Ivy Tech Community College to Pursue Anderson Campus

ANDERSON, IN - Ivy Tech Community College has identified a parcel of land adjacent to Interstate 69 in Anderson as the location for a new college campus.  The 40 acre tract is located on the North side of I-69 just West of Exit 26.  Ivy Tech is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually.  Anderson is located in Ivy Tech’s East Central Region, which has experienced a 23 percent increase in enrollment in the past five years; the current Anderson campus has enrollment of 2600 students, an increase of 15 percent from last fall.

Ivy Tech hopes to build a 85,000 square foot building on the selected parcel of land, which will better accommodate its current student body and have room to grow into future projections.  Anderson Mayor Kris Ockomon said, “Anderson’s Ivy Tech campus has grown so consistently that it has actually outgrown its existing campus as well as the additional space that has been secured for overflow classroom space.  The new interstate location will draw even more students to Ivy Tech in Anderson, and Ivy Tech will be ready for them with a convenient location, ample classroom space, and a curriculum designed for emerging workforce needs.” 

 

Ivy Tech’s East Central Region offers 38 associates degrees and technical certificates in more than 80 specialties in six schools: Business, Health Sciences, Public & Social Services, Education, Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences. 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.  Ivy Tech is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association.  Ivy Tech has a direct impact of over $705 million in Indiana and provides over 9,900 jobs and $296.4 million in total salary and wages.

 

The selected site of the new Ivy Tech Anderson campus is owned by Paddy Jamerson.  Jamerson has agreed to sell 40 acres to the Anderson Redevelopment Commission (ARC) at a cost well below market rate, to be paid over a five year period.  The ARC would, in turn, donate the land to Ivy Tech to meet the statewide policy of a community investment in new campuses.  The cost of the land would be paid through TIF funds.  Ivy Tech Chancellor Gail Chesterfield praised the community effort that led to the agreement, saying, “The beneficiaries of this potential donation will be the citizens of Anderson and Madison County.  We are pleased that the City of Anderson and the Anderson Redevelopment Commission are working with us to help address our need to accommodate our ever increasing student population with educational programs that will help educate and train a workforce for 21st century skills.” 

 

Ivy Tech’s new Anderson campus would create $20 million in new investment, and provide Anderson and Madison County will an ongoing pool of educated and skilled workers for new and developing jobs. Full-time enrollment at the Anderson campus has increased 152 percent from 2005-2007 and is projected to grow to 3,400 by 2013. Ninety percent of its students currently have strong roots in the community and plan to continue to work and live in Madison County.

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