Iowa State University Learning Connection opens in Des Moines

What is located in the heart of downtown Des Moines and will provide convenient, timely access to noncredit educational opportunities for adult learners of all ages? The answer: the Iowa State University Learning Connection.

Housed in the Greater Des Moines Partnership Building (formerly the Locust Street Mall), the new center also will serve as a source of information about other ISU-related services, credit programs, athletic events and cultural activities.

"Extension saw this as an opportunity to offer noncredit, informal educational opportunities to people in Iowa's largest metropolitan area," said Sherry Glenn, ISU Extension education director for central Iowa, whose office is located in the center. "We felt we could tap into a large audience looking for lifelong learning opportunities."

WOI Radio held a roundtable discussion about urban sprawl at the Iowa State University Learning Connection Feb. 27. Des Moines Mayor Preston Daniels, at left, offered opening comments and introduced panel members.

On-site learner-focused training, workshops, short courses and other noncredit learning opportunities are all part of the plan. Representatives from the ISU colleges, as well as Continuing Education and Communication Services, will have an ongoing role. WOI Radio will have a presence on-site, and a cyber café will offer people a place to gather information about ISU and participate in Web-based courses.

"There is no other place like this in the state for people to work with Iowa State University on noncredit programs," commented Ann Hill Duin, associate provost and director of Continuing Education and Communication Services. "The curriculum is not dictated by ISU. Instead, the center takes its cues from what the marketplace wants or needs."

Offering a wide variety of learning opportunities for adults is seen as the key to success for the center. Because of this, the center was designed to support lifelong learning opportunities through responsive and flexible learning programs and networks, all central to the overall mission of ISU.

One example of the diverse learning opportunities the center will offer is the ISU College for Seniors. This program usually hosts a slate of classes in Ames for people age 55 and older, but is offering a class in Des Moines this spring. It is the first time in the College's nine-year history that any class has been offered outside of Ames. Called "Des Moines: Glimpses of Its Past," this class will meet at the Iowa State University Learning Connection center and examine the history of Iowa's state capital, including a walking tour of East Des Moines and presentations by local historians and newspaper reporters.

Anne Sievers, an Altoona resident and a member of the curriculum committee for the ISU College for Seniors, is coordinating the new class. "It is rather exciting to offer this class because there are quite a few people involved with the College for Seniors who are in Des Moines," she said.

A formal grand opening is planned for the first full week of April.

"We are going to focus on providing hands-on, interactive workshops and seminars," Glenn said.

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