MOUNT VERNON, IA (04/09/2015)(readMedia)-- Aubrey Kohl of Bettendorf (52722) is one of more than 60 students who will present their independent research at Cornell College's 19th Annual Student Symposium on April 25.

Kohl is giving an oral presentation on "What Do You Do When Life Give You Lemons?"

Students will present independent research on topics ranging from Pablo Neruda's poetry and politics and Beyonce's status as a feminist icon to an examination of ACL tears in female athletes and a look at the climate of ancient Iberia at the symposium, which has been an academic highlight at Cornell College since 1997 and features students' original research through oral and poster presentations. Each student participant works closely with a faculty sponsor in developing the presentations. The projects, many of which are initiated by students, generally take several months to prepare.

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.

BATON ROUGE, LA (04/08/2015)(readMedia)-- The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is pleased to announce that Angelina Kruse of Bettendorf, Iowa, was recently initiated into Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines. Kruse was initiated at Eastern Michigan University.

Kruse is among approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors, having at least 72 semester hours, are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10 percent of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do faculty, professional staff, and alumni who have achieved scholarly distinction.

Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine and headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., Phi Kappa Phi is the nation's oldest and most selective all-discipline honor society. The Society has chapters on more than 300 college and university campuses in North America and the Philippines. Its mission is "To recognize and promote academic excellence in all fields of higher education and to engage the community of scholars in service to others."

More About Phi Kappa Phi

Since its founding, more than 1.25 million members have been initiated. Some of the organization's more notable members include former President Jimmy Carter, NASA astronaut Wendy Lawrence, novelist David Baldacci and YouTube cofounder Chad Hurley. The Society has awarded approximately $15 million since the inception of its awards program in 1932. Today, more than $1 million is awarded each biennium to qualifying students and members through graduate fellowships, undergraduate study abroad grants, member and chapter awards and grants for local and national literacy initiatives. For more information, visit www.phikappaphi.org.

ROMEOVILLE, IL (04/08/2015)(readMedia)-- Lewis University undergraduate student Jacob Dopler of East Moline (61244) recently finished in the Top Eight in the Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge held in Washington D.C.

"Only eight out of 22 teams qualified for the next round, and we were among top tier schools like NYU, Columbia, Harvard, Georgetown, CMU etc.," said Dr. Faisal Abdullah, professor of management information systems.

The students were given a cyber-attack scenario and had to present policy alternatives to a group of judges. After an intense question-answer round, the students qualified for the semifinals.

Students for the Lewis University team were selected from the undergraduate Computer Information Systems and Information Security programs. The students who competed include :

• Jon Pankhurst, B.S. Information Security student from Joliet
• Paul Derdzinski, B.S. in Information Security student from Romeoville
• Bryan Cameron, double major in the B.S. in Information Security and B.S. Computer Information Systems program from Bolingbrook
• Jake Dopler, double major in the B.S. in Finance and the B.S. in Information Security programs from East Moline

The Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge is the only student competition devoted to high-level policy recommendations for day-after responses to a major cyber incident. Organized by the Atlantic Council and hosted by American University, the Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge engages students with a small group of experts representing various sectors including government, finance, telecom and the press. The competition promotes awareness of cyber security policy issues while providing students and experts an opportunity to network with cyber security experts and develop new ideas on the future of cyber security policy.

The College of Business offers a bachelor's degree in Management Information Systems and a bachelor's degree in Information Security and Risk Management. Courses in the Computer Information Systems and Information Security majors are hands-on and focus on providing skills that are in high demand. Students have the option to complete their coursework, assignments and projects online using the redesigned VMware CloudLab. Scholarships, internships, job opportunities, alumni news and news articles are posted regularly on MIS Department's Facebook page.

Lewis University is a Catholic university in the Lasallian tradition offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,700 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares intellectually engaged, ethically grounded, globally connected, and socially responsible graduates. The seventh largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit www.lewisu.edu for further information.

(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad today announced he will sign Senate File 227 on Friday, April 10, 2015, at 1 p.m. Senate File 227 is an Act relating to the school start date and to exception and penalty provisions and including effective date provisions.

The bill passed the Iowa House 71-29 on March 24, 2015. It passed the Iowa Senate 28-22 on March 25, 2015.

The following bill signing is open to credentialed members of the press:

Friday April 10, 2015

1 p.m. Gov. Branstad signs Senate File 227

West Steps

State Capitol

Des Moines, IA

Note: Should inclement weather prevent the bill signing from occurring outside, the bill signing will occur in the State Capitol Rotunda.