Ivy Tech to host kick-off event in September for $4M capital campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE         
August 26, 2014

BLOOMINGTON – Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington will host a capital campaign kick-off event to fund its 90,000 square foot building expansion project, which is currently under way on the main campus. The “Here We Grow Again!” $4 million capital campaign kick-off event will be held on Tuesday, September 9 at 4:30 p.m. on the main campus at the Connie and Steve Ferguson Academic Building and the public is encouraged to attend.

“Ivy Tech-Bloomington is excited to kick-off our ‘Here We Grow Again!’ capital campaign, building upon our last ‘Grow Ivy Tech’ campaign, said Chancellor Jennie Vaughan. “I want thank the chair of our board of trustees and campaign leader, Connie Ferguson, and our honorary campaign chairs Lee Marchant, John and Linda Whikehart, and Joyce Poling. Because of their leadership and support, we’re advancing student success at Ivy Tech-Bloomington.”

Students will benefit from additional state-of-the-art lab spaces and classrooms, an expanded Olcott library, group and individual study areas, an expanded Hoosier-Times student commons space, a larger Bloomingfoods Café, a writing center, expanded tutoring center, a lecture hall, and other educational space additions. 

By expanding the Ferguson Academic building, Ivy Tech-Bloomington anticipates a cost savings of nearly $300,000 per year in leased space, and could potentially realize more cost savings with further moves from leased space into the expansion. The college has been operating out of leased space on Liberty Drive since 2007 to accommodate its enrollment growth beyond facility capacity. The main campus building reached its 5,000 student capacity during Fall Semester 2007, and was not projected to do so until 2011. Current campus enrollment hovers at 6,500 students.

Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s main campus expansion construction costs came in at $24 million and the state Legislature released the allocated $20 million in July 2013 for the project. The “Here We Grow Again!” campaign goal is to raise $4 million by May 2015 to close that funding gap.

Here We Grow Again!

“Here We Grow Again!” (www.ivytech.edu/growagain) is an exciting, $4 million capital campaign about strengthening student success at Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington. With new and expanded learning spaces and the opportunity to support student, faculty, and program development, we are investing in the future of individuals, families, and communities, and by extension, the future of south-central Indiana.