WABASH,Indiana — The Ivy Tech Community College State Board of Trustees has approved a proposed recommendation to move the Ivy Tech Wabash campus and the Wabash County coverage area to the Ivy Tech Northeast region. Effective July 1, the Wabash campus will become part of Ivy Tech Northeast. Beginning immediately, the Lafayette/Kokomo and Northeast regions’ leadership teams will work together over the next several months to ensure a smooth transition.
In a February 2016 letter from the Economic Development Group of Wabash County to President Thomas J. Snyder and the State Board of Trustees of Ivy Tech Community College, it was requested that a consideration be made for a designation change in the governance of Ivy Tech’s Wabash campus from the Lafayette/Kokomo region to the Northeast region. This request was made in order to better align with the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership, Northeast Indiana Works, and other economic development activities of Wabash County.
Wabash County is part of the northeast Indiana economic development region. Pam Guthrie, the Wabash campus’ executive direct, and her staff have been involved in a variety of activities related to projects in the northeast Indiana economic development. Guthrie discussed the realignment with the Wabash Campus Advisory Board and found it was also supportive of the transition to the Northeast region. Northeast Indiana Works’ economic development region also includes Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Grant, Huntington, LaGrange, Noble, Steuben, Wells, and Whitley counties.
“This move brings the Wabash campus into better alignment with the state of Indiana’s economic development divisions,” says David Bathe, chancellor for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo/Lafayette region. “Pam and her staff have been involved in a variety of activities related to projects in the northeast Indiana region, and I am confident they will serve the Northeast region well.”
Since the formation of the Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership in 2006 (Wabash County joined in early 2007), the State of Indiana, regional entities, and Wabash County have been aligning service areas for different agencies that have an impact on regional economic development. Some of these organizations include
- Region 3 WorkOne/DWD (Northeast Indiana Works)
- Indiana Economic Development Corporation
- Small Business Development Center
- Regional Chamber of Northeast Indiana
- Northeast Indiana Chamber Coalition
- SCORE
- Northeast Indiana Mayors and Commissioners Caucus
- Northeast Indiana LEDO Council
- Elevate Ventures
- Office of Community and Rural Affairs
- Indiana Department of Transportation
Northeast Indiana was also recently selected as one of three winners in the Regional Cities competition, which required northeast Indiana’s 11 counties to form a new Regional Development Authority, of which Wabash County is a member.
“Northeast Indiana Works operates a number of skills training programs across the region, and having Wabash County aligned with Ivy Tech Northeast will expedite delivery of critical training services to residents of that county,” says Gary Gatman, executive vice president of strategic initiatives from Northeast Indiana Works.
Over the last several years there has been a geographic shift in Indiana’s regional economies. Business and community leaders both in Wabash County and outside of the community have made a conscious effort to more closely align Wabash County with the northeast Indiana region. As all of these regional alignments have occurred between northeast Indiana and Wabash County organically and strategically, the one major partner in economic and workforce development efforts that was needed to solidify efforts was the inclusion of Ivy Tech’s Wabash campus in the northeast Indiana region, says Keith Gillenwater, president and CEO of the Economic Development Group of Wabash County.
“We are thankful for the great relationship we’ve enjoyed with the Kokomo region for a number of years but are very excited about the possibilities we have with our new affiliation with Ivy Tech Northeast,” Gillenwater says. “The future is bright for the Ivy Tech Wabash campus.”
Jerrilee Mosier, Ed.D., chancellor of Ivy Tech Northeast, adds, “The move makes sense, and we are pleased that economic development leaders of Wabash County and northeast Indiana highlighted the need for a closer alignment between education and workforce training with what’s happening in the region with economic development. This will help continue to build on the economic vitality of the northeast region of Indiana.”
IVY TECH WABASH CAMPUS FACTS AND FIGURES
Student enrollment: 350
Academic degree programs
- Business Administration
- Cyber Security/Information Assurance
o Digital Forensics certificate
o Network Security certificate
- General Education Transfer Core
- Practical Nursing