Iowa official register

439 

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS 

 

CLARKE COLLEGE 

Joanne M. Burrows, SC, Ph.D., president; Dubuque 52001-3198; [phone]; 

www.clarke.edu 

Clarke College is a Catholic, liberal arts and sciences college known for superb academics and 

teaching. The college was founded in 1843 by Mary Frances Clarke, foundress of the Sisters of 

Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) and it is the only BVM college in the country. The 

college’s total enrollment is approximately 1,150. 

A student-faculty ratio of 11:1 guarantees personal attention from faculty who challenge stu-

dents to achieve. Clarke educates students across the adult age spectrum with over 40 undergradu-

ate liberal arts and preprofessional programs, master’s degrees in business, education, and nurs-

ing, and the doctor of physical therapy degree.  For over 23 years, Clarke has also been a leader in 

adult undergraduate education through the TimeSaver Adult Degree Program, an evening pro-

gram designed for working adults. 

Located near the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Clarke’s 55-acre campus is a blend of historic 

buildings and new, state-of-the-art facilities. Clarke College, building on the history and tradition 

of the BVMs, is a distinguished, student-centered college recognized throughout the United States 

for graduating students prepared academically, morally, and spiritually to become leaders in a 

rapidly changing workplace and an evolving, diverse society. 

Clarke College is consistently recognized for excellence in education. Clarke is listed in the 

“Colleges of Distinction” guidebook, recognizing the college for strength in what the book calls 

the four pillars of a solid undergraduate education: engaged students, great teaching, vibrant com-

munities, and successful outcomes. Clarke was also named a “Best Midwestern College” by The 

Princeton Review. 

Athletically, the Clarke Crusaders compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Ath-

letics (NAIA) and the college is a member of the Midwest Collegiate Conference.  Intercollegiate 

teams include men’s and women’s basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, track and field, 

and volleyball, as well as men’s baseball and women’s softball.  Clarke also offers a spirit team 

(cheer and dance) and a wide variety of intramural sports. 

Clarke is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central 

Association of Colleges and Schools, the National Association of Schools of Music, the National 

League for Nursing, the Council on Social Work Education, the American Association of Col-

leges for Teacher Education, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, the American 

Physical Therapy Association, and the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education 

Programs in association with the Joint Review Committee on Athletic Training.

 

COE COLLEGE 

James Phifer, president; Cedar Rapids 52402; [phone]; 

www.coe.edu 

Coe College is a selective, private, nationally recognized four-year coeducational liberal arts 

institution that has provided a superior education for students in a residential setting since 1851.  

Coe is one of the finest liberal arts colleges in the United States and is featured in college guide-

books such as The Princeton Review’s 368 Best Colleges and Peterson’s Guide to Selective Col-

leges.  Barron’s 300 Best Buys in College Education ranks Coe as “Very Competitive.”  

The key to Coe’s tradition of excellence in academic quality relates directly to small class sizes 

and the interest shown by professors to make learning a personalized experience.  At Coe, 91 

percent of professors have the highest degrees in their fields, the average class size is 16, and the 

student-faculty ratio is 11:1.  Coe College is also a charter member of the distinguished Associ-

ated Colleges of the Midwest. 

Coe is recognized as one of the most selective colleges in Iowa in terms of selectivity for ad-

mission, based on average ACT scores, percent of students in the top 10 percent of their graduat-

ing class, and percent of students in the top 50 percent of their graduating class. Coe is also one of 

only five private colleges in Iowa with a Phi Beta Kappa chapter. 

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IOWA OFFICIAL REGISTER 

 

Along with quality instruction from superb faculty, Coe offers an abundance of out-of-class 

opportunities to provide students with a well-rounded experience and solid preparation for the 

future.  Within six months of graduation, 98 percent of Coe graduates are working or in graduate 

school.   

The attractive Coe campus, located near the center of Cedar Rapids, has doubled in size in re-

cent years with the addition of new apartment-style residential facilities.  The campus features an 

expanded Stewart Memorial Library, a well-equipped science facility, and a modern fine arts 

center.  New and renovated classroom space and faculty offices were created with the remodeling 

of Coe’s oldest building, Stuart Hall.  The result is a highly functional academic environment to 

serve students. 

More than 90 percent of Coe students participate in cocurricular activities.  Fine arts programs 

provide a cornerstone of activity at Coe, with a wide variety of music, art, and theatre opportuni-

ties.  Whether it is a musical group or a theatrical production, majors and nonmajors alike are 

encouraged to participate.  Coe students actively support more than 60 student clubs and organi-

zations. 

Coe College is a member of the Iowa Conference, one of the most active and competitive con-

ferences in NCAA Division III, providing excellent opportunities for participation of student-

athletes. 

 

CORNELL COLLEGE 

Leslie H. Garner, Jr., Ph.D., president; Mount Vernon 52314-1098; [phone]; 

www.cornellcollege.edu 

As a nationally acclaimed four-year, private liberal arts college, Cornell College’s distinctive 

One Course At A Time (OCAAT) academic calendar provides extraordinary opportunities in the 

classroom, on campus, and around the world. 

Located on a wooded hilltop in Mount Vernon, Cornell has been grounded in the liberal arts 

since 1853.  Its active and diverse residential community consists of approximately 1,150 students 

from almost all 50 states and dozens of different countries. 

Cornell’s is one of only two campuses in the country listed entirely on the National Register of 

Historic Places.  Cole Library is also the Mount Vernon Public Library, making it one of only two 

such libraries in the country.  Cornell was the first college west of the Mississippi to grant women 

the same rights and privileges as men and the first college in Iowa to confer a baccalaureate de-

gree on a woman (in 1858). 

Cornell’s academic program is built around OCAAT, also called the block plan.  Instead of 

taking multiple courses simultaneously, students immerse themselves in one subject for 3.5 

weeks.  There are nine blocks, or terms, in an academic year.  Average class size is just 16 and 

faculty members only teach one course per block.  Students choose from more than 40 majors and 

one-of-a-kind preprofessional programs, including Dimensions for premedical and health profes-

sionals; the Berry Center for Economics, Business and Public Policy studies; prelaw; and more. 

Cornell is one of only 270 colleges with an active chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the oldest and most 

select honorary society in the United States. 

OCAAT’s flexibility allows students to engage in courses, high-profile internships, and pro-

grams involving out-of-state or overseas travel for a week or even a month without worrying 

about missing other classes.  Many students study overseas in two or three locations and still 

graduate in four years.  Almost all students live on campus and more than half are involved in the 

performing arts, two-thirds in service projects, and about one-third in athletics.  

Typically, more than 95 percent of Cornell graduates complete their degree requirements in 

four years or less; the majority finish with a major and a minor, if not a double major.  Two-thirds 

of Cornell graduates pursue graduate school in medicine, law, business, or education. 

Cornell competes in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Conference and ranks 10th in the nation 

among Division III schools with 25 NCAA Postgraduate Scholars, a scholarship for academic and 

athletic achievement.  There are 19 Division III varsity sports. 

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