By Shari Held
The push for a Hamilton County University has been around since the 1990s, and gained steam with the creation in 2004 of the Hamilton County Higher Education Initiative. Although supported by 94-percent of the county’s voting population, the skyrocketing land costs and an ailing economy thwarted the initiative (see Filling the Higher Education Gap, HCBM: August/September 2010. Our archive is available at www.hamiltoncountybusiness.com)
But what a difference four years can make!
Preparations are now in full swing to ensure Hamilton County’s first, full-service campus of higher education, Ivy Tech Community College’s Noblesville Campus, will be ready to open this fall. It will be an asset to everyone.
Creating a sweet deal
Ivy Tech was rapidly outgrowing its parking space at the Legacy Fund Building in Carmel. It was looking for another Hamilton County facility that would enable it to expand its offerings. The county’s demographics are perfect: Fifty-percent growth from 2000 to 2010 and 39 percent of residents age 25 and older without an associate’s degree or higher.
When the City of Noblesville suggested Ivy Tech take up residence in its East Middle School (the old high school), a series of events were set in motion that gave the project momentum.
“Every business we talk to about coming to the county, and specifically to the City of Noblesville, asks about our labor force,” says Noblesville Mayor John Ditslear. “Ivy Tech will help people acquire skills, learn new skills or hone in on existing skills. So, we’re excited about what Ivy Tech will bring to the area.”
Noblesville was a perfect fit. It’s readily accessible. It was willing to assist with funding and resources. The 255,000-square-foot facility provided ample space for growth and was already set up as a school. Ivy Tech and Noblesville Schools had enjoyed a strong relationship since 1980 when Ivy Tech began offering classes there. And the heaviest growth in the county is in the Noblesville/Fishers area.
“It’s ideal for us to be able to locate where are students are,” says Kathleen Lee, EdD, RRT, Chancellor, Ivy Tech Community College – Central Indiana. Many players at the state-, county- and city-level worked together to make it happen. But the passing of a school referendum set a domino effect in motion. It approved the expansion of the current high school to accommodate grades 9 through 12, freeing the old Freshman Campus to become the new East Middle School. That left the old East Middle School vacant, and the county purchased it for Ivy Tech’s use.
“It’s a win-win for everybody, especially from a tax perspective” says Jeff Bragg, director of operations, Noblesville Schools. “We were able to avoid a lot of costs by selling the facility, because if it were vacant, we’d still have operating costs on it. We’ve actually lowered our overhead and operating costs because we’re vacating 255,000 square feet and only adding on 174,000 square feet.”
As Noblesville’s East Middle School moves out and Ivy Tech moves in, they’ve been in constant communication and have embraced the spirit of collaboration to create a smooth transition. The school system is even offering spare furniture to help reduce Ivy Tech’s initial costs. “We have no contract with Ivy Tech, but we know our resources can help each other,” Bragg says, adding that even though there have been some hiccups (like concrete freezing in last winter’s arctic temperatures) “in the end it will look like a smooth transition.”
Enhanced educational opportunities
The Noblesville campus will be the second largest facility in the Ivy Tech system. On August 25, it will open its doors to an anticipated 1,900 students. And Noblesville resident Jonny Rene Calderon will be one of them. He dreams of becoming a sports journalist one day, but for now he’s working full-time at Sagamore Ready Mix Concrete and part-time job at KFC to save for college. If Ivy Tech hadn’t opened at Noblesville, Calderon would have been forced to take a year off before college. “Ivy Tech opening in Noblesville opened a lot of doors for me, as a student with a full-time job,” he says. “It provides flexibility in my hours and I can easily get from place-to-place. I’m just thrilled it’s opening so soon.”
Come August 25, 10 first-floor classrooms will be ready. “Because classes run from 8 am to 10 pm, six days per week, that will still allow us plenty of space to offer all the basic college classes as well as some 100-level degree classes,” Lee says.
Completion of the second floor will add 42 additional classrooms and labs. When finished, the campus will accommodate nearly 10,000 students, making it one of the largest campuses in Indiana.
Initially coursework will focus on Industrial Technology, Visual Arts & Communication, the Sciences, and Machining, Manufacturing and Robotics besides the basics. Students can earn in-demand technical certifications and associate degrees. “With the core of general education, they can also complete their first two years at Ivy Tech and then transfer to a four-year college or university, saving them about half the cost of their tuition,” Lee says.
Partnering with business
“From day one Ivy Tech has worked with our economic development department and community businesses,” Ditslear says, “asking them what type of employees they were looking for and what training was needed to develop our future workforce.”
In turn the business community has stepped up to assist Ivy Tech with developing a meaningful and practical curriculum. For example, Hare Chevrolet has provided advice regarding Ivy Tech’s automotive program. And in addition to offering expert advice, SMC Corp., a Noblesville-based manufacturer of pneumatics, donated two CNC machines so Ivy Tech Noblesville students will have first-hand experience in CNC machining (the controlling of machine tools via computers).
The overall goal is to provide a skilled talent pool for local manufacturing and high-tech industries so Hamilton County residents can enjoy good-paying jobs.
Connecting with the community
The Noblesville campus’ existing amenities—a gymnasium, an auditorium and sizeable gathering space next to the cafeteria—gives Ivy Tech more opportunities to be good neighbors. Although Ivy Tech has men’s and women’s basketball teams (Go Bears!) and a theater group, it won’t need ‘round-the-clock, daily access to these areas. The school is currently talking with local theater groups, Noblesville Schools and theNoblesville Parks Department to see if the campus can house some of their events.
“We would love to structure some community partnerships that would allow the building to be utilized to its fullest,” Lee says. “We take community in our name very seriously.”
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