Ivy Tech Community College tops Phase One goal for capital campaign

Ivy Tech Community College in Sellersburg has reached its Phase 1 Campus Expansion Capital Campaign goal of $2 million in a mere five months --- 11 months sooner than the college planned.

The capital campaign launched in September 2009 to raise funds to support enhancements to the campus as the college builds a new 82,000 squire foot building and renovates the existing campus building. The campaign kicked off with a $1 million donation from the Paul Ogle Foundation. While the state of Indiana is paying for the costs of the construction for the new building and some renovation, the Southern Indiana campus is responsible for technology, computers, furniture, fixtures, equipment, landscaping, and additional parking, as well as key elements of a green campus initiative. This initiative includes energy efficiency, water drainage, green space, and a focus on indigenous plants while creating a more collegiate environment on campus.

The gifts will help pay for significant technology improvements to include interactive laptops, lab simulators, video and podcasting technology. Some classes will have access to 3-D hologram projection technology that will serve as a tremendous resource for design technology, medical, and graphic design courses. Also, the gifts will allow Ivy Tech Southern Indiana to acquire and install two-way video technology in both the auditorium and community center of the new building.

“The outpouring of support is extremely gratifying,” said Ned Pfau, Co-Chair of the Ivy Tech Capital Campaign Committee. “We’re very happy with the gifts we have received and feel that it speaks to the quality of programs offered at Ivy Tech and the great need in the area for affordable, quality education. Ivy Tech is laying the foundation for the workforce of the future.”

Ivy Tech originally established a 16-month campaign with a Phase 1 goal of $2 million dollars, followed by Phase 2 with another $2 million dollar goal, according to Dr. Rita Hudson Shourds, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Southern Indiana. “We’ve made so much progress in such a short period of time,” Shourds said. “People have rallied to our cause because of the great work done by our faculty and staff and their commitment to our students. We have $2.2 million committed to our campaign because people truly believe our campus changes lives.”

The new building project will help the campus accommodate an ever-growing student body. This spring, the campus passed 5,000 students for the first time. Enrollment stands at 5,371 students, a 16.6 percent increase from Spring 2009, when 4,607 students were enrolled.

For more information about Ivy Tech’s new building project, see Ivy Tech’s web site, www.ivytech.edu/sellersburg, where you can find a fly-over video of the new campus design and a video news story created by Ivy Tech that celebrates reaching the Phase 1 Capital Campaign goal.

About Ivy Tech
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.

For further information, contact:

Robyn Davis Sekula, media consultant to Ivy Tech, (812) 981-8223 (office), robynsekula@sbcglobal.net