Iowa’s public universities will begin a new partnership with Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City, Northwest Iowa Community College in Sheldon, according to a Board of Regents release.

The partnership is a way to provide additional ways for students to attend Iowa’s regent universities, said Ralph Napolitano, Iowa State’s representative for the partnership. 

“We provide information to pass along to students for access to Iowa State, and the regents do the same,” Napolitano said. “We work with community colleges in that area to try to develop opportunities for students.”

The partnership, called the Northwest Iowa Educational Services Regent Resource Center, was created because regent universities aren’t as well represented in the northwestern part of Iowa, Napolitano said. 

Iowa State works with community colleges to arrange which program credits transfer to Iowa State.

Online education also plays a major role in the community-public university partnership, Napolitano said. Online learning is another component in developing alternative paths for students to reach a regent university.

“It’s all about finding more pathways to get more students into higher education,” he said. “It’s all about accessibility.”

The board will celebrate this new partnership with a grand opening ceremony at noon on Dec. 5, at the Northwest Iowa Regents Resource Center on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College.