BVU, Eagle Grove schools bond in Strategic Partnership
Through a Strategic Partnership with Buena Vista University, the Eagle Grove Community School provides educational benefits to employees and their eligible family members.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and the Eagle Grove Community School District have entered a Strategic Partnership, strengthening the communities both entities serve.
This partnership allows for employees of the Eagle Grove schools, 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/hybrid undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program.
BVU professors and staff are also available for training programs, workshops, and more should officials at Eagle Grove seek those services and expertise.
“We are excited to partner with BVU through the innovative Strategic Partnerships initiative, allowing us to provide educational assistance to our employees and their families,” says Eagle Grove Superintendent of Schools Jess Tolliver. “This agreement aligns with our mission to promote in all students the knowledge and skills necessary to become independent thinkers, lifelong learners, and responsible, productive citizens. The BVU Strategic Partnership can only enhance our community by making education more affordable and accessible for our employees and their families.”
“BVU was the perfect option for me to attend night classes to obtain my elementary education degree while working in the school district as a paraeducator during the day.”
McKristie Willard
Located in Eagle Grove, a north-central Iowa city of 3,700 residents, the Eagle Grove Community School District and its 185 employees direct the education of some 970 students in and around Eagle Grove. The district has enjoyed enrollment growth of more than 100 students in recent years. Tolliver foresees more growth in the future at all district sites, including the elementary school, high school, and Robert Blue Middle School.
“BVU was the perfect option for me to attend night classes to obtain my elementary education degree while working in the school district as a paraeducator during the day,” says Eagle Grove Elementary School Student Success Specialist McKristie Willard, a 2014 BVU graduate. “Class sizes were perfect, and I loved getting to know other people in my classes. The staff was always so helpful!”
“The University strives to provide additional opportunities to community members across Iowa, and we look forward to our partnership with the Eagle Grove Community School District,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “Through our partner grant funding, employees and their family members have access to quality, affordable education to enhance their careers while building up one another and their respective communities.”
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.