10 Jan 2012

Q&A on Admission to the U.S. Service Academies

By Grassley Press

with U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley

 

Q:        How do young Americans get a place at the U.S. service academies?

A:         Starting more than 200 years ago, the U.S. service academies have educated and trained the best and the brightest to lead and command the Armed Forces in service to the nation.  The young Americans who want to serve our country and win places at the service academies are remarkable for their accomplishments and leadership.  A rigorous selection process ensures that candidates for officers' training arrive with superior scholastic, athletic and leadership skills that will help preserve freedom and secure our American way of life for generations to come.

 

Admissions are highly competitive to the Military Academy in West Point, NY; the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD; the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO; the Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT; and the Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, NY.  Applicants to all of these service academies except the Coast Guard require a nomination to the school, and those can be made by U.S. senators, representatives, the President and the Vice President.  Coast Guard applicants compete without by-state quotas.

 

Q:        How does your nomination process work?

A:         As a U.S. senator representing Iowa, I select ten Iowa students to nominate for each vacancy at the Military, Naval and Air Force academies, in accordance with the number of vacancies made available each year.  I'm also able to nominate ten Iowans each year to the Merchant Marine Academy.  Appointments to this academy are allocated in proportion to the state's representation in Congress.  Iowa currently has access to four vacancies each year for the Merchant Marine Academy.

 

I encourage students to begin the process of applying for a congressional nomination in the spring of their junior year of high school and to consider applying to all of the service academies.  Applicants also should apply directly to the academy and ask that a pre-candidate file be opened on their behalf.

 

Iowans can take pride in the 57 nominees whom I recommended at the end of last year for consideration of appointments to the U.S. service academies.  Their collective attributes and achievements are an impressive reflection on the state of Iowa.  Already, from this group, a Coralville student has been offered an appointment to West Point and a Boone student has earned a place at the Naval Academy.

 

The Army, Naval and Air Force academies are part of the Department of Defense.  The Merchant Marine Academy is part of the Department of Transportation.  And the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security.  Students at the academies are on active duty in the armed services from the day they enter and are commissioned as officers upon graduation.  Graduates of the Merchant Marine Academy hold Coast Guard licenses for six years and are commissioned into the Navy Reserve.  They also may cross commission into any other branch of the service.

 

Q:        What are the basic criteria?

A:         Candidates should rank in the top half of their high school class in a college preparatory curriculum.  Candidates should have ACT scores of 25-36 in math and science and 22-36 in English.  They should have demonstrated leadership in and outside of school, with outstanding records of extracurricular activities and/or job experience.  Candidates need to have completed the physical requirements described by the academies.  Those seeking my support must be legal residents of Iowa or dependents of members of the military who are Iowa residents.  Applicants must be U.S. citizens, unmarried with no children or legal obligation for a child, and at least age 17 but not older than 23 years.  Go to the link posted in Info for Iowans at http://www.grassley.senate.gov and send a copy of the completed material to:  The Office of Senator Chuck Grassley, 150 1st Avenue NE, Suite 325, Cedar Rapids, Iowa  52401.  Questions can be answered at (319) 363-6832.

 

Monday, January 9, 2012

10 Jan 2012

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY WISCONSIN GRADUATES 671

By TheLink Delivery Service

(JANUARY 6, 2012) - Concordia University Wisconsin, Mequon, graduated 671 students during Fall Commencement Exercises December 17, 2011.
Among the area students receiving degrees were:

Kelsey R Lindholm of Davenport, Iowa, with a BA in Elementary Education.

Linnea E. Gallo of Moline, Illinois, with an MOT in Occupational Therapy.

Concordia's main campus is located on 200 acres of beautiful Lake Michigan shoreline. The University and its 10 educational centers and classrooms are home to 7,618 undergraduate and graduate students from 46 states and 28 foreign countries. The University offers more than 60 undergraduate majors, 14 master's degree programs, and doctoral degrees in Pharmacy, Physical Therapy and Nursing Practice.
10 Jan 2012

BAKER UNIVERSITY NAMES TO FALL 2011 GRADS

By TheLink Delivery Service

Baldwin City, Kan. - More than 700 undergraduate, graduate and nursing students at Baker University received their degrees during commencement ceremonies Dec. 17-18 at the Collins Center.  Among the graduates is Kelsey Jurkowski of Bettendorf, Iowa with a Master of Business Administration.

