PROGRESS: College Center offers affordable, quality post secondary education

The College Center in South Sioux City was formed by Northeast Community College and Wayne State College (WSC) in 2011.  

Both colleges own the building on a 50/50 basis.  Classes are offered by Northeast and Wayne State faculty at the College Center, making it convenient for students.  Both colleges have succeeded in providing a seamless educational path toward bachelor degrees in four programs of study including elementary education, criminal justice, business administration and human service counseling. 

The newest program, human service counseling, was added due to demand for graduates in this field and career opportunities that await graduates from Northeast and Wayne State.  The first 60 credit hours, taught by Northeast faculty, cover the general education requirements for an associate of arts degree as well as content courses that count as pre-requisites for Wayne State’s upper level classes.  The second 60 credit hours, taught by Wayne State faculty, include upper-level courses in human service counseling to complete the requirements for a bachelor of science degree. 

The Wayne State credit hours include a comprehensive internship in the field of human service counseling.  Twenty-one WSC students, including four students from the College Center location who will graduate in May, will complete their internship at an agency or other human service counseling facility in Siouxland. 

They will intern for a total of 400 hours this summer.   The students will also receive assistance with their resume and cover letters and other tools and tips for a successful career search.  This comprehensive internship ensures that the students have strong applications to go with the knowledge base obtained through coursework.

Wayne State’s human service counseling program is accredited by a national organization, Council for Standards in Human Service Education (CSHSE).   Katherine Murphy, a local human service counseling professional, is a Wayne State faculty member and works primarily at the College Center.  Her ties to the Siouxland human service counseling community are extremely helpful to students as they investigate internship possibilities and career options.

Students such as Alysha Maxfield and Rachelle Polkinghorn were drawn to the field because of their desire to help others.  Alysha likes the idea of helping others achieve happiness and feel better about themselves. 

Some of the fields that she is considering include children and adolescent care in the areas of substance abuse or behavioral issues as well as school counseling.

Polkinghorn started at several other local colleges, studying psychology.  She saw a correlation between human service counseling and assisting people who are struggling.  She would like to help people, especially the elderly who would want to live out their lives with dignity and independence.

Both Maxfield and Polkinghorn live in Iowa but found the affordability of attending Northeast and Wayne State at the College Center in South Sioux City to be a big draw in continuing their college education. 

With the lowest cost for higher education in the region, the College Center allows students to stay at home and take care of their other responsibilities while acquiring a quality college education - an education that will lead to a great career in Siouxland.