The State Board of Education voted June 17 to continue accreditation for Eastern Iowa Community Colleges (EICC) following an interim review that highlighted the district’s workforce partnerships, program review practices and community engagement and also noted a federal noncompliance finding from the Higher Learning Commission related to contact hours.

Why this matters: Continued accreditation confirms EICC meets state standards required for community college operations and federal financial aid eligibility. The college serves roughly 23,000 students across Clinton, Muscatine and Scott community colleges and is a key regional workforce and transfer partner.

Key points

- Department review: The department conducted a desk review and on‑campus visits in February and April 2025. The report found strong community and industry partnerships, a four‑year program review cycle involving external reviewers, and promising practices in regional planning partnerships that align high school and college CTE programs.

- HLC finding: The Higher Learning Commission issued a federal noncompliance finding regarding assignment of credits, program length and tuition related to inconsistent contact hours between regular and shortened semesters. EICC told the department it identified the source of the discrepancy and is implementing corrective actions; the college must submit an interim report to HLC by December 2025.

- Strengths and recommendations: The department highlighted strengths—shared governance, fiscal management, student success initiatives, disability services and senior year plus programs—and recommended several improvements such as revising faculty master agreement language to allow individual overload consent and documenting faculty work experience for CTE qualifications.

Action taken

The board approved continued accreditation through the next comprehensive review cycle (scheduled for academic year 2029–30) and asked the college to provide the department with HLC’s December interim report when submitted. The department will monitor EICC’s corrective actions on contact hours and contract language changes related to faculty overload consent.

Quotes

“We do life better together,” EICC interim chancellor said while describing the college’s community focus and partnerships.

“The HLC team identified some examples of irregularity in the contact hours associated with the same courses offered at regular semesters and shortened semesters,” the department’s accreditation summary said; EICC reported corrective steps are underway.

Ending

The board’s approval affirms EICC’s continuing accreditation while the department will track the college’s HLC response and recommended improvements.