With 334 dorm rooms available—225 apartments and 109 traditional dorm rooms—campus life is nearly at capacity this fall.

According to Jesse Ulrich, president of Iowa Central Community College, 1,187 students had chosen on-campus housing as of Thursday, leaving only 76 vacancies and housing applications received each day.

“We expect that we will be at or close to 100 percent capacity when school starts on Monday,” said Ulrich.

Iowa Central University students will begin moving into their new housing on Sunday. All staff and faculty will be on hand to help students and their families carry belongings across campus, answer any questions, and liaise with any departments or offices they need to visit.

-File photo by Paul DeCoursey

Iowa Central Community College President Dr. Jesse Ulrich welcomes students on the first day of school in 2023. The 2024-2025 school year begins Monday at Iowa Central.

According to Ulrich, each student is greeted by a staff member from the Greehey Student Success Center to begin the check-in process. As part of their check-in, they also visit financial aid, advising, the business office and the mail room, all of which are located in the new building. Iowa Central also offers express check-in for students who have dropped off all of their belongings with these departments in advance.

“It is truly a great day to celebrate the students who come to Iowa Central,” said Ulrich. “We are excited that students are choosing Iowa Central and want move-in day to be a positive experience. Move-in day is about more than just packing boxes of belongings and books into a student apartment. It’s also about making memories.”

Classes at Iowa Central Community College begin Monday in Fort Dodge and all satellite centers.

According to Stacy Mentzer, vice president for academics, Iowa Central has more than 750 courses planned for the fall semester, with 94 full-time faculty and about 300 part-time faculty members.

With so many classes scheduled at Iowa Central this fall, Mentzer spent the summer semester making sure the master schedule was ready as quickly as possible and providing training and professional development opportunities for faculty and professors. She also made sure resources and technology were available, and she was available to answer any questions about classes as well. But despite a jam-packed summer of planning and preparation, Mentzer said she’s excited about moving in and the first day of classes.

“The time when the students are back on campus is the best time of the year for me,” said Mentzer. “You are the reason I am here and why I do what I do.”

In numbers

334 dormitories in total

225 apartments

109 traditional dormitories

Enrolment of 1,187 students confirmed on Sunday

1,263 student places in the student residence

750 courses planned for the fall semester

94 full-time faculty members

300 lecturers