Southwestern Community College (Iowa)

Southwestern Community College
Motto	"SmartDecision. SmartStart. SWCCsmart"
Type	Public
Established	1966
President	Barbara Crittenden, Ph.D.
Students	Approximately 1,700
Location	Creston, Iowa, United States
Campus	Rural
Colors	Red and Navy
Athletics	Volleyball, Men's and Women's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Cross Country
Nickname	Spartans
Website	www.swcciowa.edu

Coordinates: 41°04′19″N 94°22′49″W / 41.071865°N 94.380383°W / 41.071865; -94.380383

Southwestern Community College (SWCC) is a public community college with its main campus in Creston, Iowa. It also has centers in Red Oak, Iowa, and Osceola, Iowa. In addition to an arts and sciences program, SWCC offers career and technical education degrees and certificates.^[5]

History[]

Southwestern Community College was started in 1966, on a 406-acre (1.64 km²) campus. In 1970 the campus was expanded with construction of a technical center, administrative office, and student center. Many of its students would complete two years here and transfer to state or private colleges to earn four-year degrees.

In the 1990s, the college expanded, adding facilities that enhanced its service to the community. In 1995 a Wellness Center was built; it included an Olympic sized pool, gymnasium, and performing arts auditorium. The Wellness Center also hosts the Southern Prairie YMCA and adult and continuing education department. In 2000 another addition to the campus was made, which added a health center, a second technical center, and the Spartan Suites apartment-style dormitories.^[1]

On April 14, 2012, an EF2 tornado struck Creston, resulting in considerable damage to the campus. The Spartan Suites had its roof torn off and the other dorms suffered roof, window and water damage. Luckily, the tornado struck on a weekend, and a majority of the students were off campus. Many regularly travel home for the weekend. There were no serious injuries or deaths. The gymnasium was turned into a makeshift hospital, as the main hospital nearby had suffered damage. Classes were canceled for the beginning of the week. Students and instructors helped with clean-up around Creston. Due to the damage suffered by the dorms, the students were transferred to local hotels for the rest of the spring semester.

SWCC won the 2017 NJCAA men's basketball championship, the first ever national title in Spartans History.

Board of Trustees[]

SWCC is governed by an eight-member board of trustees. They represent eight districts. The board includes; Denny Davis (District 1), Fred Shearer (District 2), Jerry Smith (District 3), Susan Lane (District 4), Ken Rech (District 5), Vicki Sickels (District 6), Cindy Cox (District 7), Tony Cass (District 8).^[6]