A $9 million project on the Iowa Central Community College campus in Fort Dodge is getting a big boost from a local family.
Bill Greehey is the former CEO of Valero Energy. He now lives in San Antonio, Texas, but he’s a 1954 graduate of Fort Dodge High School. Greehey’s Family Foundation is donating $3 million to help Iowa Central Community College build a student service center.
College President Dan Kinney first learned about the gift last week. “I can’t overstate the impact that this gift is going to have on Iowa Central, to our region, our kids, and our families,” Kinney said. “Overall, this is a major impact for Iowa Central, Fort Dodge, our region…I can’t be more thankful to Mr. Greehey and his family.”
Construction on what will be called the “Greehey Family Student Success Center” could begin next summer. The facility would house enrollment, financial aid, academic advising, counseling and career planning services.
Those offices are currently in several buildings scattered across the ICCC campus. The gift from the Greehey foundation will cover a third of the center’s $9 million cost. “We’ve got a plan going. We’ve got some things happening or in the pipeline right now, so I feel very confident that we will be able to get that additional $6 million to move forward,” Kinney said.
In 2015, the Greehey foundation donated $1 million to provide scholarships for first-generation college students attending ICCC.