A week full of new discoveries!

First, let me introduce myself, I'm Haley Beyer and have recently been hired as a Marketing Services Coordinator in the Marketing Services department. Before joining the team at Kirkwood I received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Journalism from the University of Iowa in 2004, then worked as a Marketing Coordinator at The Gazette for three years.

As you can see from the subject of this blog I'll be updating you once a week on all the cool, exciting and surprising things I've experienced while getting my feet wet at Kirkwood. I've already been surprised by all the many different things Kirkwood has to offer its students and staff--and I've only been here a week!

So, what has been surprising, exciting or just plain cool so far? I'm glad you asked!

1) The size of Kirkwood Community College

• Before I started at Kirkwood, I took a drive around the main campus in Cedar Rapids. As I drove I realized I was out in the corn fields and still seeing Kirkwood buildings such as the Equestrian Center and the Tippie Beef Education Center.
  
• Did you know the main campus alone covers 675 acres? That's more than a square mile!


• Kirkwood serves seven counties (Benton, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Washington).
  
• The sheer size and hard work of faculty and staff of Kirkwood allow it to serve over 15,000 in college courses and 65,000 in continuing education. That's amazing!

http://www.kirkwood.edu/explore

2) Trees...and lots of them!

• I heard a cool fact that Kirkwood has every tree species native to Iowa on its main campus, so I decided to investigate further!


• According to our resident Horticulture expert, Paul Saladin, there are three plant identification classes that students are required to take to earn their AAS degree in Landscape, Nursery and Garden Center Management. Each of these three courses includes a lab component that utilizes plants growing on Kirkwood campus!


• The first class is called Woody Plant Materials and it covers about 90 trees native to the Midwest. That's a whole lot of trees!


• The second class is called Ornamental Plant Materials. It covers about 90, non-native, plants that are used in the landscaping industry. It's amazing to think that students can actually study these non-native plants right here on campus!


• The third class is called Herbaceous Plant Materials and it covers annuals and herbaceous, perennial plants.


• I can't think of a better way for students to study plants than to have them right outside their classrooms!

http://www.kirkwood.edu/agrisciences

3) The Class Act Restaurant

• Not only is it cool that you can have a high-end meal for very little money, but it's literally steps away from where you study or work!


• Prices range from a cup of soup for $2, a Panini for $5 to a fabulous Grilled Beef Tenderloin entree for only $7.50!


• The most exciting part about The Class Act restaurant is the fact that the Culinary Arts students are getting practical, real-world experience at their craft. Students prepare and serve the meals in preparation for their future careers--how cool is that?


• The Class Act is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. in the Atrium of the Mansfield Center.

http://www.kirkwood.edu/classact