Lowell Landis remembers the early days of Ivy Tech State College in Warsaw when it began with a few classes 20 years ago in various parts of the community.

At the urging of then-mayor Dale Tucker and business leaders, including Dalton Foundries' executive Matt Dalton, Ivy Tech's South Bend campus decided to offer some trial classes in Warsaw.

Although the start was meager, the demand was instant.

After announcing that classes would be available, the office was inundated with 340 calls, Landis said. That resulted in about 200 students taking classes during the first year or so.

For years, administrators dealt with a lack of office and class space. Some classes were held in various parts of the county including Chore Time in Milford.

Landis, along with his wife and an unpaid part-time secretary, oversaw the campus, which initially operated at First National Bank of Warsaw.

In the early years, there were roughly 12 to 15 classes, including a typing class that Landis taught.

Landis did a little of everything.

"I had to pick up books and sell books and the whole bit," Landis said following an informal 20-year anniversary celebration Monday at Ivy Tech's campus on Smith Street.

"It's just a great thing to see some of the fruits of the beginning of Ivy Tech," Landis said.

During Monday's brief celebration, Steve Grill, the current director, applauded the efforts of Landis and others who helped build the campus' foundation.

"We need to appreciate the past to truly understand and appreciate the future," Grill said.

As the local entity took root, it saw four major relocations under the guise of three directors.

Operations shifted from South Buffalo Street to the Old McKinley Elementary to downtown Warsaw - and finally in 1991 to its current facility shared with Lakeside Middle School on Smith Street.

After Landis stepped down in 1984, Joe Beason served as director for six years. Grill took the reins in 1990.

The campus has continued to mature over time.

Average enrollment now hovers around 500 students who have a choice of about 40 different classes.

Grill estimates that 12,000 residents of Kosciusko County have taken classes over the years. Another 3,000 have come from outside the county.

This year, the campus will celebrate its largest graduating class ever - 39 students who began and ended their Ivy Tech experience at the Warsaw campus.

Official graduating ceremonies will be in South Bend Friday.

The campus specializes in technical skills.

Today, the most popular classes are computers, business, office administration, accounting and machine tool.

The campus got a major boost three years ago when Ivy Tech's general education classes became transferable to other state colleges.

That means students who are attending other colleges such as Indiana University, Ball State University and Indiana State University, can save money by taking some of their required classes at Ivy Tech during the summer.

Grill said the difference in tuition costs can be considerable and students are taking advantage of it.

General studies include basic math, English, sociology and psychology.

"That's another area where we're picking up a lot of students," Grill said. [[In-content Ad]]