Recent News

From left to right: Isaac Stensland ’27, Lincoln Stensland ’27, Brianna Wright ’27, Kaylee Kettler ’28, Jayden Riberdy ’30, Gavin Walters ‘28[

Central College Mock Trial Places First in Iowa Tournament

Central College's mock trial team finished first in its second competition of the season. Central beat out 25 other teams at Cornell College's "King of the Hill" invitational from October 24-25. Central mock trial defeated teams from Bellarmine Univer...

Oct 30, 2026, 12:33pm EDT

Kate Nesbit, associate professor of English, released a book, “Willful Listeners: Reading Aloud and the Politics of Attention from Austen to Audiobooks.”

Central College's Kate Nesbit Hosts Writers Reading of New Book: Willful Listeners

Kate Nesbit, Central College associate professor of English, will release her book, "Willful Listeners," on Monday, Nov. 2. The book is a cultural and literary history of domestic reading aloud. Subtitled as "reading aloud and the politics of attentio...

Oct 29, 2026, 1:11pm EDT

Central College will celebrate a season of gratitude in November with service projects doing a good in the world.

Central College's Season of Gratitude to Bring Service Work to Surrounding Community

Central College students, faculty and staff will be performing acts of service throughout campus and Pella for the college's Season of Gratitude. The Season of Gratitude is an annual tradition at Central, stretching from the end of October until early...

Oct 28, 2026, 3:05pm EDT

Central Students Win the University of Iowa Tippie International Case Competition

Central College students took home first place in this year's Tippie International Case Competition, competing against four other teams to win the top spot. The team had less than 48 hours to analyze a case provided by the host and prepare recommend...

Oct 26, 2026, 5:03pm EDT

Mat Kelly, Kenneth J. Weller Distinguished Professorship of Liberal Arts and professor of art, will display portions of his graphic novel, “Paracusia.”

Mat Kelly Book Exhibit at Central College's Mills Gallery

Central College welcomes the work of Mat Kelly, Kenneth J. Weller Distinguished Professorship of Liberal Arts and professor of art. He will be exhibiting a selection from the original illustrated pages of his graphic novel, "Paracusia." This exhibit wi...

Oct 22, 2026, 2:22pm EDT

Front Row, left to right: Donovan Klish ’28, Bailey Acton ’27, Andrew Mahaffey ’28, Jay Kimbrough ’27. Second Row, left to right: Addison Brown ’28, Allie Severe ’30, Kennedy Peterson ’29, Esther Harker ’29, Jose Leyva-Gramajo ’27, Piper Eighmy ’27, Brady Birkenholtz ’27, Rachel Mendlik ’28, Trace Hopkins ’30. Third Row, left to right: Grant Fletcher ’27, Olivia Phillips ’29, Cashen Thompson ’27, Xander Roerdink ’29, Cor Huyser ’28, Conner Hansen ’28, Teagen Peiffer ’28, Emerson Holle ’29. Not shown: Fynn Eighmy

Central College Students Elect Governance Leaders

Central College Student Senate announces the executive officers for the 2026-27 academic year: Bailey Acton of Winterset, Iowa, continues her role as senate leader. She is a member of the Class of 2027, majoring in biology. Jay Kimbrough of Chicago...

Oct 20, 2026, 10:37am EDT

2025 Kid Captains and Central football team walk onto the field.

Central College to Host Kid Captains on Grandparent Day

Central College will welcome five Pella area students as Kid Captains at the Grandparent Day football game 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24. Each of these students were chosen by their peers for showcasing sportsmanship and having the characteristics of a goo...

Oct 19, 2026, 4:03pm EDT

From left to right, Keilah Brewer, Cassie Elliott and Angelina Hemphill, Class of 2026, present their research at the 2026 ICA Conference (not pictured: Macy Beermann Harper, Class of 2026).

Central Graduates Present Research at Iowa Communication Association Conference

Central College graduates from the Class of 2026 presented award-winning research at the annual Iowa Communication Association Conference at Divine Word College, located in Epworth, Iowa, in September. Macy Beermann Harper, Keilah Brewer, Cassie Ellio...

Oct 15, 2026, 10:12am EDT

The latest Geisler-Penquite Scholars, from left, front row: Gabriel Gates, Peyton Madison, Paige Davis, Faith Roozeboom, Emily Blom, Madilyn Rowson, Grace Osthus. Second row, from left: Jacob Gudith, Taryn Ryan, Rachel Bowers, Emma Klosterman, Haydn Little, Andrew Mahaffey, Brianna VanGroll. Not pictured: Meleah Fesler.

Central College Announces Geisler-Penquite Scholarship Recipients

Central College announced 15 education students have been awarded Geisler-Penquite Scholarships in 2026. The scholarship and Geisler-Penquite Foundation were established by Harold and Mavis Hobbs Geisler, named honorary alumna in 2000, and Cecil Geisl...

Oct 12, 2026, 10:25am EDT

Central College Mathematics Professor Delivers Two Publications

Russ Goodman, professor of mathematics, has produced two recent publications on the pedagogy of mathematics and data science. The mathematics and data science journal "Scatterplot" recently featured an article by Goodman about exit polling for the 202...

Oct 9, 2026, 11:44am EDT

About Central College

Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private college known for its active student body, academic rigor and athletics success. Ranked the No. 2 Best Value College in Iowa by Niche.com, Central offers a learning environment with supportive educators committed to intellectual engagement, personal growth, career readiness and civic involvement. Founded in 1853 and shaped by its Christian heritage, the college of 1,100 students participates in NCAA Division III athletics. Central is an active part of the Greater Des Moines region and just minutes from Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake.