Nov 09, 2024  
College Catalog & Student Handbook 2023-2024 
    
College Catalog & Student Handbook 2023-2024 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College Information



Vision

Indian Hills Community College will transform the future through education and empowerment. 

Mission

Indian Hills Community College changes lives by inspiring learning, diversity, social enrichment, and regional economic development.

Indian Hills Community College Values

Indian Hills Community College is committed to excellence, success, service, integrity, community, innovation, diversity, and inclusion

Indian Hills Community College Strategic Priorities

Strategic Priority 1: Student Success
Strategic Priority 2: Community Engagement
Strategic Priority 3: Economic Vitality

Institutional Purpose

Indian Hills Community College is dedicated to providing a dynamic and timely response to the ever-changing needs of our business community and the populace of our small towns and rural areas.

In this context, it is our purpose to provide, to the greatest extent possible, the following educational opportunities and services:

  1. The first two years of college work, including pre-professional education.
  2. Career and technical training.
  3. Programs for in-service training and retraining of workers.
  4. Programs for high school completion for students of all ages.
  5. Programs for all students of high school age who may best serve themselves by enrolling for career and technical training while also enrolled in a local high school, public or private.
  6. Programs for students of high school age to provide advanced college placement courses not taught at a student’s high school while the student is also enrolled in the high school.
  7. Student personnel services.
  8. Community services.
  9. Career and technical education for persons who have academic, socioeconomic or other disabilities which prevent succeeding in regular career education programs.
  10. Training, retraining and all necessary preparation for productive employment of all citizens.
  11. Career and technical training for persons who are not enrolled in a high school and who have not completed high school.
  12. Developmental education for persons who are academically or personally underprepared to succeed in their program of study.

IHCC History

What is now known as Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) was established as Merged Area XV by the Iowa Board of Public Instruction on June 3, 1966. The college began operations on July 1, 1966, at the Ottumwa Regional Airport under the governance of a nine-member board of trustees. Then known as Iowa Tech-Area XV Community College, the college conducted technical programs that included those formerly operated by the Ottumwa Community School District. The North Campus (formerly known as the “Airport Campus”) is where the college’s Aviation Maintenance Technology, Aviation Pilot Training, Avionics, Welding Technology, Commercial Driver Training and Diesel Technology programs are taught. The campus covers 215 acres and is located seven miles northwest of Ottumwa.

Centerville Campus 

On July 1, 1968, the Merged Area Board assumed responsibilities for operations of Centerville Junior College, which had been established by the Centerville Community School Board in 1930.

The Centerville Campus was completed in 1970 on a 72-acre site in the northwest part of the community. Offerings include Arts and Sciences courses and several technical programs, including Agriculture, Construction, Industrial Maintenance, and Nursing.

Cooper Creek residence hall opened in 2000 on the Centerville Campus.  The residence hall underwent a renovation in 2017 that  increased the occupancy to 72 students. Then in December of 2021 Traxler Hall, apartment style housing, opened with a capacity for 52 students.

Appanoose County philanthropist Morgan E. Cline made a generous donation of $500,000 that facilitated the creation of a high-tunnel greenhouse on the Centerville Campus. 

Indian Hills Community College 

Merged Area XV Community College adopted the name “Indian Hills Community College” in 1970. Dr. Mel Everingham, who was named president of Merged Area XV Community College two years before, stayed on as the first president of Indian Hills Community College. A historical pavilion, containing photographs and other memorabilia and named for Dr. Everingham, was added in the Advanced Technology Center in 2004.

Dr. Lyle Hellyer became the college’s president in 1973 and would remain in that position until his retirement in 2001. Dr. Jim Lindenmayer became the college’s third president following Dr. Hellyer’s retirement. Dr. Lindenmayer retired in 2013. He was succeeded by Dr. Marlene Sprouse in November of 2013.

