Ribbon cut for new $10M Storm Lake learning center

STORM LAKE, Iowa (KCAU) — A new educational facility aimed at providing enhanced learning opportunities in northwest Iowa is now ready to welcome Siouxlanders.

Iowa Central Community College is opening a new Storm Lake learning center. Several members of the college, along with Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, cut the ribbon for the new $10 million facility on Thursday.

During the tour, the governor was able to see four of the community college’s new nursing rooms with state-of-the-art mannequins that can be programmed for different scenarios, along with modern classrooms.

“Today, we celebrate Iowa Central for truly living up to its rule as a community college dedicated to providing great educational opportunities to Iowans right at their home,” Reynolds said. “You know, it’s hard to overstate how valuable that is for rural areas just like this one, where continued economic development depends on really being able to field a capable, well-trained workforce in a wide variety of industries.”

The new two-story building has 16 classrooms, an academic resource center, and a testing center. Iowa Central Community College president Jesse Ulrich, said the new building is a game-changer for the community.

“Community colleges do a great job of utilizing advisory committees with our local workforce providers to really tell us what’s up and coming within all of their areas so that we can have those tools and equipment here for our students to begin training them so that on day one that they enter those, enter the workforce in those careers, they’re ready to go,” he said.

Ulrich said it was very meaningful to have Gov. Reynolds there and appreciates the support she gave for the project.

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