TR PHOTO BY TREVOR BABCOCK IVCCD Director of Governmental Affairs Cindy Schulte (left) thanks IACCT Executive Director Emily Shields (right) for her work in advocating for Iowa’s community colleges.

An increase in funding for Iowa’s “workforce machines” is in the works.

The Iowa Valley Community College (IVCCD) Board of Directors at the meeting Wednesday heard from Association of Community College Trustees (IACCT) Executive Director Emily Shields.

“I’m very passionate about community colleges,” Shields said. “I think they’re the most important part of the higher education sector, especially going into the future.”

The Association of Community College Trustees is a non-profit organization advocating for Iowa’s 15 community colleges, and Shields said her top priority as executive director has been following the current state legislative session.

The IACCT asked Iowa legislators for a $6.4 million increase in state funding for Iowa’s community colleges, and now both the full Iowa Senate and Iowa House will be considering budget increases after funding bills passed out of committee.

The Iowa House will consider a $6 million increase and the Iowa Senate will consider a $6.5 million increase, a little more than what the IACCT originally asked for.

IVCCD’s Director of Governmental Affairs Cindy Schulte thanked Shields for her efforts. For the last two fiscal years, Iowa’s community colleges did not see an increase in funds from the state.

“We’re at historical levels,” Schulte said. “We can all take pride as a board to know that our legislators were there for us.”

Schulte said from communication with the members of the Iowa House and Iowa Senate, confidence in increasing funds for Iowa’s community colleges comes from the legislators’ view that community colleges are “workforce machines,” improving employability leading to a stronger economy.

In other business, the IVCCD Board of Directors approved a contract with Inceptia, a division of the National Student Loan Program, to pilot a program providing a self-help website for students to navigate the United States Department of Education verification process for federal financial aid.

About one in every three students who apply for financial aid are selected for verification, IVCCD Provost Robin Lilienthal said. Students selected may have to provide a variety of government documents to ensure access to financial aid.

Through the online portal, students can be guided through each step of the financial aid verification process. Inceptia will also work directly with students to help them through the financial aid verification process, able to electronically access the records required for submission by students and submit them on a student’s behalf.

“It will greatly cut down on the number of students who get locked into the financial aid process, never complete their verification, and almost always end up owing the college because they did not complete their financial aid process,” Lilienthal said.

She said there are 18 students in IVCCD who still haven’t completed their financial aid verification process. The district expects to see a 30 percent increase in students completing financial aid verification with the addition of the program.

“The federal financial aid system is wonderful and extremely confusing,” IVCCD Chancellor Kristie Fisher said. “We’re really excited to make it an easier process for students.”

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Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.