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Central College

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Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private college known for its active student body, academic rigor and athletics success. Our students learn collaboratively with supportive educators who share a commitment 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 and is a member of the American Rivers Conference. Central is an active part of the Greater Des Moines region and just minutes from Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake.

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Central College of Pella, Iowa, is a private college known for its active student body, academic rigor and athletics success. Our students learn collaboratively with supportive educators who share a commitment 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 and is a member of the American Rivers Conference. Central is an active part of the Greater Des Moines region and just minutes from Lake Red Rock, Iowa’s largest lake.

student Stories

See and share stories about what Central College students are achieving

student Profiles

Discover and explore profiles of Central College students

Newsroom

News and announcements from Central College

Service-Learning Project

A pillar of a Central College education is community service and civic engagement. In Spring 2025, 44 Central students are participating in a service-learning opportunity to build civic engagement.
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Community Service - Apr 9

Service-Learning Project

Pillars of a Central College education are community service and civic engagement. In Fall 2024, Central students participate in a community-engaged learning opportunity to build civic engagement.
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Community Service - 2024 Oct 14

Service-Learning Project

A pillar of a Central College education is community service and civic engagement. In Spring 2024, 115 Central students are participating in a service-learning opportunity to build civic engagement.
Central College’s logo
Community Service - 2024 Feb 28

Student Ambassadors Recruiting Students

Central College student ambassadors visited their hometown high schools to share the Central experience.
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Community Service - 2023 Dec 19

Central Students Participate in Service-Learning for Spring Semester

95 Central College students engage in service-learning experiences during the Spring 2020 semester.
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Community Service - 2023 Feb 28

Findley School Care Packages

Central College mathematics course 116 members organized a campus visit and pen pal program with students in Findley Elemenatry School in Des Moines. The course concluded with packing more than 50 care packages for each student. The course is taught by Russell Goodman, professor of mathematics.
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Community Service - 2023 Jan 7

Central Students in Angling Course Help Provide Habitat for Fish

19 Central College students in Introduction to Angling, an exercise science course, helped place 300 trees attached to cinder blocks on the ice at Roberts Creek. When the ice melts, the structure will provide sustainable habitat for fish in Lake Red Rock. The project was done in cooperation with the Marion County Conservation. It was part of the global sustainability portion of the course, which introduces the basic skills, theory and equipment necessary to begin the development of lifelong angling skills.
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Community Service - 2021 Mar 2

Central College Students Help Plant Prairie

Central College students in the Fall 2022 Conservation Biology and Ecology of Iowa class took part in the seeding of a new prairie around Lake Red Rock dam.
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Community Service - 2023 Feb 27

Central Students in Angling Course Help Provide Habitat for Fish

21 Central College students in Introduction to Angling, an exercise science course, helped place 175 trees attached to cinder blocks on the ice at Roberts Creek. When the ice melts, the structure will provide sustainable habitat for fish in Lake Red Rock. The project was done in cooperation with the Marion County Parks officers. It was part of the global sustainability portion of the course, which introduces the basic skills, theory and equipment necessary to begin the development of lifelong angling skills.
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Community Service - 2020 Feb 25

Students Participate in Laps of Love

Sometimes, all it takes is a tie blanket and a visit from college students to brighten the lives of local nursing home residents. Students in Laps of Love create hand-tied blankets for local seniors.
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Community Service - 2017 Apr 4

Fulton student serves during college break

Central College student Trevor Huizenga spent his winter break doing community service in Illinois and Missouri.
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Community Service - 2016 Jan 13

Rachel Frana helps Des Moines food pantries expand

Environmental studies major Rachel Frana '15 is using GIS mapping technology to help food pantries identify underserved areas of Des Moines.
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Community Service - 2014 Nov 13

Local Students Volunteer for Superstorm Sandy Clean-Up In New York

The following local students from Central College volunteered for Superstorm Sandy clean-up in New York:
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Community Service - 2013 Jan 31

Local Students Volunteered In Texas During Winter Break

The following local students volunteered on a mission trip in McAllen, Texas, during winter break at Central College:
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Community Service - 2013 Jan 22

Local students serve areas in New York affected by Hurricane Irene

During their fall break, 18 students from Central College in Pella, Iowa, traveled to Esperance and Schoharie in New York to help clean up some of the destruction caused by Hurricane Irene in August. These students included:
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Community Service - 2011 Nov 9
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