AMES, IA (10/08/2015)(readMedia)-- Rebecca Ness, of Muscatine, IA (52761) was selected as one of sixty College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) students to receive the Foreman Scholarship.

Ness, a student in Agricultural Business at Iowa State University, was selected for a combination of classroom performance and out-of-class leadership and volunteerism. The Fred Foreman scholarship is awarded to top students who serve the college by acting as peer mentors, club officers and representing the college on competitive teams with a preference for students in activities that assist in recruiting prospective students.

The Foreman Scholarship is renewable and can be received by students a maximum of three times to encourage continued participation. In addition, the scholarship features fifty-five $1,000 awards and five $5,000 awards, with top performing student leaders competing for the top five awards.

All Foreman Scholarship recipients are invited to be recognized at an annual dinner where they have the opportunity to meet with the family who funds the award. The students dine with Endowed Dean Wendy Wintersteen, the donors, CALS faculty and staff, and the other recipients of the award. In addition, speeches are offered by students, faculty and alumni paying tribute to the group's accomplishments and how they exemplify the values of the late Animal Science professor, Dr. Fred Foreman.

Ambitious goal aims to give Iowans the skills needed for rewarding careers and provide Iowa employers with the skilled workforce needed to grow and innovate

(DES MOINES)  - A new report released today by the Branstad-Reynolds Administration in collaboration with the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce (Georgetown Center) projects that from 2010 to 2025, Iowa will add 612,000 jobs to its economy, including replacement jobs due to retirement. The report, Iowa: Education and Workforce Trends Through 2025, also finds that 68 percent of all jobs are expected to require postsecondary education and training beyond high school, which positions Iowa 18th among the states and 3 percentage points above the national average. Building on that foundation, Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds are calling for 70 percent of Iowans in the workforce to have education or training beyond high school by 2025 so that more Iowans have great career opportunities and employers have the skilled workforce they need.

"Education or training beyond high school is the new minimum in today's increasingly knowledge-based, global economy," said Branstad. "The Georgetown Center report gives us a strong baseline for setting an ambitious goal of 70 percent of Iowans in the workforce having two- and four-year college degrees, certificates, and other valuable credentials and experience by 2025."

"Employers across Iowa regularly tell us that they struggle to fill both middle-skill and high-skill job openings," said Reynolds. "We look forward to a public conversation about how to close the skills gap at a series of Future Ready Iowa Roundtables that we'll hold in October across the state."

Three Future Ready Iowa Roundtables will be held this month in Waukee, Cedar Falls and Sioux City about how to strengthen Iowa's talent pipeline. Roundtable participants include Branstad, Reynolds, business, labor, nonprofit and education leaders, and high school and college students. The public is invited to attend the hour-long conversations. For more details, please see the roundtable schedule below.

In support of the Branstad-Reynolds Administration's commitment to giving students a globally competitive education and as part of a National Governors Association grant to strengthen Iowa's talent pipeline, the report analyzes industry and occupational trends to determine the education and workforce requirements that will need to be met for Iowa to achieve its economic development goals.

"The leadership in Iowa has a demonstrated understanding of the growing strength of the relationship between postsecondary education and careers, said Anthony P. Carnevale, research professor and director of the Georgetown Center. "With the articulation of this new state goal, they are stepping up to the challenge of matching programs to career opportunities."

Education projections are critical for determining future government investments in education and informing the allocation of government resources. The state's education goals will inform postsecondary institutions and K-12 schools of the enrollment, completion and graduation objectives necessary to fill potential job positions, while taking into account individuals from other states who join Iowa's workforce.

In terms of both output? contribution to the state's gross domestic product?and employment, Iowa's largest industries are manufacturing, healthcare and social assistance, and finance and insurance. As the state's largest industry, manufacturing is projected to add nearly 19,000 jobs through 2025?an 11 percent increase.

When examining the projected job growth by education level, the findings revealed that 32 percent of jobs will require a high school diploma or less; 21 percent of jobs will require a bachelor's degree; and 8 percent will require a graduate degree. The educational requirements for the middle-skill jobs are more nuanced than the 39 percent figure suggests. The breakdown includes associate's degrees (12 percent), postsecondary vocational certificates (5 percent), occupational licenses and professional certifications (5 percent), apprenticeship programs (3 percent) and some college credits with labor market value (14 percent).

The occupation trends show that social science, education, community services and arts, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) are projected to have the largest shares of jobs that require postsecondary education and training, whereas blue-collar and food and personal services will offer higher salaries and be more readily available to workers with a high school diploma or less.

