone to have the opportunity to succeed. By supporting our immigrant community and building trust with law enforcement, we continue our efforts to make Illinois the most welcoming state in the nation."

The Governor's New Americans Welcoming Initiative will coordinate state efforts to assist those in Illinois seeking federal administrative relief. The initiative will help applicants obtain necessary records to verify state residency such as immigration, medical, employment and school immunization records. State agencies will provide information on how to obtain records and designate a liaison to coordinate agency efforts. Illinois' 10 Welcoming Centers will serve as information centers for administrative relief applicants and include translators to assist applicants. An estimated four percent of Illinois' population may be eligible for temporary administrative relief.

A second executive order creates the Governor's New Americans Trust Initiative, which will improve cooperation between the immigrant community and law enforcement. Under the new initiative, state law enforcement agencies may not stop, arrest, search or detain a person based solely on the individual's immigration status or on the basis of an immigration detainer or administrative immigration warrant. Law enforcement agencies will also provide training to state police officers on U and T nonimmigrant visas and other remedies for immigrant survivors of criminal activity. These measures are intended to improve public safety across the state by protecting victims and encouraging more people to report crimes.

Copies of both executive orders are attached.

Governor Quinn has worked to make Illinois the most welcoming state in the nation for people of all races, ethnicities, religions and nationalities. In 2012, the Governor signed legislation to ensure that undocumented immigrants in Illinois are able to obtain a driver's license. Governor Quinn, a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform at the federal level, also fought for the Illinois DREAM Act, a historic law that is opening educational opportunities for Illinois children.

The Governor has long advocated for immigrants' rights by working to ensure that everyone takes full advantage of health insurance, job training and foreclosure prevention programs, creating and pushing multilingual awareness campaigns so that no one misses out. He also expanded his Office of New Americans Welcoming Centers as immigrants settle communities throughout Illinois. Under Governor Quinn the number of Welcoming Centers has grown from one to 10.

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