Ottumwa Heights 

The boards of Indian Hills Community College and Ottumwa Heights College merged operations on July 1, 1979. Ottumwa Heights was a private college operated by the Sisters of Humility of Mary. Its roots can be traced back to the 1860s, when the Visitation Academy was established in Ottumwa. The St. Joseph Academy was founded in 1925, and its name was changed to Ottumwa Heights College five years later.

The Ottumwa Heights College campus was situated on 126 acres and was purchased by the Indian Hills Community College Board of Trustees in 1981, becoming the IHCC Ottumwa Campus. The original building is used for administrative offices, the library, an art gallery, an auditorium, dormitory space, arts and sciences classrooms and instructors’ offices. The library and art gallery were completed when the former chapel was renovated in 1984.

Ottumwa Campus Development 

A number of facilities have since been constructed on the Ottumwa Campus, which now serves as the college’s main campus. The Hellyer Student Life Center and Efner Academic Hall opened in October of 1985, the first of the new buildings added to the former Ottumwa Heights facilities. The Hellyer Center provides excellent recreational facilities for Indian Hills and the Ottumwa community.

The Advanced Technology Center was completed in the fall of 1990. The 125,000-square-foot building houses the college’s many technical programs as well as offices for the Regional Economic Advancement team.

A new dormitory, Trustee Hall, opened in the summer of 1992. The Early Childhood Development and Day Care Center was completed two years later to provide quality child care services for the community. The building is also a teaching site for students enrolled in the IHCC Early Childhood Development programs.

As the college continued to expand, a Video Conferencing and Training Center opened in 1996. It provides interactive fiber-optic connectivity to all points on the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), government agencies in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., and to Indian Hills’ eight county service centers. The building was renamed the Rosenman Video Conference Training Center, for Indian Hills benefactors Eli and Bea Rosenman, in 2005.

The Tom Arnold Net Center, built in 1997, provides year-round practice facilities for cross country, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball. A major renovation of that building in 2014 added coaches’ offices, locker rooms, a training room and a new exterior look.

In addition to the recreational facilities at the Hellyer Center and Net Center, the college also has an 18-hole disc golf course on the Main Campus that is used by students and community members.

In the winter of 2002, Indian Hills began a project to update and renovate the Keokuk/Mahaska, Wapello and Appanoose residence halls. The reconstruction project was completed in 2004. IHCC students now have a variety of on-campus housing options ranging from a one-person room to a three-, four-, or five-person suite. The other residence halls on campus, Oak Hall and Trustee Hall, offer a more traditional atmosphere with two students per room.

The Bennett Student Services Center, constructed in 1987, was renovated in 2001. The building, which was constructed as the Economic Development Center and later became the Bennett Regional Training Center, provides many of the student services for Indian Hills students. Offices for admissions and recruiting, academic advising and counseling services, the Registrar, veterans services, financial aid and the college bookstore are all located under one roof at the Bennett Center.

The Rural Health Education Center opened in May of 2007 on the Ottumwa Campus as a classroom and laboratory building for the college’s many health programs, as well as a conference and meeting facility for area health care organizations.

In Fall of 2019, a new addition will open on the Indian Hills North campus.  A 25,000 square foot addition will expand the Welding Technology lab, and relocate the Diesel Technology lab to better serve students in these high-demand fields.  The college has continued to update the existing facilities with renovations in almost every single building over the past couple of years.

Indian Hills Community College has grown to meet the changing needs of the residents in the 10-county area the college serves. The college staff members, administration, and board of trustees are committed to providing high quality educational opportunities through the Indian Hills programs and facilities.

