Consultant suggests Kirkwood find new, smaller Iowa City location

Kirkwood Group School’s Iowa Metropolis campus. (Google Maps Road View, July 2019)

IOWA CITY — Over the subsequent 24 years, if nothing modifications, Kirkwood Group School is on observe to spend practically $40 million sustaining its 97,094-square-foot Iowa Metropolis campus — which has a present classroom-use fee beneath 40 % and noticed a 75 % enrollment decline between 2016 and 2021.

On condition that makes little budgetary sense — particularly in a post-pandemic age when many campuses are dealing with enrollment losses and monetary challenges — Kirkwood earlier this yr initiated a trio of consultants to review the Iowa Metropolis web site.

The aim was to raised perceive the wants of scholars, employers and the broader neighborhood in making “knowledgeable selections about the way forward for Kirkwood services in Iowa Metropolis.”

And the consultants have made their advice — Kirkwood ought to discover one other Iowa Metropolis web site, downsize by greater than two-thirds and recalibrate its course choices.

“This idea creates the chance to seek out the suitable quantity of area and parking in a extra centralized or simply accessible location of Iowa Metropolis with higher multimodal entry,” in keeping with a ultimate research report, produced by WSP USA, the Montreal-based skilled companies marketing consultant Kirkwood engaged.

The suitable measurement of a “New Iowa Metropolis Kirkwood Heart,” in keeping with the marketing consultant’s evaluation, could be about 30,000 sq. ft. That will shave 67,094 sq. ft off Kirkwood’s present Iowa Metropolis footprint, which is unfold out throughout three buildings — a essential credit score middle, annex and studying middle.

In response to the proposal, Kirkwood ought to discover a property to lease that’s extra accessible by way of the Interstate 80 hall and contains “versatile area” for a wider array of profession and technical programs in well being care, industrial expertise and data expertise.

“The overwhelming majority of credit score programs at the moment supplied in Iowa Metropolis are liberal arts programs,” in keeping with the research, which famous Kirkwood’s liberal arts programs noticed the most important enrollment drops each pre-coronavirus from 2016 to 2019 and post-pandemic from 2020 to 2021.

“Given present market realities, a smaller footprint that extra effectively makes use of area, with improved agreements for sharing educational area, and a ground plan to facilitate these advantages is advisable.”

Group suggestions

The marketing consultant primarily based its advice on quantitative knowledge and on a qualitative evaluation of neighborhood suggestions and stakeholder engagement — starting in February with 19 focus group discussions involving college, employees, enterprise executives and native leaders. The net survey in March went to lots of of households within the Iowa Metropolis campus space — 346 of which accomplished no less than some portion.

The survey revealed extensively optimistic perceptions of Kirkwood — with practically 80 % giving the school both an “A” or “B” letter grade; a mixed 58 % reporting Kirkwood is both a considerably or considerably higher possibility than a four-year college; and 57 % perceiving Kirkwood graduates as having equal {qualifications} as four-year college grads — with 20 % discovering them both considerably or considerably extra certified.

When requested what respondents primarily based their Kirkwood perceptions on, 38 % stated tuition prices, 26 % stated forms of programs supplied and 29 % stated high quality of schooling.

Though scholar numbers and classroom use recommend the Kirkwood Iowa Metropolis mannequin wants enchancment, 94 % of survey respondents “completely” agreed it’s “important that the Iowa Metropolis space has a high-quality neighborhood faculty.”

However consultants argued one thing has to alter — as Iowa Metropolis enrollment has plummeted from 16,382 in 2016 to 4,133 in 2021. Even earlier than the pandemic, enrollment was slipping on the Kirkwood campus, falling 17 % from 2016 to 2019.

Whilw very best classroom-use charges are between 50 % and 70 %, Kirkwood’s Iowa Metropolis classroom use has dropped to as little as 23 % within the annex and studying middle.

Staying put

Though the marketing consultant leaned into the advice that Kirkwood depart its present location — and presumably lease out or promote that web site — the ultimate report additionally explored the choice of staying and renovating.

That possibility — which comes with “the benefit of present web site management and the autonomy supplied by possession of the property” — would downsize the property to 82,379 sq. ft and renovate present area, creating “focal gathering factors” equivalent to a research lounge and higher bookstore.

Renovations to the principle constructing would price within the $5.5 million to $8 million vary however wouldn’t resolve the issue of entry, in keeping with the report.

“Plenty of issues concerning the geographic location of the campus inside Iowa Metropolis had been raised throughout stakeholder engagement,” it acknowledged.

The advice to maneuver isn’t essentially an ideal answer, both, the marketing consultant famous.

“One of many challenges … contains discovering the best leasable area,” in keeping with the report. “This idea additionally would come with transforming prices as soon as an area is chosen.”

Anticipated transforming prices of a brand new leased area vary from $6 million to $8 million, “much less any revenue generated from sale or lease of the present Iowa Metropolis campus.”

A proposal for a brand new leased area dedicates probably the most — practically 17,000 sq. ft — to well being care and profession and technical schooling versatile and lab area. It suggests 6,000 sq. ft for a scholar commons and three,500 sq. ft for liberal arts curriculum.

Vanessa Miller covers greater schooling for The Gazette.

Feedback: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com