Baker, the first university in Kansas, has been listed among the top schools in the Midwest in the annual college rankings by U.S. News & World Report, and selected as a top school in the Midwest by The Princeton Review. Baker has been named one of the top 100 Best Values in Private Universities by Kiplinger's Personal for combining outstanding quality with affordability.

The University serves nearly 4,000 students through the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education undergraduate programs in Baldwin City; the School of Nursing in Topeka; the School of Professional and Graduate Studies in Overland Park, Kan.; Topeka, Kan.; Wichita, Kan.; and Kansas City, Mo.; Lee's Summit, Mo.; and the School of Education in Overland Park.
10 Jan 2012

Local Students make Dean's Lists

By TheLink Delivery Service

The following local students were named to the Dean's List at Gustavus Adolphus College:

Carla DeWit and Kelsey Francis, both of Bettendorf, and Samantha Good  of Rock Island.

Gustavus Adolphus College is a private liberal arts college in St. Peter, Minn., that prepares 2,500 undergraduates for lives of leadership, service, and lifelong learning. The oldest Lutheran college in Minnesota, Gustavus was founded in 1862 by Swedish immigrants and named for Swedish King Gustav II Adolf. At Gustavus, students receive personal attention in small-sized classes and engage in collaborative research with their professors. Fully accredited and known for its strong science, writing, music, athletics, study-abroad, and service-learning programs, Gustavus hosts a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and is internationally recognized for its annual Nobel Conference.


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IOWA FALLS, IOWA - One hundred thirty-nine students have been named to the Fall 2011 (August to December) Dean's List at Ellsworth Community College. To be eligible for the Dean's List, students must have taken 12 or more credit hours during the semester (a full-time class load) and have earned at least a 3.5 grade point average while attending ECC classes in Iowa Falls or online. Part-time students are not included in this list. The staff and administration congratulate these students for their academic excellence.  Among the students awarded is Austin Smith of Davenport.

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WHITEWATER, WI - The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater announced more than 2,900 students were named to the fall 2011 Dean's List. To be eligible for the honor, students must have a 3.4 semester grade point average with a minimum of 12 semester credits and no grades lower than a "C."  Brooke M. Marriott of Moline was among the students named to the Dean's List.  The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, founded in 1868, is the fourth largest campus in the 26-campus UW System.


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10 Jan 2012

Statement by Chris Bern, President of the Iowa State Education Association regarding the Governor's education proposal

By Randy Stalsberg

DES MOINES, IA (01/06/2012)(readMedia)-- "The Iowa State Education Association (ISEA) remains dedicated to the success of every student. We strongly support education policy with proven methods of success that places students at the center of its goals.

We continue to be frustrated with the lack of real focus and detail of how the Governor's proposal directly impacts student learning in a meaningful way. The ISEA is committed to the ideas we originally discussed: giving teachers the appropriate and important preparation time to improve their craft, continuing with early childhood learning opportunities, and creating additional learning time for struggling students.

We will know more about the Governor's commitment to education once we see his and the Department of Education's budgets. Any plan must give our public schools the tools and resources to help every child succeed and resist the urge to experiment with the latest ideas on the education reform circuit. This issue is too important and the stakes are too high.

The ISEA remains ready to be an integral partner in improving our schools. However, while we appreciate a seat at the table while decisions are made, our presence must not be mistaken for tacit approval of a plan that does not, ultimately benefit Iowa's students."

The ISEA is a professional organization made up of more than 34,000 educators who are dedicated to supporting and protecting a quality public education for all Iowa students. Great Education. It's an Iowa Basic!

10 Jan 2012

$10,000 and $25,000 grants available to rural school districts

By Kevin Stillman

$10,000 and $25,000 grants available to rural school districts
through America's Farmers Grow Rural EducationSM

ST. LOUIS (Jan. 6, 2012) - Statistics show that the U.S. ranks only 25th in math scores and 21st in science compared to 30 industrialized nations. These facts show that education is strongly in need of support. To help, Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, is launching America's Farmers Grow Rural Education? to aid rural school districts by providing $10,000 and $25,000 grants in 1,245 counties across 39 states.