Historical Timeline

1925 Ottumwa Heights Academy established at the present site of Indian Hills Community College— Ottumwa Campus
1930 Centerville Junior College established
1957 Ottumwa Heights Campus destroyed by fire
1960 New Ottumwa Heights Campus opened on Grandview Avenue in Ottumwa at the site of the original campus
1963 Iowa Tech established
1966 Iowa Legislature enacted legislation permitting the development of 15 Iowa community college districts
Merged Area XV Community College formed; located at Ottumwa Airport Campus
Iowa Tech became part of Merged Area XV Community College
Dr. Mel Everingham named president of Merged Area XV Community College
1968 Centerville Junior College became part of Merged Area XV Community College
1970 Merged Area XV Community College adopted the name “Indian Hills Community College”
1972 Correspondent status granted by North Central Association
1973 Dr. Lyle Hellyer named the second president of Indian Hills Community College
Candidate for Accreditation status granted by NCA
1977 Accredited status granted by NCA
1979 Indian Hills Community College and Ottumwa Heights College merged
1981 Indian Hills Community College purchased Ottumwa Heights College
1982 Continued Accreditation granted by NCA
1984 New Art Gallery and Learning Resources Center opened at the Ottumwa Campus
1985 Hellyer Student Life Center opened
Efner Academic Hall opened
1987 Computer Center opened at Ottumwa campus
Economic Development Center opened
1988 Maintenance and Horticulture Center opened
1989 Continued Accreditation granted by NCA
Centerville Maintenance facility constructed
Marge Dodd Stage donated by Area Arts Council
1990 Centerville Administration building opened
Advanced Technology Center opened
1991 Economic Development Center renamed Regional Training Center
1992 Trustee Hall Dormitory/Student Union/Bookstore opened
Hellyer Student Life Center locker room addition completed
1994 Early Childhood Development and Day Care Center opened
Ottumwa athletic complex constructed
1996 Video Conferencing and Training Center opened
Appanoose County Day Care Center opened on the Centerville campus
First of eight County Service Centers opened
1997 Tom Arnold Net Center opened
1999 Completion of County Service Centers
2000 Oak Hall and Centerville dormitories opened
2001 Dr. Jim Lindenmayer named third president of Indian Hills Community College
2002 Iowa Bioprocess Training Center in Eddyville opened
2004 Everingham Pavilion added at Advanced Technology Center
Renovation of Appanoose, Wapello and Keokuk/Mahaska dormitories completed
2005 VCTC renamed Rosenman Video Conference Training Center
2007 Rural Health Education Center opened
2009 Renovation of North Campus completed
Addition of dining facility at Advanced Technology Center
2012 Regional Economic Advancement facilities added to Advanced Technology Center
Soccer Field added to Main Campus athletic complex
2013 Dr. Marlene Sprouse named fourth President of Indian Hills Community College
2014 Renovation of Pothoven Academic SUCCESS Center completed
Renovation of Tom Arnold Net Center completed
Dedication of the Morgan E. Cline School of Sustainable Agriculture on the Centerville Campus
Dedication of the Regional Entrepreneurship Center on the North Campus
2017 Renovation of Ottumwa Campus Library completed
Renovation of Robotics, Electronic Engineering Technology and Cyber Security & Network Administration labs
Renovation of Centerville Residence Hall completed
2018 Renovation of Principal Financial Computer Software Development lab
2019 North Campus Diesel Technology lab constructed
Renovation and expansion of the Welding Technology lab completed
2020 Dr. Matt Thompson named fifth President of Indian Hills Community College
2021 Traxler Residence Hall opened on the Centerville Campus

IHCC Foundation

The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization that receives contributions to provide academic scholarships. All students enrolling at Indian Hills are eligible to apply for these scholarships. The Foundation receives tremendous support within the 10-county service area. For the past nine years, nearly all of Indian Hills’ full-time employees have contributed to the scholarship fund. Hundreds of area businesses, organizations, industries and citizens also contribute each year. In recent years, the Foundation has received an increased number of trusts and memorials. Approximately 17,500 scholarships have been awarded to Indian Hills Community College students since 1975. Last year, students at IHCC received nearly $1.2 million in Foundation scholarships.

