21st Century Foundation Gives Ivy Tech $250,000 For Campus Land

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By Teresa [email protected]

Ivy Tech Community College's dream of creating a campus of its own came $250,000 closer to reality Thursday when a check in that amount was presented by Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation.

Foundation Board President Rich Haddad said these funds, which go toward the college's capital campaign, will serve as a permanent way to improve the lives of local citizens.

The Foundation has presented three separate grants in the past totaling more than $300,000. The money has been used to establish a science education center and a medical assisting program and lab.[[In-content Ad]]"Our mission is to benefit the community, to not only to respond to health and wellness needs, but to help advance health and wellness in Kosciusko County," Haddad said. "We see education in the health industry as a major solution to ensuring and advancing healthcare. By taking this step of investing in a permanent campus, we believe this benefits the long-term future of health."

Haddad said the 21st Century board noted that 96 percent of Ivy Tech graduates stay in their community.

Warsaw campus Executive Dean Randy Maxson said the investment was exciting and humbling.

"We do very much take seriously the trust you have in us," he said. "Your encouragement means we're closer to creating a permanent campus."

Ivy Tech has been a community member since the late 1970s, offering classes in borrowed or leased space. The lease for the current main facility at 3755 Lake City Highway ends in 2012. The college recently began a capital campaign for a new, permanent campus in Warsaw.

Programs at the Lake City Highway and those at the Ivy Tech Orthopedic and Manufacturing Center, which opened in October 2006 at 890 Executive Drive, will move to the new facility.

Since the development of the medical program, enrollment has increased in this area from five students in 2005 to 56 students this spring.

Velvet Reed will be the first student to graduate from Ivy Tech's Warsaw campus with an associate degree in medical assisting.

"This has been wonderful," she said of the course. "I dreaded the thought of driving to South Bend every day. I've been accepted at Tri-State to finish my education."

Ivy Tech's $2.8 million capital campaign is for land acquisition. In March, Toby and Donna Buck of Paragon Medical donated $250,000 to the capital campaign. In January, Ivy Tech officials received a gift of $100,000 from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation to secure property.

Once the land is purchased, college officials and community members will pursue securing state funding for the "bricks and mortar" of the new campus. This facility will serve Kosciusko County and the surrounding region.

The Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation was established in 1999 with the proceeds of the sale of Kosciusko Community Hospital to Quorum Health Group. The foundation's available assets were invested and the income from the investments are used to fund community projects and programs dedicated to promoting and maintaining the health and wellness of Kosciusko cOunty citizens.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state's second largest public post-secondary institution with more than 100,000 students enrolled each year. Ivy Tech has 23 campuses in Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of work force development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.

On the Net:

www.ivytech.edu

Ivy Tech Community College's dream of creating a campus of its own came $250,000 closer to reality Thursday when a check in that amount was presented by Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation.

Foundation Board President Rich Haddad said these funds, which go toward the college's capital campaign, will serve as a permanent way to improve the lives of local citizens.

The Foundation has presented three separate grants in the past totaling more than $300,000. The money has been used to establish a science education center and a medical assisting program and lab.[[In-content Ad]]"Our mission is to benefit the community, to not only to respond to health and wellness needs, but to help advance health and wellness in Kosciusko County," Haddad said. "We see education in the health industry as a major solution to ensuring and advancing healthcare. By taking this step of investing in a permanent campus, we believe this benefits the long-term future of health."

Haddad said the 21st Century board noted that 96 percent of Ivy Tech graduates stay in their community.

Warsaw campus Executive Dean Randy Maxson said the investment was exciting and humbling.

"We do very much take seriously the trust you have in us," he said. "Your encouragement means we're closer to creating a permanent campus."

Ivy Tech has been a community member since the late 1970s, offering classes in borrowed or leased space. The lease for the current main facility at 3755 Lake City Highway ends in 2012. The college recently began a capital campaign for a new, permanent campus in Warsaw.

Programs at the Lake City Highway and those at the Ivy Tech Orthopedic and Manufacturing Center, which opened in October 2006 at 890 Executive Drive, will move to the new facility.

Since the development of the medical program, enrollment has increased in this area from five students in 2005 to 56 students this spring.

Velvet Reed will be the first student to graduate from Ivy Tech's Warsaw campus with an associate degree in medical assisting.

"This has been wonderful," she said of the course. "I dreaded the thought of driving to South Bend every day. I've been accepted at Tri-State to finish my education."

Ivy Tech's $2.8 million capital campaign is for land acquisition. In March, Toby and Donna Buck of Paragon Medical donated $250,000 to the capital campaign. In January, Ivy Tech officials received a gift of $100,000 from the Kosciusko County Community Foundation to secure property.

Once the land is purchased, college officials and community members will pursue securing state funding for the "bricks and mortar" of the new campus. This facility will serve Kosciusko County and the surrounding region.

The Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation was established in 1999 with the proceeds of the sale of Kosciusko Community Hospital to Quorum Health Group. The foundation's available assets were invested and the income from the investments are used to fund community projects and programs dedicated to promoting and maintaining the health and wellness of Kosciusko cOunty citizens.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state's second largest public post-secondary institution with more than 100,000 students enrolled each year. Ivy Tech has 23 campuses in Indiana. It serves as the state's engine of work force development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.

On the Net:

www.ivytech.edu
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092

e-Edition


e-edition

Sign up


for our email newsletters

Weekly Top Stories

Sign up to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday

Daily Updates & Breaking News Alerts

Sign up to get our daily updates and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox daily

Latest Stories


Tippecanoe Valley School Corporation Announces Retirement Of Two Educators
AKRON – Tippecanoe Valley School Corp. announced the retirement of two long-serving educators, Layne Early and Lynette Mauger, whose combined 65 years of service have left a lasting impact on generations of students and colleagues, according to a news release from TVSC.

Memorial Day Events On Tap For Holiday
Several towns and organizations have scheduled Memorial Day events.

Board Of Works Reduces Merchant Fee For Goshen Ice Cream Vendor
Warsaw may get another ice cream option if there’s enough interest by the public.

City Of Warsaw To Pay Less Than $2.49 Per Gallon Of Fuel In 2026
City of Warsaw’s regular fuel prices in 2026 will be lower than they have been over the last few years.

Natural Resources Commission To Meet Tuesday
The Indiana Natural Resources Commission (NRC) will conduct its next bimonthly meeting on Tuesday at Fort Harrison State Park.