Ivy Tech Awards Honorary Degrees to Millers, Northenor
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Staff Report-
In honor of Ivy Tech Community College’s 50th anniversary this year, the college awarded 58 honorary degrees at its 14 commencement ceremonies across the state. Local residents Dr. Dane and Mary Louise Miller and Jean Northenor each received an associate of science degree in college and community service, in recognition of their commitment to education and Ivy Tech Community College, at Ivy Tech North Central’s commencement ceremonies Friday. This year also marks Ivy Tech’s largest graduating class with an estimated 16,700 credentials awarded statewide, up from 15,500 last year. Dr. Dane Miller is a co-founder and former president and chief executive officer of Biomet Inc. He is a member of the Indiana Academy for Lifetime Achievement and Contribution to Indiana, a member of the Kosciusko Leadership Academy board of trustees and a volunteer with Combined Community Services. Mary Louise Miller owns ML Motorsports, an auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. It is owned jointly by Miller and her daughter, Stephanie Mullen, making it the first confirmed NASCAR team to be owned jointly by a mother and daughter team. The Ivy Tech Warsaw campus was built in part through the generosity of Dane and Mary Louise. Their generosity inspired giving from other Warsaw companies and individuals. Northenor is a retired senior vice president of Lake City Bank. She has received four Sagamore of the Wabash awards, Indiana’s highest honor, from four individual governors. Among her many other accomplishments, Northenor was the first female chairperson of the Kosciusko County Republican Central Committee, the first female member of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles Commission, and the first woman elected by the merit employees to the Kosciusko County Sheriff's Merit Board. She is also a member of the Kosciusko Leadership Academy executive committee. Northenor was instrumental in bringing Ivy Tech to Warsaw. She has continued her support through the years, including serving as the honorary co-chair for the capital campaign which culminated in a permanent home for the Warsaw campus in 2011. Ivy Tech Community College is the state's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students 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.
