The ICAN Student Success Center at Kirkwood’s Linn County Regional Center
Student Success Center will help students plan their future and boost the economy
The Iowa College Access Network (ICAN), a nonprofit organization that provides career, college and financial literacy planning assistance to Iowa students from middle school through college, has partnered with Kirkwood Community College to open a new Student Success Center at the Linn County Regional Center. ICAN’s mission is to empower Iowans to achieve their educational and career goals through statewide comprehensive outreach, initiatives and partnerships with schools, groups and businesses.
“ICAN and Kirkwood have a long history of working together for the success of area students and the relocation of our Cedar Rapids office to the Linn County Regional Center is the logical next step in providing a complete and well-rounded service to students and families,” said Rob Miller, executive director of ICAN. “This ICAN Student Success Center will provide “local” services across a 13-county radius encompassing 66 high schools and approximately 27,500 students. We are proud of the partnership we have created with Kirkwood Community College and hope to increase the awareness of college and career readiness needs in the corridor, and across east central Iowa, so more students are able to reach their full potential, achieve a college degree and attain a fulfilling career.”
“One of the key elements to success is surrounding yourself with people and organizations that are aligned with your core values and vision for the future,” stated Mindy Thornton, director of the Linn County Regional Center. “The colocation of ICAN at the Kirkwood Linn County Regional Center is an example of two organizations focused on student success and moving in the same direction.”
In the 2012-2013 academic year ICAN assisted more than 2,200 student and parents at the ICAN Cedar Rapids office, including 730 Kirkwood students. Having the new ICAN Student Success Center located within a Kirkwood facility, ICAN and Kirkwood hope to expand both numbers, increase their service area and assist even more individuals find a path to their future.
“This partnership provides accessibility to students looking to navigate the initial pathway through college and career planning is a key step in the process,” continued Thornton. “This partnership allows students to actually begin their journey at a Kirkwood location.”
ICAN serves in 99 percent of the schools in Iowa and currently has more than 140 programs on high school success, college planning, financial aid and financial literacy scheduled in East Central Iowa for the 2013-2014 academic year. All ICAN services are offered at no cost.
“We refer all of our students who file the FAFSA to the ICAN office. This helps us so much as counselors because none of us feel we are financial aid wizards,” said Denae Zigtema, counselor at Linn-Mar High School in Marion. “In addition, typically, we have ICAN do a Financial Aid Night and a College Planning Night for parents and students to attend at the school. Both are always excellent, and I feel hearing it from someone else besides the counselor is impactful.”
The new ICAN location is now offering one-on-one high school, college planning and financial aid appointments. An open house celebration will be held in October to coordinate with the beginning of the new academic year. The Cedar Rapids area ICAN office is located at 1770 Boyson Road (within the Linn County Regional Center). This center replaces ICAN’s previous office on Blairs Ferry Road. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (877) 272-4692 or visit www.ICANsucceed.org/cedarrapids.