BVU, Emmetsburg Schools Collaborate as Strategic Partners
By partnering with Buena Vista University, the Emmetsburg Community School District offers educational benefits to its employees and their eligible family members.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and the Emmetsburg Community School District (Emmetsburg CSD) have collaborated as Strategic Partners to better serve their communities.
This partnership allows for employees of Emmetsburg CSD, 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 with Emmetsburg CSD seek those services and expertise.
“We are excited to partner with Buena Vista University and offer educational benefits to our employees and their eligible family members as well as new hires,” says Emmetsburg CSD Superintendent Darren Hanna. “This Strategic Partnership will provide opportunities for individuals to further their education and become better equipped to serve their community.”
“The way BVU’s program was structured allowed me to work a full-time job and earn my degree.”
Tracie Christensen
The district serves approximately 750 students from Emmetsburg, Cylinder, and the surrounding areas. Nearly 180 employees educate students PK-12 throughout Emmetsburg CSD’s west elementary school, middle school, and high school.
“The way BVU’s program was structured allowed me to work a full-time job and earn my degree,” says Emmetsburg CSD 5-12 Principal Tracie Christensen, who earned her undergraduate degree through BVU in Mason City and went on to complete her master’s from BVU. “It worked really well with what I was doing as I was able to attend my kids’ events while still taking classes.”
BVU has long enjoyed strong educational ties in and around Emmetsburg, home to Iowa Lakes Community College, a campus that has collaborated with BVU for decades. Students enrolled in a program through ILCC 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 Emmetsburg through BVU’s office on the ILCC campus.
“We look forward to our partnership with the Emmetsburg Community School District,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “By increasing access to quality, affordable education, we can strengthen Iowa’s workforce and 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.