MOUNT VERNON, IA (12/11/2014)(readMedia)-- Andrew (Drew) Klocke of Coal Valley (61240) performed in the Cornell College Jazz Ensemble Concert on Dec. 9.

The group played classic and contemporary jazz songs, including works by Miles Davis, Mike Dana, and funk group Tower of Power.

One of the 40 "Colleges That Change Lives," Cornell College in Mount Vernon, Iowa, is a national liberal arts college with a distinctive One Course At A Time curriculum. The One Course schedule provides students the chance to dive into their studies, focus more intensely on the disciplines of their choice, and learn authentically with the unique freedom to shed the confines of the traditional classroom to study off-campus, pursue research, or accept an internship--all without missing out on other classes.

Cornell has been recognized by numerous publications for the value its education offers and for academic excellence. This year it was named of the 100 best values in liberal arts education by Kiplinger's, one of the "Best Value Schools" among national liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report, and one of the 100 Affordable Elite Colleges by Washington Monthly. Ninety-three percent of Cornell graduates earn their degrees in four years. In 2013 Cornell was named one of the 25 colleges with the best professors by the Center for College Affordability and Productivity.

For more information, visit www.cornellcollege.edu.

PELLA, IA (12/10/2014)(readMedia)-- Area students will present during Undergraduate Scholarship Celebration Day, held Dec. 11 at Central College. The event will provide students with the opportunity to showcase their research and projects in a variety of disciplines.

Melissa Ketcham of Muscatine is a senior studying computer science and mathematics. Her presentations are called "CodeCraft: Engaging Middle School Students to Learn Computer Science by Playing Minecraft," and "Leave For Meeting: A Reminders App to Keep You On Time."

Dan Dankert of Davenport is a junior studying political science. His presentation is called "Yo te querí Homenaje a Pablo Neruda."

Jake Forgie of Le Claire is a junior studying biology. His presentation is called "Comparative Toxicology of Relative Ponds and Lakes."

Central College is a residential liberal arts college dedicated to the education of 1,500 undergraduate students. Founded in 1853, the college is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and NCAA Division III athletics. Central is a recognized leader in study abroad as a result of its international, residential programs. The college is located in Pella, Iowa, a thriving community of 10,000 two minutes from the state's largest lake and 40 minutes southeast of Des Moines. Learn more at www.central.edu.

The Black Hawk College Board of Trustees has offered Dr. Bettie A. Truitt the position of president of Black Hawk College effective Jan. 1, 2015.

Dr. Truitt has been serving as interim president since July 1.

"In the six months she has filled that role, she has met many unanticipated institutional challenges with efficiency, intelligence and grace," said David Emerick, chair of the Black Hawk College Board of Trustees.

"In every way, Dr. Truitt has demonstrated her ability to rise to the challenges of the presidency of Black Hawk College."

Dr. Truitt began her career at Black Hawk College in 1989 as a full-time mathematics instructor. In her years on the faculty she was widely recognized as a student-centered teacher, a doctoral scholar earning her Ph. D. in mathematics education, statistics, higher education policy and planning from the University of Iowa. She had leadership roles on numerous internal and external committees and as faculty representative in IFT contract negotiations.  

From 2007-12, she was dean of instruction and academic support where, in addition to the responsibilities of that office, she continued her involvement in contract negotiations internally and as an AQIP strategy forum facilitator for the Higher Learning Commission. 

In 2012, Dr. Truitt became vice president for instruction. In 2013, she added student services to her vice-presidential responsibilities, and in June 2014 she assumed the additional duties of executive vice president.

"Regardless of the role I've been in, Black Hawk College has been a large and rewarding part of my life," Dr. Truitt said. "We come to work each day knowing we can impact our students and help them achieve fulfilling lives.

"I appreciate the support of the Board of Trustees and look forward to working with the board. I also look forward to working with the faculty and staff. They are the people who make Black Hawk the special place that it is," she added.

Dr. Truitt's contract as president will be Jan. 1, 2015, through June 30, 2016.

ICAD Group's Workplace Culture Initiative Wins Economic Development Award
TEAM Centered Workplace Concept Gaining More Members

The Mid-America Economic Development Council presented its annual Economic Development awards at the 2014 Mid-America Competitiveness Conference & Site Selector Forum, held December 7-9 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago, and the Iowa City Area Development (ICAD) Group Received First Place in the Business Retention and Expansion Category for their entry "Making Iowa City and Iowa's Creative Corridor a Hub for Workplace Culture."

Mark Nolte, ICAD Group's President, said this initiative stems from data collected through its annual existing industry survey.  "As we came out of the recession, we started to see a greater divide among area companies struggling for workers, losing workforce, and those who had unfavorable opinions on local workforce, versus companies that were seeing year-over-year growth," said Nolte.  "In fact, we noticed that companies that were showing high value and low risk scores were also receiving accolades as some of the "fastest growing" and "best places to work" in our region, so workplace culture became a priority."

In June of 2013, ICAD Group launched a series of workplace culture programs to help employers realize that today's workers have a choice in companies, locations and communities, and culture plays a key role.

Included in that programming were visits from Hagie Manufacturing, an agriculture implement manufacturer in Clarion, Iowa, to share their story of transformational culture and rethinking the work environment to attract talented people; promoting World Blu's "Democtratic Workplaces" certification for companies in the region (3 area companies were certified this past year); and the full-day Workplace (R)evolution conference, held this past summer in Cedar Rapids, that attracted attendees representing more than 70 companies from throughout Iowa's Creative Corridor.

Plans are in place for Workplace (R)evolution 2015 in Iowa City and a workplace culture educational series at Kirkwood Community College. Additionally, a workplace culture coalition has since formed in the region known as TEAM, a concept promoted by ICAD Group and Diversity Focus.  With TEAM, companies declare their intent to become TEAM Centered Workplaces and work toward greater internal collaboration and employee autonomy, through Trust, Enjoyment, Accountability and Managing the Whole Person.

Linda Barnes, Vice President of Organizational Agility for Geonetric, says creating a great workplace culture is critical to attracting and retaining top employees. "ICAD Group's TEAM concept brings that to life," said Barnes. "Being part of a coalition that meets monthly to share ideas and practices is invaluable as we grow our company here in the Corridor."

The TEAM Centered Workplace coalition currently consists of 24 regional employers and continues to add new members monthly.  Participating employers are in varied disciplines, from banking to educational testing, software design to advanced manufacturing, with operations/offices in all seven counties of Iowa's Creative Corridor.

"When MediRevv first learned about the TEAM initiative founded by our partners at ICAD Group, we immediately saw the value to our organization as well as the opportunity to our Creative Corridor community," added Brad Baldwin, Vice President of Operations at MediRevv.  "The ideals of the TEAM initiative are foundational to building the human capital it takes to win in our business.  While our mindset at MediRevv was already geared towards these principles, the TEAM initiative has allowed us to continue our momentum and share the ROI of our investments we experienced internally with our community partners."

Companies looking to learn more about TEAM Centered Workplaces can visit www.icadgroup.com/team.