Collaboration with Buena Vista University broadens educational benefits for Sioux City Community School District employees and their eligible family members.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and the Sioux City Community School District have aligned as Strategic Partners to help support those who educate students while strengthening their communities and the people they serve.
This partnership allows for employees of the Sioux City Community School District, as well as eligible family members of full-time employees, to receive grant funding to lower the overall cost of education while enrolled in classes at BVU’s Storm Lake campus. Partner grant funding also lowers the cost per credit hour for students enrolled in BVU’s convenient online undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program.
“Whether it’s our employees, or their children, or another family member in their home that can benefit from getting a post-secondary degree or furthering their education, I think this Strategic Partnership is a win-win for everyone,” says Sioux City Community School District Director of Human Resources Dr. Jennifer Gomez.
“I am forever grateful to BVU for the opportunity to compete at a high level while receiving a high-level education. I’ve had many opportunities with my degree and always felt confident in what I could bring to the job. I have BVU to thank for that.”
North Middle School STEM Teacher Natalie Olorundami Hughes ’09
The Sioux City Community School District provides educational programs for about 15,000 students in the Woodbury County seat. More than 2,500 staff members serve the school district’s 13 elementary schools, three middle schools, three high schools, and the Sioux City Career Academy—a central campus for career and technical education.
Educating students to believe in their talents and skills, achieve academic excellence, and succeed in reaching their potential is the aim of the school district, which prides itself in the boundless opportunities provided at every grade level and its diverse student body, whose families speak more than 50 languages.
“I originally went to BVU because it was close to home. Once there, I adjusted quickly because of the small class sizes. My professors were tough, very knowledgeable, and cared about my success. As a student athlete, I was able to manage my studies and my track schedule comfortably,” says North Middle School STEM Teacher Natalie Olorundami Hughes ’09. “I am forever grateful to BVU for the opportunity to compete at a high level while receiving a high-level education. I’ve had many opportunities with my degree and always felt confident in what I could bring to the job. I have BVU to thank for that.”
BVU has long enjoyed strong educational ties in and around Sioux City, home to Western Iowa Tech Community College, a campus that has collaborated with BVU for decades. Students enrolled in a program through WITCC can seamlessly transfer their credits toward their bachelor’s degree at BVU. Students receive personalized support including admissions and enrollment counseling and academic advising right in Sioux City through BVU’s office on the WITCC campus.
“Buena Vista University is thrilled to collaborate with the Sioux City Community School District through our Strategic Partnerships initiative to provide affordable, accessible education to employees and their family members,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “We look forward to the many opportunities this partnership will create in Sioux City, the state of Iowa, and points beyond.”
For more information about BVU’s Strategic Partnerships and partner opportunities, please visit the BVU website at bvu.edu/strategic-partnerships or contact Strategic Partnerships at StrategicPartnerships@bvu.edu.