ICAN Expands to Waterloo, Opens Student Success Center

UNI partnership will expand career and college access for area students

WATERLOO, IOWA – (October 14, 2013) – The Iowa College Access Network (ICAN), a nonprofit organization that provides college and career readiness programs and financial literacy planning to Iowa students from middle school through college, has partnered with the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) to open a new Student Success Center at the UNI Center for Urban Education (UNI-CUE) in downtown Waterloo. ICAN’s mission is to empower Iowans to achieve their educational and career goals through statewide comprehensive outreach, initiatives and partnerships with schools, groups and businesses.

“The Northeast Iowa Student Success Center is an important step in our goal of providing true statewide service to Iowa families,” said Rob Miller, executive director of ICAN. “This Student Success Center will provide “local” services across a 13-county radius encompassing 46 high schools and approximately 16,000 students. We are proud of the partnership we have created with the University of Northern Iowa and hope to increase the awareness of college access needs in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area and across the Cedar Valley, so more students are able to reach their full potential, achieve a college degree and attain a fulfilling career.”

The presence of ICAN within the Cedar Valley has been made possible through the donation of space at UNI’s Center for Urban Education. Robert Smith, Jr., UNI-CUE Executive Director, is excited about the ICAN/UNI-CUE partnership.  "We welcome this partnership.  It is a great opportunity to better serve the Cedar Valley Community by providing individuals of all ages additional resources to help them succeed in middle school, high school, and college/university."

In the 2012-2013 academic year, ICAN assisted more than 450,000 students and parents statewide. By having this new ICAN Student Success Center in Waterloo, ICAN and UNI-CUE hope to assist even more individuals find a path to their future.  

ICAN provides its services onsite at 99 percent of the state’s high schools. To bring this programming directly to students, parents, and schools statewide, ICAN works with a variety of business and industry partners, colleges and universities, and financial institutions to enable print, digital, and in-person services to be delivered.

“We utilize the services of ICAN because they are so comprehensive and really do supplement the services we provide to our students. Having these quality services available at our fingertips is amazing and such an asset to our East High neighborhood,” said Amy Denholm, counselor at East High School in Waterloo. “A familiar location and easier access for our students/families will undoubtedly assist our students in completing one of the most daunting tasks of the transition between high school and post-secondary education: financial aid”

The new ICAN location is now offering one-on-one high school, college planning and financial aid appointments. All ICAN services are provided at no cost to students, parents, or participating schools. 

“We are very excited to have an ICAN regional office in Waterloo. ICAN provides valuable resources to our students, parents and school counselors for college and career planning, as well as facilitating our financial aid night. In addition, the ICAN website is one of the most worthwhile and relevant resources for school counselors to help give students the tools they need,” said Susan Langan, counselor at Cedar Falls High School. “ICAN provides financial expertise to help navigate through the sometimes complicated financial aid process. We love ICAN and appreciate their reliable assistance for our students and parents and the Waterloo office will be even more beneficial.”

The ICAN Northeast Iowa Student Success Center is located at 800 Sycamore Street (within UNI-CUE). For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (877) 272-4692 or visit www.ICANsucceed.org/waterloo.

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About ICAN

The Iowa College Access Network is a nonprofit, educational organization. ICAN is the College Access Network for Iowa, and a member of the National College Access Network (NCAN). ICAN has eight locations in Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Des Moines, Orange City, Ottumwa, Sioux City and Waterloo, which provide information and support to students and their families as they plan their postsecondary education and apply for financial aid. All ICAN programs and services are provided without charge. For more information about ICAN, call (877) 272-4692 or visit www.ICANsucceed.org.