OELWEIN AND RAMS CENTER TEAMWORK WINS ALL-STAR AWARD

Efforts to build the RAMS Center by the City of Oelwein, NICC and area schools and foundations earned an award last week.

OELWEIN-At the annual Iowa League of Cities meeting in Davenport Sept. 24, the City of Oelwein received news that the Regional Academy for Math and Science (RAMS) Center earned major statewide recognition. The Oelwein Community School District, the City of Oelwein and the Greater Oelwein Charitable Foundation collaborated with NICC to build the center in 2007-2008 and won this year's All-Star Community Award. The League of Cities awarded the RAMS Center project for its outstanding contributions to the community and for its innovation.

Cities that win an All-Star Community Award are gauged for their successes compared to other Iowa cities of similar population size. Oelwein won in the mid-size population category. The League also examines applications for the award based on the degree of service sharing between education and other community entities. The RAMS facility is the first regional math and science academy to be developed in Iowa. Local and federal grants, donations, economic development funding and other sources helped build the center.

For its role in education, RAMS is a partnership between NICC, area schools and Regents universities. RAMS provides rigorous and relevant math, science and technology coursework to high school and college students, teachers and community members wanting advanced degrees in those subject areas. Another RAMS goal includes raising awareness and interest of math and science among middle school children throughout the region.

RAMS also partners with area business and industry and is a catalyst for economic development. Prospective businesses will consider moving to a community with strong schools and an educated workforce. Existing businesses will benefit from increased training opportunities customized to meet their needs as well as an increased pool of qualified workers to hire.

In the past two years, Oelwein officials have recruited three new companies to their community. These businesses point to the success of RAMS as a key factor in selecting Oelwein for their sites. They see RAMS as proof of the area's commitment to providing and maintaining an educated workforce for today and tomorrow.

NICC's Oelwein Center is located in the RAMS building and offers credit, recertification and continuing education courses in both face-to-face and ICN formats. The facility includes three traditional classrooms, two science labs, one fully-networked computer lab, one Project Lead the Way lab, an ICN room, office and conference space commons area. In addition to taking math and science coursework at the center, students can enroll in NICC credit programs and take much of their general education coursework there as well. For student convenience, the center also offers registration, admissions, financial aid assistance as well as testing and advising services.

The Iowa League of Cities is a 105-year old association of more than 870 cities in Iowa, large and small. The League functions as a resource for city officials to obtain answers to city government questions, it advocates for cities on state and federal issues, and sponsors affiliated programs providing municipal services.

(As published in the Oelwein Daily Register, Saturday, October 3, 2009)