Dr. Azeemuddin Ahmed of Iowa City, Iowa is the recipient of Pleasant Valley High School's 2015 Wall of Honor Distinguished Alumni Award.  Dr. Ahmed, a 1992 PVHS graduate, will be honored by the Pleasant Valley Community School District at the Academic Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, April 15, 2015.  He will be inducted into the Wall of Honor, which recognizes past students for their academic achievements and contributions to society.

Dr. Ahmed, the son of Dr. Fareeduddin and Sameena Ahmed, received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. After his time at Augustana he attended medical school at the University of Iowa, graduating in 2000. He completed post graduate training in emergency medicine from 2000-2003 from Michigan State University. In 2010, he completed his Masters of Business Administration from the University of Iowa.

Dr. Ahmed was appointed to the medical staff at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in 2005. Dr. Ahmed has held numerous positions in his career which include the following: Medical Director and Flight Physician, University of Iowa AirCare, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa, 2005-present; Medical Director, EMS Learning Resources Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Hospitals, 2007-present; Medical Director, First Aid Services, Kinnick Stadium, Carver Hawkeye Arena, University of Iowa, 2007-present; Medical Director, Iowa Medical Emergency Services Association, Des Moines, Iowa 2008-2009.

Dr. Ahmed also is a professor at the University of Iowa. He is an important part of the University teaching staff in both Medicine and Business. His teaching appointments include : Clinical Associate Professor, Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa, 2008-present and Adjunct Associate Professor, Management and Organizations, University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, 2012-present. Dr. Ahmed is currently the Executive Vice Chair in the Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.

Dr. Ahmed's response to receiving the Wall of Honor recognition: "I've been a lifelong learner whether it's been formal education (college, medical school, residency, graduate business school) or informal education (ready and learning about people, history, politics). It's something that kept me rejuvenated and grounded. There is so much to learn out there and it keeps us growing. I am a big fan of the credo; it's good to know things.

"I serve others. I serve my patients as I meet them and their family often on one of the worst days of their life and I do my best to care for them physically and emotionally. I cannot fix every physical ailment but I try to treat EVERYONE with respect and dignity. No matter how far up the ladder I move and acquire fancy sounding titles, my role is to help people. Rich, poor, young, old, white, black, brown, yellow. It doesn't matter. I do the best I can for every person I care for."

Dr. Ahmed graduated with top honors from PVHS, where he participated in basketball and track & field. He was President of Spartan Assembly, Sports Co-Editor for the Spartan Shield and contributor to the Valenian. He was chosen by his class to give the graduation commencement speech and an honoree in the Quad City Times, Salute to Academics and Achievement.

A reception for Dr. Ahmed will be held in the PVHS library at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 15, 2015. Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to attend. The Academic Awards program will begin at 7 p.m. in the high school gymnasium.

March 2-6, 2015 is International Week at Rivermont Collegiate. It is an annual observance and a time when students, faculty and families celebrate the international diversity of the Rivermont Community!

The week culminates with our International Food Festival organized by the Rivermont Collegiate Parents' Council.

The press is invited to attend:

Date: March 6, 2015

Time: 3:30 to 6:00 PM

Location: Becherer Hall on the Rivermont Campus (1821 Sunset Drive in Bettendorf)

Agenda:

3:30pm

Celebrity Chef - Nassr Muhammad from Nally's Kitchen will be cooking up wonderful international cuisine. Some of the countries represented will be; Colombia, Brazil, Jordan, Nigeria, Mexico, Ecuador, and Senegal.

4:30pm

Taste international dishes provided by Rivermont families!

5:00pm

Enjoy beautiful and colorful artists' performances from different countries.

Download the flyer http://www.rivermontcollegiate.org/media/254455/International-food-flyer-2015.pdf

# # #

Bill Would Give Students More Choices & Spur Entrance into the Workforce

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Dave Loebsack (IA-02), Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17) and Congressman Ron Kind (WI-03) continued their effort to give more flexibility to students receiving Pell Grants by introducing the Access to Education and Training Act to allow Pell Grant recipients to take advantage of the grants year-round. Loebsack authored a provision that created year-round Pell Grants in the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which was signed into law in 2008. However, the year-round Pell Grant was eliminated in 2011. Text of the bill can be found HERE.

"As someone who would not have been able to attend college without the help of student aid, I was proud to author the original year-round Pell legislation that was signed into law in 2008," said Congressman Dave Loebsack. "After visiting schools across Iowa, I have heard from countless students whose ability to afford college would be significantly improved by the availability of year-round Pell grants. I look forward to working with Representatives Bustos and Kind to reduce barriers to higher education institutions by restoring this important program. This bill would provide Iowa's students with the necessary training and resources required to be successful in the 21st century global economy."

"As the mother to three sons, I know firsthand how important a quality and affordable education is to building a middle class life," said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos. "I'm proud to join with Representatives Loebsack and Kind to continue fighting for higher education affordability and accessibility. Our bill would give students more flexibility to get the training they need to join the workforce faster. This would be a win-win-win for our region's students, our local educational institutions and our local economies.

"Nearly 9 million students depend on Pell Grants to attend and complete college, and many students are past the 18-22 age range so they have competing demands on their schedules," said Congressman Ron Kind. "This commonsense legislation will restore access to year-round Pell Grants, providing flexibility to many non-traditional students such as those with families or full-time jobs so they can complete their courses and move forward with their careers."

Under current law, a student who goes to school full-time during the fall and spring semesters would not be eligible to receive Pell Grant awards for summer courses. Many of those who would benefit most from the Access to Education and Training Act are non-traditional students who want to complete their courses faster so they can get back into the workforce.

"Many community college students, especially those in specialized training programs, attend school year-round. Restoring the year-round Pell Program would help these students complete the necessary training to succeed in the workforce," said Don Doucette, Chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges in Davenport.

Bustos, Loebsack and Kind, who together represent 18 community colleges across their three neighboring states, introduced this bill in response to the continued demand for increased Pell Grant flexibility from local students and community colleges that offer year-round programs.