IW hosts Teach-Out and Transfer Fair

MT. PLEASANT — To support their students and staff in light of the impending closure, Iowa Wesleyan University welcomed over 80 colleges and universities to fill the Ruble Arena, Monday.

From 9 a.m.-1 p.m. colleges and universities visited with IW students about teach-out and transfer options as they consider their next steps.

“I think our students really came out and I am glad to see that,” Vice President for Enrollment, Marketing, and Communications Meg Richtman said.

While Richtman thought many students seemed overwhelmed, at first, she saw them relax some as they received one-on-one assistance as needed.

“We’re helping them walk through it,” Richtman said.

IW Student Success Coach Marlene Arreola welcomed students to the event and gave them information.

She equipped students with a list of all the schools present along with a map.

Arreola encouraged students to consider their top choices and then fill out provided paperwork to help them establish next steps.

“Once you’re at your last two schools you might want to go to, you’ll want to fill that out,” she said as she handed over the paperwork. “You can turn that in here today or later to the registrar’s office.”

Freshman Zoey Robidoux spent a lot of time at the event and specifically looked at the teach-out school options located in the hallway outside of the gymnasium.

“I was looking at Clover Stockton and William Penn, but now I’m leaning more toward Clover Stockton,” Robidoux said. “I know they have a really good music program down there and I love music.”

“They’re going to match everything and hopefully I don’t have to pay any more, and it is closer to home than William Penn,” she said.

Clover Stockton is in Canton, Missouri, only a few hours away from Robidoux’s home in Riverside.

“We’ve been talking since we got here at 9 a.m.,” Clover Stockton Admission Counselor Shauna Stolte said. “It’s been a very good turn out.”

IW junior Cole Doebele also looked into Clover Stockton, and expressed gratitude for the well-organized and well-attended event.

“Grandview, Clover Stockton, and Rockford are the three that stood out to me the most,” he said. “They made it easier to talk to them about the transition for my senior year.”

Grandland University located in Lamoni invited students to not only check out their table at the event, but also extended an invitation to a college visit specifically for IW students.

“We are going to send a charter bus April 22 to take students for a college visit,” she said.

They also offered IW students financial add matching and an additional $1,000 Tiger Transfer Grant for their first year with Graceland.

Of the other 80 schools which ranged from the University of Iowa to Maharisi University, many offered similar opportunities and accommodations for IW students as they figure out what comes next.

Overall, students walked away with not only bags full of swag, but a plethora of information to make their decisions.

Comments: AnnaMarie.Ward@southeastiowaunion.com