EDUCATION

State concerns prompt review of Ivy Tech programs

Chelsea Schneider
Chelsea.Schneider@indystar.com

Low graduation rates at Ivy Tech Community College are prompting a state review of the school's programs to assess how well it is meeting Indiana's needs to develop a well-trained workforce.

Lawmakers jump-started the review of the college’s programming as completion rates at the school hovered at 5 percent for full-time students finishing within two years and 26 percent for graduation within six years. That's well below the national average of 58 percent for full-time community college students finishing in six years.

The deep dive comes a decade after Ivy Tech was designated as Indiana’s statewide community college system, and then soon after, saw rapid growth during the Great Recession. According to enrollment data for fall terms, the number of students attending Ivy Tech jumped from approximately 87,000 students in 2008 to 111,000 students in 2010. Since then, enrollment has fallen to pre-Great Recession levels.

State Sen. Luke Kenley, a leading voice in calling for the review,  said he grew worried as the community college reported low completion rates compared to its peers. Concerns by Kenley and other lawmakers caused the college not to receive funding for major building projects in the new state budget, including for a much-touted regional medical school campus in Evansville.

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In response to those concerns, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education recommended this month that Ivy Tech conduct an annual evaluation of its programs based on student and labor-market demands and other measures.

“I don’t think our vocational programs with Ivy Tech are quite aligned with employers around the state of Indiana. That’s a reason why we’ve been stepping back and asked for a study to be done,” said Kenley, a Noblesville Republican. “I think their growth has been so rapid it just hasn’t quite been able to get it all focused in the right direction.”

The state worked with Ivy Tech to build a system where they can flag programs with low enrollments or graduation rates, so the school can review if they need to be revised or eliminated. The state also recommended the college provide more structure to the path students take to complete their required coursework and increase student interventions.

Ivy Tech will make its first formal report back to the state in March.

“This is a great opportunity for the university. I sense a lot of momentum right now to actually build on things that have worked,” Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers said. “What a community college has to do is be nimble to changes in the economy and student needs.”

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The state spends more than $200 million per year in operating expenses for the school. That’s compared to the approximately $190 million provided per year to the Indiana University campus in Bloomington.

Ivy Tech “completely agrees” with the state’s review because it provides a way for the college to improve, said Kathleen Lee, chancellor for Ivy Tech Central Indiana.

The state framework requires Ivy Tech to flag programs where fewer than 30 students are enrolled.

“It’s really important for us that our programs reflect the kind of training that the employers in our local areas need and our students want to go into,” Lee said. “It’s good for the state to understand what the college is doing, and I think what the commission has done is take a very large step in strengthening how we work together to make sure we are all on the same page.”

With enrollment stabilizing as the economy improves, the college is reviewing its measurements to monitor its students and programs, Lee said. Along with the March report, Ivy Tech also will make reports to the state throughout 2017 and 2018.

The review comes as Ivy Tech is searching for a new president with the retirement of Thomas Snyder, who has served the school since 2007. Lt. Gov. Sue Ellspermann has expressed interest in applying for the job, a move that a spokesman for Gov. Mike Pence said he supports.

Call Star reporter Chelsea Schneider at (317) 444-6077. Follow her on Twitter: @IndyStarChelsea.