Kirkwood Community College is committed to a well-rounded education for the widest variety of learners. Its spirit was captured by Bud Jensen on April 25, 1967 when he gave his now- famous “Hands of the Bricklayer” speech to the Iowa Legislature in support of comprehensive community colleges: “These are the hands of a bricklayer. They are calloused and hard but they have given both me and my family an excellent living. Would you deny these hands or the hands of my children and other children throughout the state the right or opportunity to read a good book? To caress a book of poetry or to learn something about higher math?”
Kirkwood’s goal is to provide a foundational learning experience that prepares flexible, adaptable learners capable of integrating and translating knowledge from one aspect of life to another. Students will develop general and specific skills for the workplace, cultivate a rich inner life, and participate more effectively as citizens in their community, the country, and the world.
Graduates will examine complex questions and problems and integrate resources, theories, and practical approaches to make decisions and propose solutions.
Graduates will demonstrate skills necessary to engage with their communities.
Graduates will be able to work constructively as part of a team to achieve a common goal.
Graduates will demonstrate effective communication.
Graduates will be able to engage with people and ideas different from their own.
Graduates will demonstrate the process necessary to make ethical choices.
Graduates will be able to find, organize, evaluate and use information.
Graduates will be able to apply quantitative reasoning to analyze and interpret problems and scenarios.