Additional $4 million in private funding will support improvements to the Muncie Campus in the East Central Region
Muncie, Ind. – Ivy Tech Community College East Central Region’s Muncie Campus will undergo a transformation over the next few years, thanks to the $39 million earmarked for the project in the 2017-2019 biennial state budget approved today by the Indiana General Assembly. The total cost of the project, about $43 million, will include $4 million in private funding to be raised in a capital campaign.
The state budget now goes to Gov. Eric Holcomb for approval. The Ivy Tech capital project aims to create an improved campus to better serve the educational and economic needs of the east central Indiana region.
“We are thrilled about the positive impact this project will have for our students and the communities the Muncie Campus serves,” said Alex Huskey, interim chancellor of the Ivy Tech Community College East Central and Richmond Regions.
Huskey noted the project will include a 30,000 square foot technology center and renovation to the existing 50,000 square foot North Instructional Center at the Muncie Cowan Road Campus. It will also include renovation to the Muncie Campus Fisher Building’s 1st and 4th floors, utilizing approximately 34,000 square feet of space and 23,000 square feet of new construction in downtown Muncie.
Alex Huskey, interim chancellor of the Ivy Tech Community College East Central and Richmond Regions.
“The needs of the Muncie Campus have been under close review by Ivy Tech and state government representatives as we have considered how best to upgrade and efficiently utilize Muncie’s multiple campus building locations. This plan addresses the need to bring the facilities up to current College standards in terms of providing a safe, healthy, and up-to-date environment,” said Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann. “Ivy Tech put the Muncie project near the top of its capital request list this year because this campus has not had the kind of upgrade that our other campuses across the state have had.”
“This project is especially critical to the College’s mission as the state’s workforce engine. Ivy Tech is the institution with the responsibility of reducing barriers for area residents to gain local access to opportunities for training and credentials that develop skills for better employment,” she continued. “This investment will contribute to developing a trained workforce that will attract and retain area employers.”
This project will provide improved physical space for student and academic services, and increase the capacity for the School of Technology. A strategy which will allow for future growth in the areas of manufacturing, auto, HVAC, and construction education, which are all industries in desperate need of a trained workforce. Improvements to science and health laboratories, with the relocation of health sciences and nursing programs to a new downtown building, will also better meet the needs of employers in those sectors. Additionally, it will have greater visual appeal, more efficient student service delivery, and provide flexibility for the future.
“The primary objective of our plan is to upgrade the facilities at our Cowan Road and downtown Muncie locations in a manner that effectively leverages the strengths of those locations, while addressing the short comings associated with an out of date learning environment,” Huskey said. “Achieving this objective reaffirms our commitment to education and the role it plays in the betterment of the lives of our students and the communities we serve. We want to thank our state legislators for supporting this initiative that will have a profound influence on the city of Muncie and the communities across our region.”
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system. 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.
