AIB College of Business in Des Moines is starting the process of moving toward dissolving the school as its campus is being donated to the University of Iowa. AIB spokeswoman Jane Schorer-Meisner says the Higher Learning Commission has okayed what’s called a teach-out plan for the process.
“The HLC has given us authorization to go ahead and share information from the plan, but we cannot post the full plan until it has formal approval from their final committee,” Shorer-Meisner says.
The HLC committee is expected to give the final approval sometime at its meeting on May 5th and 6th. It was originally announced in January by the presidents of the two schools that AIB students would become students at the University of Iowa, but the HLC stepped in and said AIB had to follow their rules and develop the teach-out plan. Shorer-Meisner says the plan is ready to go.
“AIB’s goal in preparing our teach-out agreement was to offer students a fair and equitable plan that provides reasonable opportunities to complete their education without requiring them to move or travel substantial distances,” Shorer-Meisner says. “These things are mandated by HLC guidelines.” While all the details of the teach-out plan are not yet available, Shorer-Meisner says the plan does designate
Grand View University in Des Moines as AIB’s local teach-out partner and Buena Vista University in Storm Lake as its on-line teach-out partner.
“If AIB does not have a qualified faculty member on staff for a specific course that is required, Grand View University or Buena Vista University teach the course, and AIBstudents will pay the AIBtuition rate. And the credits will be transferred back to AIBand students will earn their degrees at AIB,” according to Shorer-Meisner. The university also is planning transfer fairs for students who are not yet ready to graduate.
“We already have more than 30 colleges and organizations who have registered. These colleges have been waiting as eagerly as we have been waiting to be able to have this transfer fair and to get information to our students who will not be able to complete a degree at AIB, so they can make plans for what their future educational needs are,” Shorer-Meisner says. The first of these events will be from 10:30 A.M. to 1:30 p.m. April 21 in the AIB Activities Center gym.
Previous Radio Iowa stories on AIB:
AIB College of Business merging with University of Iowa
Changes made in the University of Iowa and AIB merger
U-I president: ‘This is a gift; the U-of-I is not paying for AIB’