Chancellor Vaughan (center) and students celebrate the 2019 End of Semester Bash before graduation
BLOOMINGTON – Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington’s Chancellor Jennie Vaughan is the recipient of the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction from Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society – its most prestigious award for community college leaders. She was selected among 12 other community college leaders from across the nation. The PTK Award of Distinction will be presented at the Honor Society’s annual convention April 2-4 in Dallas, Texas.
“Chancellor Vaughan’s nomination and selection for this award is recognition that Phi Theta Kappa students at Ivy Tech Bloomington have the support of leadership and we appreciate that,” said Lynn Tincher-Ladner, Ph.D., president and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. “I enjoyed reading Ivy Tech Bloomington’s chapter nomination about the many efforts of Chancellor Vaughan to make Phi Theta Kappa the best it can be on her campus. It is truly an honor to have Chancellor Vaughan as a distinctive Shirley B. Gordon Award winner.”
As a hallmark of administrative support for PTK, Chancellor Vaughan has pledged, along with Ivy Tech Bloomington’s PTK chapter advisor and associate professor of English, Dr. Samantha Levy-Arnold, to remove financial barriers for eligible students who wish to become members of the Honor Society but cannot afford to do so. In order to accomplish the goal of accessibility, Chancellor Vaughan has established the PTK Endowed Scholarship and will direct funds raised toward it, with a goal of raising roughly $8,000-$10,000.
“With Chancellor Vaughan’s generous support, we are confident we will be able to reach the amount needed to endow the scholarship by our two-year goal,” said Dr. Levy-Arnold.
Along with establishing an endowed scholarship to cover new membership fees, Chancellor Vaughan directly supports PTK induction ceremonies, Commit to Complete events, and funds individual PTK scholarships. She is a past PTK Honor Society advisor.
Shirley B. Gordon Awards of Distinction are given to college presidents/leads who have shown strong support of student success on their campus by recognizing academic achievement, leadership, and service among high-achieving students at their schools. Recipients are nominated by their campus and are only eligible to receive the award once over the course of their career.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana's largest public postsecondary institution and the nation's largest singly accredited statewide community college system, accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and also serves thousands of students annually online. It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering associate degrees, long- and short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training that aligns with the needs of the community. The College provides a seamless transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana, as well as out of state, for a more affordable route to a bachelor's degree.
