Colleagues,

Thank you for the work you’ve done this year.

We’ve made meaningful progress across the college, investing in our people, revitalizing our spaces, strengthening partnerships, launching new programs, and putting important systems and supports in place. Those efforts matter, and they position us well for what’s ahead. They happen because people across this college show up every day ready to do the work.

But most importantly, you showed up for our students. You served them, supported them, and taught them. That’s the work that matters most.

We saw that mindset clearly during the recent Canvas outage. While the disruption itself was brief, many across the college immediately went to work thinking through contingency plans, communicating with students, and making sure learning could continue with as little disruption as possible. Faculty, staff, and teams across every area stayed focused on students, relayed reassurance and care, adapted quickly, and kept moving forward. That response says a great deal about who we are as a college community and how deeply we care about our students and one another.

Our vision at EICC is clear: changing lives and building communities. When you look at the Trellis Student Financial Wellness Survey data, this vision becomes very real. Many of our students are navigating serious financial challenges, with 65 percent reporting financial difficulties and more than half facing basic needs insecurity such as food and shelter. Also concerning, 42% students indicated experincing generalized anxiety disorder. This is the reality they bring with them when they walk into our classrooms and onto our campuses.

And here’s why your work matters so much. Nationally, individuals with a college credential are far less likely to live in poverty, often at less than half the rate of those without postsecondary education. Education changes economic outcomes. It creates mobility. It opens doors. It proivdes a pathway to a better life.

This year, more than 1,300 students will earn credit credentials. In addition, 265 students will earn their High School Equivalency diplomas, and nearly 2,400 Continuing Education awards will be completed across our communities. These are not just numbers. They are lives moving forward. Families gaining stability. Communities growing stronger.

Take pride in this. The work you do here has real impact. It truly changes lives.

And as we recognize that impact, I want to encourage you to lift up the great work happening across this college. The Chancellor’s Awards for Excellence are an opportunity to recognize quality work and the people behind it. Our Strategic Plan Grants are a chance to take your ideas to the next level and continue building momentum. I hope you’ll consider applying or nominating a colleague.

Thank you for showing up, for staying focused on students, and for doing work that makes a difference where it matters most. I see it every day, and I appreciate it more than you probably realize. I’m grateful to be in this alongside you, and proud of what we are accomplishing together.

Together, we’re changing lives and building communities.

Bryan Renfro, PhD
Chancellor
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges
101 West Third Street, Davenport
563-336-3301