The Herald-Times

Ivy Tech names Jennie Vaughan as Bloomington chancellor

Posted: Thursday, April 24, 2014 3:54 pm | Updated: 12:12 am, Fri Apr 25, 2014.

By MJ Slaby 812-331-4371 | mslaby@heraldt.com

Jennie Vaughan was named chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College’s Bloomington region in an announcement Thursday.

The appointment came exactly two weeks after the Ivy Tech State Board of Trustees decided Bloomington would remain a stand-alone campus instead of previous plans to consolidate it with Evansville. Vaughan said once she learned of that decision, she decided to apply for chancellor.

“I believe in Ivy Tech-Bloomington and want to move initiatives forward,” she said.

Vaughan has worked for Ivy Tech for more than 17 years of her 31-year career in higher education. She has been the vice chancellor for student affairs and executive director of human resources on the Bloomington campus since 2009.

In her time in Bloomington, she’s helped with expansions in the community as well as the current construction project for the Connie and Steve Ferguson Academic Building.

“She’s one of the team,” said Connie Ferguson, chairwoman of the Bloomington Regional Board of Trustees. “We knew where her heart was.”

Ferguson said the regional board stressed to the state board the importance of Bloomington remaining independent and having its own chancellor. Thinking of the chancellor’s role in this community, it would have been difficult with the distance between Evansville and Bloomington, she said.

“Everyone realized immediately how important this position is to our community and to this campus,” Ferguson said.

As the region moves forward, the chancellor needed to be someone who could make a long-term plan for expansions in Bedford and Martinsville as well as construction on the main campus, said Tom Snyder, president of Ivy Tech.

“There was enough for one person,” he said.

Vaughan had the experience both at Ivy Tech and at the University of San Francisco, where she worked for 14 years before that, to do it, Snyder said.

Vaughan said she’s excited to focus on the community, current initiatives and build her leadership team to move the Bloomington region forward.

Her appointment comes after John Whikehart retired in January. The two worked together closely, and Whikehart said Vaughan was a key part of the leadership.

She was always focused on student success and community involvement and is respected throughout campus, Whikehart said.

“No one is better prepared and more capable,” he said.