Moline, Ill. - What starts here, changes the world one student at a time. Black Hawk College is proud to host the 2015 North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture (NACTA) Judging Conference, a three-day event at the iWireless Center in Moline, Ill. expected to see more than 1,000 attendees from across the United States betweenApril 8 and 10.

NACTA is an organization committed to advancing the scholarship of teaching and learning in agricultural, environmental, natural and life sciences, and this annual judging contest will bring that commitment to the heart of the Midwest in 2015.

"This conference is really an investment in the future of our agricultural young leaders." said Andrew Larson, an organizer of the 2015 NACTA Judging Conference and a recruiter for the Agriculture Department at Black Hawk College. "Our event will provide collegiate and high school students the opportunity to learn and develop valuable agricultural skill sets, while also getting the chance to network with key industry leaders and companies."

Attendees will range from 4-H members at the high school level to agriculture students at the collegiate level, and the main focus of the conference will be the judging competitions, which cover everything from soils and agribusiness to crops and livestock management.

The conference will also include the first Agricultural Networking Fair on Thursday, April 9, sponsored by Pfister Seeds. This networking fair is designed to provide participants and volunteers valuable opportunities to engage with industry leaders like John Deere and also give participants additional learning experiences in a unique environment.

Black Hawk College, along with many conference sponsors, are also organizing group activities in the Quad Cities to involve students and volunteers when they are not participating in a contest. These activities include a tour of the John Deere World Headquarters, a visit to the Niabi Zoo and a tour of the Figge Art Museum.

Interested participants can register for the conference, competitions and group activities on the 2015 NACTA Judging Conference website at www.BHCNACTA.com. Also posted online, a complete schedule of events for the weekend. Registration is open until March 25.

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ATLANTA, GA (03/16/2015)(readMedia)-- Neeraj Chawla of Moline, IL (61265) was named to the Dean's List of Emory College of Arts and Sciences, the undergraduate, liberal arts college of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, for the 2014 fall semester.

Students must be in the top 20 percent of Emory College or have approximately a 3.850 grade point average or higher to be named to the Dean's List.

Emory University is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate experience, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. Emory encompasses nine academic divisions as well as the Carlos Museum, The Carter Center, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, Georgia's largest and most comprehensive health care system.

JACKSONVILLE, IL (03/16/2015)(readMedia)-- Jerome Thomas of Rock Island, IL, was named to Illinois College's Fall 2014 Dean's List. Thomas is a freshman at Illinois College.

Candidates for the dean's list must complete at least 14 semester hours and post a grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale. No incomplete grades are allowed, grades must be C or better and no more than one C grade is allowed.

About Illinois College: Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college fostering academic excellence rooted in opportunities for experiential learning while preparing students for lifelong success. The college is located in Jacksonville, Ill. With an enrollment of more than 1,000 students, the college offers over 50 undergraduate programs and a Master of Arts in Education degree program. In 1932 the society of Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at Illinois College, and it remains one of only 11 in the state.

Illinois College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Visit www.ic.edu or call 217-245-3149 for more information.

DES MOINES, IA (03/11/2015)(readMedia)-- The Davenport Education Association (DEA) applauds the courageous stand taken by the Davenport Community School District's (DCSD) Board of Education and the DCSD Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Arthur Tate to bypass Iowa state law which limits the school district's spending per pupil annually up to $175 per student.

"We know what it means to be given less per pupil spending than other districts in the state," said Rebecca Menard, President of the DEA. "In simple terms it hurts kids, our teachers and members of our community and our way of life. It is unjust that the state has unequal spending for our school district up to $175 per pupil annually. That adds up to nearly $3.2 million for the entire DCSD in FY 16 and over $17 million in the last five years. Dr. Tate's act of civil disobedience in not following that limited spending authority and instead, raising spending to prevent larger class sizes and employee layoffs without increasing taxes is courageous and clearly the right thing to do. We thank him and the school board for standing so strong for our kids," said Menard.

In a speech on Monday, March 9, to the DCSD Board of Education, Tate said that he will violate state law which limits how much the DCSD can spend on public education. Instead, he said he will use $3.2 million in cash reserves (out of $29 million in reserve) to prevent increases in class sizes, fight the achievement gap and address the ill effects of poverty on a student's education. Tate is particularly dismayed that the legislature has not passed SSA for FY 2016 and FY 2017, as required within 30 days after the Governor presents his budget. Tate says that because the legislature is breaking school finance law and is proposing to underfund public schools he is prompted to recommend the DCSD break the school finance law as well.

"We are also asking the legislature and Governor to support 4 percent SSA for all Iowa's public schools. Iowa spends $1,612 dollars less per student than the other 49 states combined and we are seventh out of the eight Midwestern states. That's wrong. Iowa used to be a national leader in public education but we are falling behind. We can't grow a 21st century economy on the cheap. That's why we also need to increase SSA to all Iowa's public schools as well as focus on Dr. Tate's plan of increasing the DCSD's spending authority. They are both critical to the future of our kids," added Menard.

"Dr. Tate's approach does not raise taxes but allows the DCSD to spend money the district already has out of its reserves. If the legislature would do its job, the school district can do theirs. Davenport kids are not worth less than other kids in this state. Dr. Tate's actions are justified and deserve of our support," said Menard.

The Davenport Education Association (DEA) is the exclusive bargaining representative of the professional-level employees in the Davenport Community School District. With 1,000 members, the DEA is affiliated with the +34,000 member Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) and the +3 million member National Education Association.

For further information contact: DEA UniServ Director, Toby W. Paone at 563-355-3731 (office); 563-370-3270 (cell); tpaone@isea.org