Ivy Tech Footprint Evolves in Gary

(photo courtesy IU Northwest)

Ivy Tech Community College says it is shifting the location of its classes in Gary. A spokesman tells Inside INdiana Business the college will consider the next steps for its current campus in January, along with assessing its course offerings throughout various locations. Classes will be held in the new, $45 million Indiana University Arts and Sciences Building in Gary, which opened late last year.

Jeff Fanter adds Ivy Tech’s presence in Gary "is not defined by a single building" and programs will not be eliminated, but expanded and improved in some cases. Some classes, he says, will be shifted to the Gary Career Center, which is close to the current 35th Street campus as part of a potential partnership with the Gary Community School Corp.

Ivy Tech will occupy around one-third of the space in the IUN facility. The 35th Street campus, which has two buildings that date back to the 1960s and 1990s, is expected to be vacated by the start of the fall semester.

Lake County Chancellor Louie Gonzalez said in a statement:

Ivy Tech continues to maintain a strong presence in the city of Gary, and will continue to do so. We are not eliminating any course offerings there. In fact, with our recently constructed shared space with Indiana University Northwest, we have expanded and enhanced our science curriculum. We are now able to offer associate degrees in biology and chemistry.

What we are doing is relocating some of our programs to a state-of-the-art facility just blocks away from our present location, without a reduction in services. We also are in discussions to possibly relocate other programs to a location currently administered by the Gary Community School Corporation, also just blocks from our original buildings in the city. Our commitment to Gary has not wavered.

We anticipate these changes to bring growth, not reduction, to our student population and that they will help both Ivy Tech and the Gary community thrive. We believe this is the best way to carry out our twofold mission: ensuring employers have a pool of skilled workers ready to fill high-paying jobs and giving our students a solid foundation to advance to a four-year degree.