Since the 1980s, education or training beyond high school has become the new minimum threshold for Americans to earn a living wage and attain middle class status. In 1973, only 28 percent of U.S. jobs required education beyond a high school diploma; by 2025, almost two out of three jobs in the nation will require at least some postsecondary education or training. Iowa's economy reflects this national trend and demonstrates a steady increase in the demand for postsecondary education and training in the industries that form the mainstay of the economy.

To read the full report, visit cew.georgetown.edu/Iowa2025.

Below is the schedule for the October Future Ready Iowa Roundtables, which are open to the public:

• Tuesday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., Waukee Community School District, Prairieview Theater Arts Center, 655 SE. University Ave., Waukee
• Monday, Oct. 12, 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., University of Northern Iowa, Slife Ballroom, 23rd St. & Campus St., Cedar Falls
• Wednesday, Oct. 28, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., Western Iowa Tech Community College, Room L416, 4647 Stone Ave, Sioux City

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Second Edition of Education Tax Credit Laws Across the States Evaluates Power in Providing Options

WASHINGTON, DC - Iowa ranks sixth strongest of the 16 states that have education tax credit programs, earning a "C" grade according to the second edition of School Choice Today: Education Tax Credit Laws Across the States, Ranking and Scorecard 2015 released today by The Center for Education Reform (CER). In all, two states earn A's, three earn B's, seven earn C's, three earn D's and one earns an F. The report provides analysis and state-by-state comparisons, ranking states not only based on the law itself, but real results of programs.

"Over 200,000 students are benefiting from tax credit scholarships today," said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform. "As the momentum for choice programs grows, with half of these 16 states enacting tax credit programs in the last three years, it's essential to evaluate which elements foster the creation of meaningful choices to the most number of students. Simply having a law alone does not translate into more and better opportunities for children."

Iowa's tax credit program serves over 10,000 students across the state, and has a moderately high income cap. The number of students enrolled has remained steady for the past few years, unlike many other states where it has grown, indicating that elements of the program's design and implementation are preventing new students from receiving scholarships. One barrier is that because of donation provisions, it is difficult for Iowa Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) to raise money for scholarships.

The Education Tax Credit Laws Across the States Ranking and Scorecard 2015 methodology has been revamped from last year's analysis, placing greater emphasis on participation and implementation, and taking a deeper look at rules and regulations governing programs. There are four major components that determine the strength of high-quality education tax credit programs across the states:

• Participation and purchasing power
• Eligibility
• Credit design
• Operational autonomy

"States that implement tax credit programs well will see reductions in overall expenditures in addition to growth in investments in K-12 education," continued Kerwin. "This fairly simple concept of allowing individuals, businesses, or both to claim a tax credit for contributions made to scholarship organizations provides big benefits, with the most important being a shift in the power to choose a school from bureaucrats to parents."

"The goal of this ranking and analysis is to provide a roadmap for lawmakers, parents, and advocates to bring about substantive and lasting change," said Kerwin. "We look forward to furthering debate and discourse to ensure laws being enacted are indeed fostering a marketplace where parents have the power to make choices among excellent options."

The 2nd edition Education Tax Credit Laws Across the States, Ranking and Scorecard 2015 can be found online here.

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DANVILLE , IL (09/28/2015)(readMedia)-- Lakeview College of Nursing recently held a ceremony in order to recognize students who have achieved a specific level within their bachelor's degree nursing program.

Mikayla Fritz of Moline, IL, received a White Coat and Level II Nursing Pin during the celebration. Fritz attends the College's Charleston Campus.

The White Coat/Level Pinning Ceremony demonstrates the student's commitment to compassionate and humanistic care and in some cases marks the beginning of clinical practice.

The event was made possible by a grant received through Gold-AACN White Coat Ceremony for Nursing. The White Coat Oath and Nightengale Nursing Pledge were recited and a symbolic flame was lit during the ceremony. Lakeview's faculty assisted with the donning of the white coats and pinning of each student.

Mary (Mimi) S. Skinner, MSN, RN-BC, CNOR Clinical Educator, was the guest speaker at the event. She addressed the students on their role in the nursing profession. Skinner currently works as a clinical educator and resuscitation education initiative (REdI) program director at the VA Illiana Health Care System in Danville, IL.

Lakeview College of Nursing offers a bachelor of science in nursing degree. It is a single-purpose, private institution that has specialized in nursing education in the Danville, IL area since 1894. Lakeview began offering a cooperative program with Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL, in the fall of 2001.