"We believe our rural communities are the heart of America," said Deborah Patterson, Monsanto Fund president. "We want to help strengthen local communities and education systems, especially in the areas of science and/or math. A strong science and math education helps build a foundation for many careers in agriculture, but also will help our students to be more competitive with those in larger cities and other nations."
America's Farmers Grow Rural Education gives farmers the opportunity to nominate a public school district in their rural community to compete for a grant. Nominated school district administrators can then submit an application for either a $10,000 or $25,000 grant to support a science and/or math educational program by April 30, 2012. School districts that apply for a $10,000 grant will compete against other school districts that are located in the USDA-appointed Crop Reporting District (CRD); except that CRDs with fewer than five eligible school districts will compete against each other for a single grant. A school district that applies for a $25,000 grant will compete against schools that are located in its state or designated region.
The Monsanto Fund will award 199 grants this year. There will be 177 $10,000 grants and 22 grants of $25,000 awarded. Visit growruraleducation.com to see a complete list of eligible states and regions. Overall, the Monsanto Fund will donate more than $2.3 million to school districts in 39 states through this program.

Grants will be awarded based on merit, need and community support. The America's Farmers Grow Rural Education Advisory Council will select the winning grant application. This group is made up of 26 farmer leaders from across the country, who are passionate about both farming and rural education. The council members, from across the country, are actively engaged in their local communities through various leadership positions, such as a member of the local School Board, an active Farm Bureau leader or a member of an educational organization or committee within various organizations. The council is responsible for reviewing the top grant applications to select the winning school. These individuals are passionate about both agriculture and education, which is essential when choosing the best grant.
The program started with a successful pilot in Illinois and Minnesota, in which farmers were given the opportunity to nominate a public school district in 165 eligible counties in those two states. The Monsanto Fund awarded more than $266,000 to local schools in 16 CRDs through the pilot.
The America's Farmers Grow Rural Education program is part of a broad commitment by Monsanto Fund to highlight the important contributions farmers make every day to our society by helping them grow their youth. Visit www.growruraleducation.com for additional information and to view a complete list of winning school districts.

 

About Monsanto Fund
The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work.  Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

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10 Jan 2012

State Treasurer Fitzgerald Announces New Deduction Amount for College Savings Iowa in 2012

By Karen Austin

DES MOINES, IA (01/05/2012)(readMedia)-- State Treasurer Michael L. Fitzgerald announced today that the deduction amount for College Savings Iowa has once again been raised. "Iowa taxpayers can now deduct the first $2,975 they contribute to each College Savings Iowa beneficiary account from their state taxable income," said Fitzgerald. "This means that a married couple with two children will be able to deduct up to $11,900 in contributions on their 2012 state taxes."*

College Savings Iowa lets anyone - parents, grandparents, friends and relatives - invest for college on behalf of a child. Investors do not need to be a state resident and can withdraw their investment tax-free to pay for qualified higher education expenses including 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.**

One of the best features of College Savings Iowa is how easy it is to get started. "All you need is $25 and ten minutes of your time to start saving," said Fitzgerald. "I encourage all families to save whatever they can today to help offset what has to be borrowed in the future." For more information about College Savings Iowa, call 888-672-9116 or visit www.collegesavingsiowa.com.

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

** The earnings portion of nonqualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local 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 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 www.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.

04 Jan 2012

RECREATION: Look this month for the Davenport Parks and Recreation Winter Session to begin January 9th as well as 2012 Davenport Summer Kids Passes ($50.00) that are now on sale. Please check our website for all classes, all school out days, worksho

By Brittany Marietta

Make a New Year's resolution to maximize your child's potential!

Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only private, independent college-prep school for students in preschool through grade 12.  Join us for an event in January to explore what Rivermont Collegiate is all about - all events are casual and no appointment is needed.

Did you know...

  • 100% of Rivermont graduates are accepted to 4-year colleges and universities
  • Over 90% of Rivermont graduates earn renewable college merit scholarships
  • Rivermont grades 2-8 ITBS composite scores rank in the 99th percentile
  • Rivermont features a 9:1 student to teacher ratio
  • Over 30% of Rivermont students qualify for some form of tuition assistance

 

Open Tours - Tuesday, January 3rd - 8:30-10:00 a.m.

