Hunter
05/30/22
A trio of consultants is advising Kirkwood Community College officials to find a new site for its Iowa City campus, citing declining enrollment and maintenance issues.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the current campus is only at 40 percent capacity after an enrollment decline of about 75 percent between 2016 and 2021 that started even before the pandemic. It’s over 97,000 square-foot facility will cost about $40 million to maintain over the next 24 years, according to a consultant’s report.
The Montreal-based WSP USA consulting firm recommends that Kirkwood find another site, downsize significantly, and recalibrate its course offerings.
The report says an ideal site would be easily accessible via the Interstate 80 corridor and be approximately 30,000 square feet. The main focus on curriculum would shift from mostly liberal arts courses to health care and career and technical education.
Another option for the college would be to stay where they are, renovate the facility and lease out the unused space. Still, one of the main drawbacks of the campus is its location on Lower Muscatine Road.
A number of focus groups and an online survey determined that although the Iowa City location needs improvement, a whopping 94 percent agreed that a high-quality community college in the city is essential.