By: Jennifer Gasiorek—
Muncie, IN—Ivy Tech Community College’s Muncie campus recently announced they will gift the South Instructional Building on Cowan Road to Muncie Community Schools. With Ivy Tech’s $43 million building project in its final stages, the College determined the best use of the vacant building was to gift it to Muncie Community Schools. The gift agreement provides that if Muncie Schools no longer utilize the building, it will revert back to Ivy Tech.
“We are pleased to be in a position to support Muncie Community Schools with this gift,” said Sue Ellspermann, President, Ivy Tech. “When Ivy Tech started reorganizing a regional campus structure to a local community structure, we knew it would be impactful to local communities. When we say ‘Our Communities, Your College’ it isn’t a tagline, it is a promise. Allowing the Muncie Community Schools to repurpose this building to improve education and career outcomes of their students aligns perfectly with our mission and the needs of the community and employers.”
In 1973, Ivy Tech Foundation purchased the Cowan road building in the Muncie Industrial Center. It previously housed the telephone company. The facility is over 61,000 square feet and has an updated roof, HVAC system, windows, science labs and additional upgrades.
“We are proud to gift the building to Muncie Community Schools in this very unique collaboration,” said Jeffrey D. Scott, Chancellor Ivy Tech. “We are so very appreciative of the State of Indiana for providing the funding for us to plan, develop and complete state of the art facilities that we believe are second to none. Additionally, our community has stepped up to provide financial support that has afforded us the opportunity to meet our fundraising goals. With the support from the State and the investment from this community, we believe it is important for Ivy Tech to pay it forward a bit, step up and do the right thing for the right reason.”
Ivy Tech, Ball State and Muncie Community Schools are working together to help create opportunities for the families of Muncie.
Ball State University President Geoffrey S. Mearns said, “On behalf of Ball State University, I want to thank Dr. Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech Community College, and Jeff Scott, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Muncie campus, for this generous gift. This facility will benefit students of Muncie Community Schools for years to come. This gift is an example of how Ball State, Ivy Tech, and members of our community share an unwavering commitment to Muncie children. We are collaborating in unprecedented ways to inspire and empower the next generation. We are all better together.”
“We are excited to have received this generous gift, and it is yet another opportunity for the K-12 system to collaborate with our valued partner Ivy Tech,” said Jim Williams, School Board President, “We will be able to offer more space for our Muncie Area Career Center and make Ivy Tech’s labs more accessible to our students for dual credit, noncredit workforce certificates and much more. This is a great opportunity for our students as we all work together to build a workforce pipeline for our local employers.”
The details of the gift agreement are being formalized and more information will become available at that time.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College serves communities across Indiana, providing world-class education and driving economic transformation. It is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering high-value degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its communities, 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 Muncie Community Schools
The Muncie Community Schools (MCS) serve approximately 5000 students from Muncie and the surrounding area. MCS provides a range of diverse opportunities for children as well as adult basic education. For more information about MCS events, programs or services, please contact Director of Communications at 765-747-5210 or info@muncieschools.org . Follow MCS on Twitter @MuncieSchools and like us on Facebook @https://www.facebook.com/MCS1Official.