 

Open House Coffee - Saturday, January 21st - 8:30-11:00 a.m.

 

Open House - Thursday, January 26th - 6:00-8:00 p.m.
04 Jan 2012

Young ones with cabin fever? Young Scholars is here! Come hang out!

By Brittany Marietta

What: Rivermont Collegiate Young Scholars Program

When: First Thursday of each month, 9:00-10:00 a.m. - first Young Scholars is Thursday, January 5th!

Who: Local children ages 2-4 (and an accompanying adult)

Where: Rivermont Collegiate - 1821 Sunset Drive, Bettendorf, IA 52722

Contact: Brittany Marietta, Director of Admission - (563) 359-1366 ext. 302 or marietta@rvmt.og

Join the current Rivermont PreSchool class for crafts, stories, and new friends!  Children ages 2-4 and an accompanying adult are invited to participate in any (or all) of Rivermont's Young Scholars days.  Young Scholars meets the first Thursday of every month, beginning in January, from 9:00-10:00 a.m. in Becherer Hall on the Rivermont campus.  Young Scholars is free and open to the community!  Don't miss this fantastic opportunity for your child to socialize, enjoy a story, and learn a craft!

Young Scholars is a fantastic opportunity to visit campus and casually explore Early School at Rivermont.  Rivermont Collegiate is the Quad Cities' only private, independent college-prep school for students in preschool through grade 12, where small class sizes ensure personalized attention for each student.  Our diverse student body comes from throughout the Quad City area.  Join us and explore Rivermont!
04 Jan 2012

Brown Mackie College - Quad Cities selected as a 2012 Military Friendly School

By J. Stephen Dobbins
"List shows veterans which colleges are a good fit"

(December 28, 2011 --- Bettendorf, IA)  For the second consecutive year, Brown Mackie College ? Quad Cities  has received the honor and was selected as a Military Friendly School by G.I. Jobs magazine. The school now appears on the 2012 list of Military Friendly Schools. The list honors the top 20 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools which are doing the most to embrace America's veterans as students. The common bond that the schools listed have is their shared priority of recruiting students with military experience.

Brown Mackie College ? Quad Cities has always held the deepest respect for the men and women who have served and continue to serve our country," says Kao Odukale, President of Brown Mackie College ? Quad Cities. "This ranking further acknowledges our long-term commitment to providing our military and veteran students with access to a quality education. We are extremely pleased to once again be included on this list and in the company of other distinguished colleges and universities."

The list was compiled through exhaustive research starting last April during which G.I. Jobs polled more than 7,000 schools nationwide. Methodology, criteria and weighting for the list were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Colorado State University, Dallas County Community College, Old Dominion University, Cleveland State University, Lincoln Technical Institute and Embry Riddle; as well as Keith Wilson, Veteran Administration's Director of Education Services; Michele Spires, American Council on Education's Assistant Director of Military Programs; Janet Swandol, Associate Director for College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Derek Blumke, President of Student Veterans of America. A full list of board members can be found at http://militaryfriendlyschools.com/Article/advisory-board/.

Criteria for making the Military Friendly Schools list included efforts to recruit and retain military and veteran students, results in recruiting military and veteran students, and academic accreditations.


G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com), a veteran-owned business, is published by Victory Media, which also publishes The Guide to Military Friendly Schools, Military Spouse and Vetrepreneur magazines and annually rates the nation's "Military Friendly Employers," "Military Spouse Friendly Employers" and "Best Corporations for Veteran-Owned Businesses."

To learn more about how Brown Mackie College ? Quad Cities can support the education needs of military and veteran students, call K.L. Allen at (513) 830-2052, toll free (866) 696-1222, e-mail keallen@brownmackie.edu, or visit http://www.brownmackie.edu/pr.aspx?ID=BMC2414.

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Brown Mackie College ? Quad Cities is one of 27 school locations of the Brown Mackie College system of schools (www.brownmackie.edu), which is dedicated to providing educational programs that prepare students for entry-level positions in a competitive, rapidly-changing workplace. Brown Mackie College schools offer bachelor's degree, associate's degree, certificate, and diploma programs in health sciences, business, information technology, legal studies and design technologies. See bmcprograms.info for program duration, tuition, fees, and other costs, median debt, federal salary data, alumni success, and other important info.

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