Two Iowa community colleges rank in a magazine’s rating of institutions which award the most one- or two-year degrees in the country. Community College Week publishes a “top 100” every year, ranking the nation’s 12-hundred colleges which award one- and two-year degrees.
Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids is tied for 28th in the nation. Des Moines Area Community College ranks 59th. The analysis is based on degrees awarded in the 2004/2005 academic year. Kirkwood granted just over 19-hundred degrees.
Steve Carpenter, a spokesman for Kirkwood, says finishing 28th among 12-hundred community colleges in the country is a tribute to the kind of students who enroll at Kirkwood. “You can’t discount the work ethic in Iowa and the fact that when students come to enroll in a program there’s that wholesome ‘I want to finish what I started,'” Carpenter says.
“You can’t put a price tag on that and I think it’s reflective of the work ethic and the quality of individuals that we have in our communities.” Kirkwood has its main campus in Cedar Rapids, with satellite classrooms in Iowa City, Belle Plain, Marion, Monticello, Tipton, Vinton, Washington and Williamsburg.
DMACC, which has its main campus in Ankeny, awarded 14-hundred-20 degrees last academic year. DMACC also has attendance centers in Des Moines, West Des Moines, Boone, Carroll and Newton.