BVU, Red Oak Schools Connect Through Strategic Partnership
Through a collaboration with Buena Vista University, the Red Oak Community School District offers educational benefits to its employees and their eligible family members.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and the Red Oak 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 Red Oak Community School District, as well as eligible family members of full-time employees, to receive grant funding to lower the overall cost per credit hour while enrolled in BVU’s convenient online undergraduate programs or the organizational leadership graduate program. Partner grant funding also lowers the cost of education for students enrolled in classes at BVU’s Storm Lake campus.
“BVU is a fine institution, and I’m pleased to provide this benefit to our employees,” says Red Oak Community School District Superintendent Ron Lorenz. “Any time you can encourage educators to develop and grow and do so in a cost-effective manner, you have to seize the moment. As a learning organization, we also want to make it as easy as possible for our staff and their families to access quality educational opportunities. I am grateful to BVU for affording us this opportunity.”
“Any time you can encourage educators to develop and grow and do so in a cost-effective manner, you have to seize the moment. As a learning organization, we also want to make it as easy as possible for our staff and their families to access quality educational opportunities. I am grateful to BVU for affording us this opportunity.”
Red Oak Community School District Superintendent Ron Lorenz
Located in rural Montgomery County in southwest Iowa, the Red Oak Community School District serves about 1,000 students from Red Oak and the surrounding communities of Coburg, Stennett, and Wales. About 140 educators serve the school district’s three learning centers—Red Oak Early Childhood Center, Inman Elementary, and Red Oak Junior/Senior High School—which are all located in Red Oak.
The Red Oak Community School District is committed to providing the best academic, extracurricular, and social opportunities to prepare students for global citizenship, and its vision of “Excellence for All … Whatever it Takes” drives its commitment to providing rigorous and relevant learning opportunities and promoting the highest level of student engagement. The school district’s faculty and staff seek to remove barriers that impact student achievement, partnering with parents and other stakeholders to prepare students for success beyond high school, and it has recently launched numerous initiatives, including tiered graduation pathways and programs supporting online learning, work-based learning, and building trades.
“I first chose BVU because the campus was beautiful and the entire vibe I got when visiting was super positive and upbeat,” says Red Oak Junior/Senior High School Principal Nate Perrien ’01. “My experience there was fantastic, as I met a lot of people, many of whom have become lifelong friends, as well as having received a solid education. In addition to how fun the campus life was, there are a couple of experiences that stand out: Winning a Survivor contest and pocketing $1,000 as well as going to Puerto Rico during J-Term and experiencing snorkeling, hiking in a desert, cliff jumping near remote waterfalls, swimming in the bioluminescent bay, and bodysurfing. In my position as a school administrator, I often talk to students who want to go to big universities about the depth of friendships I gained at a school like BVU. Deep connections were made with so many people while at BVU, from the dorm life to the soccer team to the suites. The friendships and connections made have become lifelong.”
“Buena Vista University is eager to partner with the Red Oak Community School District, extending educational benefits to its employees and their eligible family members through our Strategic Partnerships initiative,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “Building up our communities starts with supporting education, and we look forward to working together to further invest in and strengthen the communities we both serve.”
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.