The fourth industrial revolution merges the physical and digital worlds and is changing the way business works. During this session, you’ll learn how Industry 4.0 is impacting Iowa manufacturing, key challenges for businesses, and how it will impact workforce and educational needs. We’ll highlight a new partnership between the Community College system, Iowa State University CIRAS, the University of Northern Iowa, the Association of Business and Industry, the Professional Developers of Iowa, and multiple state agencies to collaborate on Industry 4.0 and provide Iowans with the resources to thrive in the next generation of manufacturing.

Pam Wright, Director, Corporate & Business Solutions, Hawkeye Community College

Mike O’Donnell, Associate Director, Center for Industrial Research and Service, Iowa State University

Laurie Wolf

The COVID-19 pandemic forced Iowa’s Community Colleges to transition rapidly to delivering education and services almost fully online. While successful, the shift revealed many Community College faculty members lacked instructional technology and the skills to engage students from afar. As a result, a consortium representing Iowa’s 15 Community Colleges successfully secured a Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund (GEER) Component 2 grant to establish a high-quality, online professional development repository that supports growth for Community College faculty statewide. Join this session to learn more about this exciting project that aims to create courses designed for credit, non-credit, concurrent enrollment, adult literacy, and adjunct faculty and will address a wide range of instructional strategies and best practices to be offered to all Community Colleges in the state of Iowa.

Sarah Dias, Senior Online Instructional Designer, Indian Hills Community College

Monica Clark

Sustainability is no longer just a buzz word but rather a pragmatic approach to higher learning. Our Colleges and Universities Team brings a full range of experience to their work and this presentation. We’ll guide participants through a process that discusses “how to grab low hanging fruit and create more sustainable campuses.” From bioswales to pollinator gardens and energy efficient window placement to material selection, we’ll help you work maintenance projects into your general operating budget to improve sustainability on your campus over time. And we’ll have some fun doing it.

Molly Hanson, Conservation & Community Outreach Specialist (Facilitator), RDG Planning & Design

Steve King, Architect, RDG Planning & Design

Jonathan Martin, Landscape Architect, RDG Planning & Design

Emily Shields, IACCT

In 2019, the Iowa Department of Education received a grant to develop and implement guided pathways (GP) across the state’s Community Colleges. GP is a movement that seeks to streamline a student’s journey through College by providing structured choice, revamped support, and clear learning outcomes with the goal of helping more students achieve their education goals. This presentation will provide an overview and update of the state's implementation of GP as well as review early data results of the initiative. In addition, three Colleges will share their unique approach to implementing GP as well as their plans for GP moving forward post-grant.

Amy Gieseke, Bureau Chief of Community Colleges, Iowa Department of Education

Chris Russell, Education Program Consultant, Iowa Department of Education

Charlene Widener, Vice President, Academic Affairs and Student Learning at NIACC

Jill Budde, Vice President, Learning and Engagement, Indian Hills Community College

Kathleen Nacos-Burds, Vice President, Learning and Student Success, Northeast Iowa Community College

Donna Knox