BVU, Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District Connect through Strategic Partnership
Through a Strategic Partnership with BVU, Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District strengthens its workforce by offering tuition discounts to its employees and their families.
Buena Vista University (BVU) and the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District (S-O CSD) have positioned themselves as Strategic Partners to help strengthen their communities through education.
This partnership allows employees of S-O 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.
Additionally, the school district is offering teachers a reimbursement of up to $1,000, upon successful completion, to take a course at BVU during the 2021-2022 school year, according to Sibley-Ocheyedan Superintendent of Schools Jamie Craig.
“Our school district is eager to support our dedicated teaching staff as they seek higher education opportunities that build their knowledge base and enhance the lives of our future generations,” says Craig.
“BVU’s Strategic Partnerships aim to uplift our communities through education, and we are proud to partner with the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District. We look forward to offering education discounts that open opportunities for employees and family members of Sibley-Ocheyedan.”
Laura Todd, Director of Strategic Partnerships
“We are grateful the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District is investing in its teachers by partnering with BVU as well as offering an additional discount,” says Dr. Lucas DeWitt, BVU Program Director for both the M.Ed. Special Education and M.Ed. Teacher Leadership, Curriculum, and Instruction programs. “At BVU, we are excited to support Sibley-Ocheyedan teachers and their family members as they pursue this opportunity to further their education.”
BVU professors and staff are also available for training programs, workshops, and more should officials with S-O CSD seek those services and expertise.
“We are thrilled to partner with BVU to offer our employees access to education at a discounted rate,” says Craig. “A Strategic Partnership with BVU, a local school with quality programs, represents a great opportunity that branches out to benefit our employees, their families, and our community.”
S-O CSD is an Iowa Class 1A school district, educating students in grades PK-12. The district’s 127 employees serve 750 students in Osceola County. The small-district atmosphere includes a combination of veteran and new teachers, of which 39 percent hold a master’s degree or higher, and 45 percent have been teaching for 15 years or more. “Build partnerships to challenge minds, to invest in community, and to embrace life,” is the mission statement for the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District.
“BVU’s Strategic Partnerships aim to uplift our communities through education, and we are proud to partner with the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District,” says BVU Director of Strategic Partnerships Laura Todd. “We look forward to offering education discounts that open opportunities for employees and family members of Sibley-Ocheyedan.”
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.