Community of Colleges Week Welcomes Students to the Greater Dubuque Region

At Greater Dubuque Development Corporation’s request, Mayor Brad Cavanagh read and signed a proclamation during the Monday, July 20, 2026, Dubuque City Council meeting designating August 3–7, 2026, as Community of Colleges Week. The week recognizes the collective impact of the 10 colleges and universities serving the Greater Dubuque region.

Celebrated alongside Dubuque College Visit Week, Community of Colleges Week highlights the important role our higher education institutions—and their students, faculty, and staff—play in strengthening the region’s workforce, economy, neighborhoods, and quality of life.

Throughout the week, Greater Dubuque Development has encouraged the community to help welcome students and their families as they visit campuses and prepare for the new academic year. Welcome messages are being shared across Greater Dubuque Development’s social media channels and on a billboard at the intersection of University Avenue and Asbury Road.

The annual proclamation and welcome campaign are part of Greater Dubuque Development’s broader YOU can be great here Community of Colleges initiative, designed to help students connect with the community, experience what the Greater Dubuque region has to offer, and see it as a place where they can build their careers and futures after graduation.

This fall, that work continues with the 2026–2027 YOU can be great here Community of Colleges event series, beginning with the Community of Colleges Kickoff: Celebrating Our Worldwide Connections on September 17, 2026, at the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium.

For more on our YOU can be great here Community of Colleges initiative, contact Mandi Dolson, Director of Workforce Solutions, at mandid@greaterdubuque.org or 563-557-9049.

Pictured in the above photo from left: Julie Cirks (Vice President for Enrollment Management, Clarke University); Art Sunleaf (Senior Vice President, Loras College); Amy Lasack (Vice President of Business and Community Solutions, Northeast Iowa Community College); Tom Hogan (Vice President for University Relations, University of Dubuque); Melanie Platt-Gibson (External Relations and Communications Director, University of Wisconsin-Platteville); Mayor Brad Cavanagh (Mayor, City of Dubuque); Nic Hockenberry (Director of Regional Development, Greater Dubuque Development); Jason White (President & CEO, Greater Dubuque Development); Rev. Thomas Ascheman, SVD, Ph.D. (President, Divine Word College); Dr. Jeremy Pickard (President, Southwest Wisconsin Technical College); Rev. Robin Luckey (Director of Community Life and Candidacy, Wartburg Theological Seminary); and Zachary Rigdon (Director of Graduate & Adult Admissions, Clarke University).