In light of the state of public health disaster emergency declaration by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, NIACC has decided to close the main campus and all NIACC centers to the general public, according to a press release. A limited number of staff will continue to work on campus to maintain business and educational continuity but the majority of staff and faculty will begin working at home effective March 23.

The current plan, which is subject to change, includes:

• Beginning Monday, all face-to-face classes, including labs and hands-on courses, will be suspended until April 13. However, to the extent possible, those classes will be moved online to allow students to be able to complete their current classes. Instructors will be reaching out to current students with more information.

• Classes that have moved online, will remain online until at least April 13.

• Continuing education classes are suspended until April 13.

• All college buildings and locations will close their doors at 4 p.m. Friday to everyone except for those identified employees needed on-campus to perform specific in-person tasks required to maintain business and educational continuity, and the safety of the campus from March 20 through April 13.

• All events, including performing arts events, scheduled to be held at NIACC are canceled until further notice.

• The Pappajohn Center will continue to serve as a resource for local businesses, however all contacts will occur online. Updates will be posted on their website and Facebook page.
Although the majority of NIACC’s faculty and staff will not be on campus, they will be available to students, prospective students, businesses and the wide variety of people who rely on NIACC for education and services. Phone lines have been rerouted, and staff are available via the phone, email and Zoom calls. 

Students will have full access to their instructors via telephone and email, as well as through their online class software. All offices, such as advising, financial aid and the business office will be reachable via telephone and email.

The admissions office will hold virtual office hours and virtual campus tours for prospective students.

The health and safety of NIACC staff, faculty, students and the communities of North Iowa is an absolute priority, the release stated, and wanted to emphasize there are no identified cases of COVID-19 at NIACC. The measures are being put into place to protect the health and safety of students, staff and faculty, according to the release. Ongoing updates will be posted online www.niacc.edu/coronavirus. Questions from the public can be directed to covid@niacc.edu.