BVU Connects with St. Malachy Catholic School via Strategic Partnership
As a Strategic Partner of BVU, St. Malachy Catholic School can offer educational benefits to their employees and their spouses and dependents.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and St. Malachy Catholic School in Creston have entered a Strategic Partnership to better serve St. Malachy staff and families, and, ultimately, the communities they help build and sustain.
Within this partnership, employees of St. Malachy Catholic School, as well as their spouses and dependents, may 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/hybrid undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program.
BVU professors and staff are also available for training programs, workshops, and more should administrators and teachers at St. Malachy seek those services and expertise.
“We are grateful to be connected to BVU in this manner. Education is a gateway to which our people, and the communities within which they reside, can realize their full potential.”
Jennifer Simmons, St. Malachy Principal
“The Strategic Partnership with BVU is a benefit that supports our whole family,” says St. Malachy Principal Jennifer Simmons. “BVU grant funding made available for BVU students affiliated with St. Malachy Catholic School will allow our employees and their families accessible pathways to a BVU education, an occurrence that will only strengthen our communities as a result.”
St. Malachy Catholic School, which employs approximately 30, is celebrating its 151st year in education, serving students from PK through eighth-grade from the communities of Creston, Afton, Corning, Lenox, Orient, Prescott, and Greenfield. The mission of the school is to develop and inspire learning for life by providing a world-class education within a Catholic environment for students. Students grow in faith and wisdom to emerge as responsible citizens.
“We’re extremely excited to add to our growing Strategic Partnerships initiative through St. Malachy Catholic Schools in Creston,” says Katie Smith, BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships. “It will be wonderful to see staff members and their families continue their education at BVU while receiving a savings. Through education, BVU seeks to work to create stronger cities, towns, organizations, and people across Iowa, the Midwest, and beyond.”
The agreement is the second Strategic Partnership signed in Creston, following an agreement between BVU and Wellman, one of Creston’s top employers. BVU has enjoyed a long working relationship in and around Creston through Southwestern Community College, where BVU also offers programming through a hybrid delivery, which means students may attend one or two evening sessions per week via Zoom, complemented through online coursework throughout an eight-week period.
“We are grateful to be connected to BVU in this manner,” says Simmons, who has helped direct BVU student-teachers at St. Malachy in the past. “Education is a gateway to which our people, and the communities within which they reside, can realize their full potential.”
For more information about BVU’s Strategic Partnerships and partner opportunities, please visit the BVU website at bvu.edu/strategic-partnerships or contact Katie Smith at SmithK@bvu.edu.