Welcome Parents
On behalf of Iowa Western Community College's faculty and staff I welcome you. We are honored that your son/daughter selected our College and will work collaboratively to provide the best educational opportunity possible. Our faculty and staff are dedicated to three values; caring, commitment and challenge.
It will not take you long to realize the importance of our value of caring. Beginning with high school recruiting and admissions advising and working through graduation our staff members show interest in the goals of each individual student. Individualized advising and program planning is only the beginning. The College provides many resources to explore the interests and needs of our students. Academic support and student assistance can be found both from faculty and from support staff.
Our value of commitment permeates the institution. Each IWCC faculty and staff member are committed to providing the highest quality educational experience we can to assist students in obtaining their educational goals. With faculty this commitment can be seen in the quality of instructional design, the academic rigor expected of students, and the willingness to work independently with students who may need extra attention. Our professional staff provides support services to enhance the learning experience. Whether it is tutoring, advising, counseling students regarding roommate issues, or working with students in the many campus activities provided, the staff of IWCC is fully vested in working towards a common goal-the successful graduation of each student.
Challenge comes to each student through many avenues. One of our goals is to provide the stimuli so that each student challenges her/himself to excel. No one wants to fail or be mediocre, but sometimes this is the end product of failing to challenge oneself to push beyond minimal expectations. Our faculty and staff hope to provide the opportunities for students to experience this self-directed challenge and become self-confident, competent individuals.
During the coming months you, as parents, will experience your daughter/son becoming more independent, challenging, and questioning. These are normal and desirable outcomes of development and a direct result of intellectual and personal inquiry. As the parent, your job is to continue to provide mentoring and to continue to maintain expectations of values you have previously instilled in your child. Most parents experience a sense of loss as their student begins making more decisions and solving problems independently. Once again, this is a good thing. They may still ask for your advice, but we encourage each student to begin being responsible for their own problem-solving and decision-making.
Another change you may experience is the lack of communication from the College regarding your son/daughter's educational records. While high schools regularly communicate grades and discipline issues with parents, public colleges do not, and can not do this without prior permission by the student. FERPA regulations maintain that college students are adults and their records are confidential.even to parents. This is true, even if you are paying the bill. You can read more about FERPA in another area of this handbook. With permission of your daughter/son you are welcome to come to any meeting with advisors or faculty to discuss the progress of your student. We can not, however, send grades or report class attendance to you if you call us.
We hope that this handbook provides you with answers to your questions.
Sincerely,
Student Services