North Iowa Area Community College
Coordinates: 43°09′25″N 93°07′55″W / 43.157°N 93.132°W The North Iowa Area Community College (commonly known as NIACC) is a community college in Mason City, Iowa.
NIACC began as Mason City Junior College in 1918, becoming the first public two-year college in Iowa and one of the first such institutions in the country. The first year there were 28 students, six instructors, and five fields of study under Principal James Rae. Tuition was free to Mason City residents and $10 for non-residents. The College was on the top floor of the high school until the 1950s when it moved to the Memorial University Building. In 1960, the college moved into the former Roosevelt High School Building.(? needs clarification)
In 1965, Iowa’s 61st General Assembly enacted legislation creating a statewide system of two-year post-secondary educational institutions, identified as Merged Area Schools. Mason City Junior College then transformed into North Iowa Area Community College (Merged Area II). Enrollment exceeded 1700 full-time students and in 1970 the College moved to its current campus on the east edge of Mason City.
NIACC is a progressive, comprehensive learning institution positioned to serve as the major cultural, educational, and economic development force for the North Iowa region. In 2018, the College will celebrate its 100th anniversary. The College began in 1918 as Mason City Junior College, the first public two-year college in Iowa, and became North Iowa Area Community College in 1966. The College sits on a 500-acre countryside campus that consists of modern facilities including the Student Activity Center, Recreation Center, Muse-Norris Conference Center and Murphy Manufacturing Technology Center, as well as lakeside student apartments. New student housing for approximately 400 students is under construction and will be open in the fall 2014. The College also operates Community Education Centers in Charles City, Garner, Hampton, Lake Mills and Osage. With a staff of approximately 300, the College currently offers nearly 40 one- and two-year career programs, the first two years toward a bachelor's degree in most fields and an array of continuing education opportunities for professional and personal growth.
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