Mission & History

What is now known as Indian Hills Community College (IHCC) was established as Merged Area XV by the Iowa Board of Public Instruction on June 3, 1966. The college began operations on July 1, 1966, at the Ottumwa Regional Airport under the governance of a nine-member board of trustees. Then known as Iowa Tech-Area XV Community College, the college conducted technical programs that included those formerly operated by the Ottumwa Community School District. The newly-renovated North Campus (formerly known as the “Airport Campus”) is where the college’s Aviation Maintenance Technology, Aviation Pilot Training, Welding Technology, Commercial Driver Training, Automotive Collision Technology, and Diesel Technology programs are taught. The campus covers 215 acres and is located seven miles northwest of Ottumwa.

On July 1, 1968, the Merged Area Board assumed responsibilities for operations of Centerville Junior College, which had been established by the Centerville Community School Board in 1930.

The Centerville Campus was completed in 1970 on a 72-acre site in the northwest part of the community. Offerings include Arts and Sciences courses and several Advanced Technology programs, including Construction Technology and Sustainable Agriculture & Entrepreneurship, and the Health Sciences: Practical Nursing program is also available at the Centerville Campus.

Merged Area XV Community College adopted the name “Indian Hills Community College” in 1970. Dr. Mel Everingham, who was named president of Merged Area XV Community College two years before, stayed on as the first president of Indian Hills Community College. A historical pavilion, containing photographs and other memorabilia and named for Dr. Everingham, was added in the Advanced Technology Center in 2004.

Dr. Lyle Hellyer became the college’s president in 1973 and would remain in that position until his retirement in 2001. Dr. Jim Lindenmayer became the college’s third president following Dr. Hellyer’s retirement. In 2013, Dr. Marlene Sprouse became the fourth president of Indian Hills Community College.

The boards of Indian Hills Community College and Ottumwa Heights College merged operations on July 1, 1979. Ottumwa Heights was a private college operated by the Sisters of Humility of Mary. Its roots can be traced back to the 1860s, when the Visitation Academy was established in Ottumwa. The St. Joseph Academy was founded in 1925, and its name was changed to Ottumwa Heights College five years later.

The Ottumwa Heights College campus was situated on 126 acres and was purchased by the Indian Hills Community College Board of Trustees in 1981, becoming the IHCC Ottumwa Campus. The original building is used for administrative offices, the library, an art gallery, an auditorium, dormitory space, and arts and sciences and some technical education classes. The library and art gallery were completed in the former chapel in 1984.

A number of facilities have since been constructed on the Ottumwa Campus, which now serves as the college's main campus. The Hellyer Student Life Center and Efner Academic Hall opened in October of 1985, the first of the new buildings added to the former Ottumwa Heights facilities. The Hellyer Center provides excellent recreational facilities for Indian Hills and the Ottumwa community.

The Advanced Technology Center was completed in the fall of 1990. The 125,000-square-foot building houses the college’s many technical programs.

A new dormitory, Trustee Hall, opened in the summer of 1992. The Early Childhood Development and Day Care Center was completed two years later to provide quality child care services. The building is also a teaching site for students enrolled in the Indian Hills Community College child development programs.

As the college continued to expand, a Video Conferencing and Training Center opened in 1996. It provides interactive fiber-optic connectivity to all points on the Iowa Communications Network (ICN), government agencies in Kansas City and Washington, D.C., and to Indian Hills’ eight county service centers. The building was renamed the Rosenman Video Conference Training Center, for Indian Hills Community College benefactors Eli and Bea Rosenman, in 2005.

The Tom Arnold Net Center, built in 1997, is the home of the Indian Hills volleyball team and provides year-round recreation to residents of Ottumwa and the surrounding area.

In the winter of 2002, Indian Hills began a project to update and renovate the Keokuk/Mahaska, Wapello, and Appanoose residence halls. The reconstruction project was completed in 2004. IHCC students now have a variety of on-campus housing options ranging from a one-person room to a three-, four-, or five-person suite. The other residence halls on campus, Oak Hall and Trustee Hall, offer a more traditional atmosphere with two students per room. A new residence hall opened in 2000 on the IHCC Centerville Campus, giving that campus its first on-campus student housing unit.

The Bennett Student Services Center was renovated in 2001. The building, which was constructed as the Economic Development Center and later became the Bennett Regional Training Center, provides a kind of “one-stop shopping” experience for Indian Hills students. Offices for admissions and recruiting, academic advising and counseling services, student services, the Registrar, veterans services, financial aid, and the college bookstore are all located under one roof at the Bennett Center.

The Rural Health Education Center opened in May of 2007 on the Ottumwa Campus as a classroom and laboratory building for the college’s health programs as well as a conference and meeting facility for area health care organizations.

Indian Hills Community College has grown to meet the changing needs of the residents in the 10-county area the college serves. The college staff members, administration, and board of trustees are committed to providing high quality educational opportunities through the Indian Hills programs and facilities.

In 2025, Indian Hills Community College built the Irma W. Winslow Education Center. The 66,000 square foot facility replaced 13 modular-based buildings that were built on the campus in 1971. The Center includes expanded spaces for the Construction Technology, Agricultural Sciences, and Industrial Maintenance programs. It also features new spaces for the addition of Welding Technology, Commercial Driver Training, and Nursing programs, enhancing the college’s ability to serve the educational and career needs of the region.

The Irma W. Winslow Education Center is named in memory of Irma Wille Winslow, a devoted lifelong learner whose passion for education continues to inspire many. Born in 1913, Mrs. Winslow overcame early educational limitations to earn her G.E.D. and later enrolled at Indian Hills Community College, where she earned an Associate of Arts Degree in 1982 at the age of 69. Irma went on to achieve two Bachelor’s degrees from Iowa State University, proving that it is never too late to pursue your dreams. She remained an active student until the age of 91, often being the oldest student on campus. In gratitude for the opportunities provided by Indian Hills, she funded a scholarship for adult students seeking a new career after farming.

The new library within the Education Center will be named in honor of Janet F. Winslow. Mrs. Winslow was the Coordinator of Continuing Education at the Centerville campus from 1976 to 1986, a dedicated member of the Indian Hills Foundation Board, and a recipient of the Dr. Jim Lindenmayer Award for Exceptional Leadership in 2015, along with her husband, Roger Winslow. The Winslow Family Foundation’s generous contribution made this project possible, reflecting the family’s deep commitment to education and community service.

Indian Hills extends a special thank you to the many voters who supported the 2021 Bond Referendum and the private donors who invested in the project.