Not a lot of smaller cities have three colleges, but Sioux City is one of them.
There are two private colleges that have in recent years added programs that moved them to the university designation, as happened with Morningside University and Briar Cliff University. Additionally, Western Iowa Tech Community College is nearing its 60th anniversary, and continues to expand offerings that could not have been imagined at its inception.
This episode of What's The Frequency brings together all three college presidents, to get a status update on their institutions, their success stories and challenges, plus the regional and national trends that are impacting higher education.
The guests are presidents Terry Murrell of Western Iowa Tech Community College, Albert Mosley of Morningside University, and Matt Draud of Briar Cliff University.
Morningside, Briar Cliff and Western Iowa Tech in some ways compete for the same students, while also being distinctive from the other colleges, given their differing programs.
The presidents discuss how to best deliver programs to people amid the changing landscape of the learners, as their student bodies continue becoming more diverse. They acknowledge there are challenges for colleges in 2024 towards reaching students, and support programs are in flux.
Draud, Mosley, and Murrell talk about the programs for which their institutions may be best known and which have the most students in them, and, on the flip side, the newest programs that have been added, that they see having great promise.
The trio of presidents also share impressions on possible changes that may be at hand for colleges with Republican President Donald Trump taking power in 2025. U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-South Dakota, has a proposal to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
*Click on the audio link above to hear the entire show.
What's The Frequency, Episode 42
