The six Catholic colleges in Iowa are banding together to address the challenges facing private higher education. The Iowa Catholic Collegiate Association will explore possible joint ventures and shared academic programs. Ham Shirvani, the president of Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, says the schools hope to see their economy of scale increase by joining forces. Shirvani says, “Each of these schools are small and therefore there are a lot of costs incurred when you are small.”

The coalition also includes: Clarke University and Loras College in Dubuque, Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Saint Ambrose University in Davenport and the Mercy College of Health Sciences in Des Moines. Shirvani says the schools see advantages to collaboration. “When you join forces, you suddenly become a major force,” Shirvani says. “Your economy of scale increases, your efficiency increases, you can serve the students better with a lower cost.”

Shirvani says savings may also come in jointly purchasing equipment and bringing in guest speakers as a group.

(Radio Iowa)

Governor Terry Branstad says he “has some concerns” about a proposal from Iowa State University’s president, that juniors and seniors pay higher tuition than freshmen and sophomores. “A lot of our students are starting out at the community colleges because they can’t afford to go to the state universities, so we don’t want to penalize them by having a higher tuition for them in their junior and senior years,” Branstad says.

I-S-U president Steven Leath unveiled the “two-tiered” tuition proposal last Wednesday during a speech on the Ames campus. Branstad first heard of the idea “over the weekend” after news reports outlined Leath’s idea. Branstad says the board that governs Iowa State needs to “carefully study” the proposal, to ensure I-S-U doesn’t price itself out of the market for community college transfers. “We already know that a lot of students are starting in the community colleges and I think one of the reasons for that is the cost,” Branstad says.

Eight years ago, half of Iowa State’s operating budget was financed by students through tuition payments and the other half was state taxpayer support. Leath says the state finances about 30 percent of Iowa State’s general operations now, and students’ tuition pays the other 70 percent. Branstad says he doesn’t know “what the right mix” should be in terms of state funding. “We need to make sure that’s it’s accessible to Iowa students and that it’s affordable and if you look at Iowa State University, they’ve been extremely successful,” Branstad says. “They now have a record enrollment of over 36,000 students and a growing share of Iowa students have chosen to go to Iowa State University.”

Iowa State’s challenge now is overcrowding, according to the governor. “But it also says something about the fact that Iowa students and their families see because they have programs like engineering and agriculture that are much in demand, they’re a leader in STEM education — those things have benefited Iowa State University,” Branstad says.

On a related topic, Branstad is praising members of the Board of Regents for saying they’ll start coming up with two-years worth of tuition recommendations at a time. Branstad says that will help students and their families better budget for the cost of going to Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

Sheriff’s officials in Sac County are investigating the shooting death of a Guthrie County woman. Sheriff Ken McClure says the shooting was reported at around 11:40-a.m. Sunday. It occurred at the intersection of Highways 175 and 71, east of Lake View. McClure says a male front seat passenger in a vehicle was handling a loaded 9-m.m. handgun, when it accidentally discharged, striking the unidentified 24-year old female driver of the vehicle.

The woman was transported to Loring Hospital in Sac City and then airlifted to a hospital in Des Moines, where she died from her injuries. The identities of those involved were being withheld pending completion of an investigation and autopsy results.

The Sac County Sheriff’s Office, Lake View Police and Lake View Ambulance, along with Lake View Fire, all responded to the scene.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An analysis of data from Iowa law enforcement agencies shows they seize cash, vehicles and other private property from at least 1,000 people a year without proof the property was acquired as a result of a crime or was being used to help people commit crimes.

The Des Moines Register reports  the seizures have increased markedly since the 1980s, when state and local governments reported fewer than two dozen such cases annually. The civil forfeiture laws have let helped the agencies pump millions of dollars into their budgets, mostly in uncontested cases.

Iowa County Attorneys Association guidelines say prosecutors are supposed to use forfeiture to deter future criminal activity. But critics of the practice say it has strayed beyond the original intent of the state’s forfeiture laws.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Friday of 19-year old Megan Riley Wilker, of Orient. Wilker was arrested in Clarke County, on a Union County warrant for failure to appear on the original charge of possession of a controlled substance – methamphetamine.  She was later released from the Union County Jail on $1,000 bond.

And, 29-year old Shane Christian Peacock, of Winterset, was arrested Sunday morning at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for failure to appear on child support matters.  Peacock was being held in the Union County Jail on $2,000 bond.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a search warrant executed last week at a residence in Walnut resulted in an arrest. Deputies searched a home at 708 Pacific Street Sept. 14th and located marijuana and methamphetamine consistent with the delivery and sales of a controlled substance. 39-year old Daniel Patrick Campbell, of Walnut, was subsequently arrested for Possession of Meth and Marijuana with the Intent to Deliver. He was transported to the Pottawattamie County Jail, where his bond was set at $50,000. A preliminary hearing in his case was set for Sept. 23rd.

SIDNEY, Iowa (AP) – A city official in southwest Iowa accused of falsifying drinking water quality tests for years has quit his post. The Sidney City Council last week approved Mark Travis’ resignation as city administrator. It is effective Sept. 30. He’d been placed on paid administrative leave in July.

Travis has pleaded not guilty to charges of felonious misconduct in office and falsifying required water quality information. Fremont County authorities say Travis falsified monthly operation reports given to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from 2009 to 2015. His trial is scheduled to begin Oct. 11.

(8-a.m. News)