ILCC wind tech students may transfer to UI under agreement

The University of Iowa College of Engineering and Iowa Lakes Community College of Estherville, Iowa, have signed an agreement that will allow some Iowa Lakes students to transfer to either the UI Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering or the UI Department of Mechanical Engineering, effective fall semester 2009.

The transfer program is designed specifically for students enrolled in the Iowa Lakes Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Associate in Applied Science program.

University officials said that the agreement was made possible in large part by Iowa Lakes' nationally recognized wind technology program, the UI's leadership role in wind technology in the state of Iowa, and the dramatic increase of wind power production and generation facilities in Iowa by private industry.

"We are very proud to be associated with Iowa Lakes Community College's Wind Energy and Turbine Technology program. They are viewed as one of the best in the nation, educating students in a field that is growing at over 20 percent per year," said UI College of Engineering Dean Barry Butler.

Iowa Lakes President Harold Prior said, "This is a wonderful opportunity for Iowa Lakes students in the Wind Energy and Turbine Technology Program to transfer to the University of Iowa and complete an engineering degree with an emphasis in wind. A dire shortage of engineers is present in the wind industry currently and with retirements of current engineers, there are many opportunities in the wind industry."

Among other requirements, students transferring to the UI College of Engineering must have demonstrated success in math, science and engineering courses as shown by grades of "A" and "B" and no grade lower than a "C."

With 5.5 percent of its electricity generated by wind power facilities, Iowa is the U.S. leader in wind generation as percentage of total generation.

* Visit http://www.iawind.org for more information.