DES MOINES, IA (01/02/2015)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald announced today that the Iowa income tax deduction has once again been raised for those saving with College Savings Iowa.* "Iowa taxpayers can deduct the first $3,163 they contribute per beneficiary account from their state taxable income," Fitzgerald said. "This means a married couple with two children will be able to deduct up to $12,652 in College Savings Iowa contributions on their 2015 state taxes."

"One of the best features of College Savings Iowa is how easy it is to get started," Fitzgerald added. "All you need is $25 and ten minutes of your time to start saving for a loved one's future educational expenses. I encourage all families to save whatever they can today to help offset what has to be borrowed in the future."

College Savings Iowa lets parents, grandparents, friends and relatives invest for college on behalf of a future scholar. Investors in the plan can withdraw their investment tax-free to pay for qualified higher education expenses, which include tuition, books, supplies and room and board at any eligible college, university, community college or accredited technical training school in the United States or abroad.** While participants do not need to be an Iowa resident to invest in the plan, they do need to be an Iowa taxpayer to take advantage of the Iowa income tax deduction.

or visit CollegeSavingsIowa.com and connect with the plan on Facebook and Twitter (@Iowa529Plan) to stay up to date on current giveaways and events.

*If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income. Amount adjusted annually for inflation.

** Earnings on non-qualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax on the earnings, as well as state income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

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Investment returns are not guaranteed and you could lose money by investing in the plan. Participants assume all investment risks as well as the responsibility for any federal and state tax consequences. If you are not an Iowa taxpayer, consider before investing whether your or the designated beneficiary's home state offers any state tax or other benefits that are only available for investments in such state's qualified tuition program.

For more information about the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan, call 888-672-9116, or visit collegesavingsiowa.com to obtain a Program Description. Investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other important information are included in the Program Description; read and consider it carefully before investing. Vanguard Marketing Corporation, Distributor.

College Savings Iowa is an Iowa trust sponsored by the Iowa state treasurer's office. The treasurer of the state of Iowa sponsors and is responsible for overseeing the administration of the College Savings Iowa 529 Plan. The Vanguard Group, Inc., serves as Investment Manager and Vanguard Marketing Corporation, an affiliate of The Vanguard Group, Inc., assists the treasurer with marketing and distributing the plan. Ascensus Investment Advisors, LLC, provides records administration services. The plan's portfolios, although they invest in Vanguard mutual funds, are not mutual funds.

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IOWA CITY, IA (12/30/2014)(readMedia)-- Kelly Van Acker, a native of Muscatine, IA, has graduated with High Distinction from the University of Iowa College of Education.

The College awards degrees "with highest distinction" to students in the highest 2 percent of the graduating class, "with high distinction" to students in the next highest 3 percent, and "with distinction" to the next highest 5 percent. Ranking is based on students' grade point averages for all college level study undertaken before the final registration.

To be eligible for graduation with distinction, students must complete a minimum of 60 s.h. in residence in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, of which at least 45 must have been completed before the student's final registration.

The Jordan Engineering Team, also known as JET, competed in the Regional Competition on December 6^th in Moline, Illinois. The team walked away with two awards this year in Robot Design and Performance and will be competing in the Illinois State event in Champaign on January 24th.

The teams are judged in four areas. Robot Design, Robot Performance, Core Values/Teamwork, and Research Project. This year marks the fourth time out of the last six years that the team has qualified for the State Competition. The team has been very successful bringing home multiple awards every year from the regional and state events.

Those competing this year are: Tony VanDeWalle, Collin Cincola, Johnny Dopler, John Hunter, Adam Hyder and Michael Showalter.

GRADE EIGHT CHEER COMPETITION

Jordan 8th Grade Cheerleaders took 3rd place at the annual cheer competition held at Northeast Junior High School in East Moline on December 8th. Congratulations!

Taking part in the competition were Paige Nimrick, Courtney Young, Natika Woods, Lauren Hird, Haley Mosley, Olivia Manternach, Olivia McCarthy, Emily Elliott, Chloe Boyd, Claudia Ruiz and Kaitlynn Zonnevylle

LAMONI, IA (12/24/2014)(readMedia)-- The honor roll lists for Graceland University's 2014 fall term have been announced, and Stephanie D'Cruz of Bettendorf, IA, has been named to the dean's list for the 2014 fall semester.

Graceland University students with a perfect 4.0 grade point average are named to the president's list. Students with a GPA between 3.65 and 3.99 are named to the honors list. Students with a GPA between 3.25 and 3.64 are named to the dean's list.

Congratulations Stephanie! Graceland commends you on your academic success.

Graceland University is a liberal arts university located in Lamoni, Iowa, and is sponsored by Community of Christ. It has been recognized by the Princeton Review as a top school in the Midwest and fosters academic excellence in a caring community with over 50 academic programs and a 15:1 student to faculty ratio. The warm community of inspired faculty, caring staff and remarkable people believes in educating the whole student. For more information visit www.graceland.edu and find Graceland University on Facebook and Twitter to follow additional student achievements.