Accreditation

Indian Hills Community College is a public postsecondary institution accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association (NCA), 230 South LaSalle St. Suite 7-500, Chicago, IL 60602-2504, (800) 621-7440, www.higherlearningcommission.org. IHCC is also accredited by the Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146, (515) 281-8260. IHCC programs are approved by the Division of Veterans and Military Education, Iowa Department of Education, for veterans education benefits through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

In addition, numerous IHCC programs are accredited:

  • The Health Information Technology program, Associate of Applied Science Degree, at Indian Hills Community College is accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM). www.CAHIIM.org 200 East Randolph Street., Suite 5100, Chicago, IL 60601-5800, (312) 235-3255.
  • The Physical Therapist Assistant program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE), American Physical Therapy Association, 3030 Potomac Avenue, Suite 100, Alexandria, VA 22305-3085, (703) 706-3245. The commission’s email address is [email protected] and their website is www.capteonline.org.
  • The Radiologic Technology program is accredited by the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology, 20 N. Wacker Drive Suite 2850, Chicago, IL 60606-3182, (312) 704-5300; [email protected] 
  • The Nursing programs are approved by the Iowa Board of Nursing, Riverpoint Business Park, 400 SW Eighth St. Suite B, Des Moines, IA 50309-4685, (515) 281-3255.
  • The Emergency Medical Responder (EMR), Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), Advanced Emergency Medical Technician (AEMT) and Paramedic programs are authorized as an Iowa EMS Training Program by the Iowa Department of Public Health, Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services, Lucas State Office Building, 321 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50309, (800) 728-3367.
  • The Indian Hills Community College Paramedic Program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Programs (www.caahep.org) upon the recommendation of the Committee on Accreditation of Educational Programs for the Emergency Medical Services Professions. Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs, 1361 Park Street, Clearwater, FL 33756, (727) 210-2350; www.caahep.org
  • IHCC is a Federal Aviation Administration-approved aviation training facility; the Aviation Pilot Training program is Part 141 approved, while the Aviation Maintenance Technology program is Part 147 approved. The FAA may be contacted at 6500 S. MacArthur Blvd., Oklahoma City, OK 73169, (405) 954-0138.
  • The Culinary Arts program is accredited by the American Culinary Federation, 180 Center Place Way, St. Augustine, FL 32095, (800) 624-9458.
  • The Occupational Therapy Assistant program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 6116 Executive Boulevard, Suite 200, North Bethesda, MD 20852-4929, (301) 652-6611. Their website is www.acoteonline.org.
  • The Clinical Laboratory Assistant program is approved through the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 5600 N. River Rd, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018, (773) 714-8880. [email protected]
  • The Medical Laboratory Technology program is accredited through the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 5600 N. River Rd, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018, (773) 714-8880. [email protected]
  • The Dental Assisting program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). The Commission is a specialized body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at  211 East Chicago Avenue; Chicago, IL 60611. (312) 440-4653, http://www.coda.ada.org 
  • The Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) and has been granted the accreditation status of “initial accreditation.” The Commission (CODA) is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission (CODA) can be contacted at (312) 440-2500 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60611. http://www.coda.ada.org.
  • The Medical/Insurance Coding Program is an approved comprehensive coding program through the Professional Certificate Approval Program Council through the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), 233 N. Michigan Aven., 21st Floor Chicago, IL 60601-5809, (800) 335-5535 www.AHIIMA.org 
  • The high school concurrent enrollment program is accredited by the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP). The National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships can be contacted at (919) 593-5205, or at PO Box 578, Chapel Hill, NC  27514. www.nacep.org.
  • Indian Hills Community College is an institutional participant in the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), a voluntary and regional method to oversee distance education.  As a result of Indian Hills Community College’s participation in SARA and approved by its home state of Iowa, Indian Hills Community College may offer distance education programs in SARA member states without further approval from the individual state. SARA only applies to distance education and does not cover instruction provided on-ground at any of Indian Hills Community College’s campuses. www.nc-sara.org.