Ivy Tech Considering New Location
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowEast Chicago and Ivy Tech Community College leaders will look into the possibility of adding a second location. The city says the proposal is part of a wide-ranging effort to revitalize its lakefront neighborhoods.
August 20, 2014
News Release
East Chicago, Ind. — Ivy Tech Community College and the City of East Chicago have agreed to conduct a feasibility study to determine the viability and value of expanding educational opportunities to East Chicago's underserved North Harbor community. The community college’s proposed expansion to a second East Chicago location – across from the Lake Michigan shoreline – will add 60,000 square feet of classrooms and space for workforce development and training. The expansion is part of a larger effort by the City of East Chicago to revitalize its lakefront neighborhoods.
The proposed second location is the site of the former Eugene Field School facility.
“Ivy Tech is committed to serving East Chicago and surrounding communities,” said Ivy Tech Chancellor Thomas G. Coley, Ph.D. “We are looking forward to conducting a feasibility study to determine the viability of the second location to the community as well as the type of programs that residents and businesses want.”
The limited space surrounding Ivy Tech's Foundations of East Chicago De La Garza building on Columbus drive minimizes the College's ability to increase the facility's size. Ivy Tech East Chicago educates over a thousand students each year. The College strives to balance adequate classroom sizes while supporting enrollment commitments.
“Providing educational opportunities is key to the success of any revitalization effort,” said East Chicago Mayor Anthony Copeland. “We are excited to help Ivy Tech address its capacity needs while, at the same time, utilizing the second community college location as a pillar for attracting residents and visitors to our lakefront.”
The City of East Chicago plans to revitalize the North Harbor community by increasing access to the lakefront area. This includes re-establishing the Cline Avenue Bridge—a major transportation artery for South Chicago and Northwestern Lake County (Indiana) communities—as well as establishing a bus route from East Chicago's Southside neighborhoods and current Ivy Tech campus to the proposed second Ivy Tech location.
East Chicago has also committed to building a walkway from the Ameristar Casino to the proposed second location. The walkway will provide access to the casino's shoreline.
About Ivy Tech: 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.
About East Chicago: The City of East Chicago is on the move! With a combination of new economic and social initiatives, a great energy radiates from our city on the lake. Rich in culture and tradition, East Chicago brings opportunities for all ages. Incorporated in 1893 as a railroad and steel town, East Chicago was one of the Northwest Indiana Region’s first industrial cities, which was created to meet the needs of its workers. At one time, East Chicago was the home of over seventy different nationalities complete with their own ethnic based neighborhoods. East Chicago is vital to Northwest Indiana because of its access to Lake Michigan and its close proximity to downtown Chicago.
Sources: Ivy Tech Community College, City of East Chicago