Enrollment Surges at Ivy Tech-Bloomington

August 29, 2005      

Bloomington , Indiana Officials at Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington announced today that enrollment for the fall semester increased substantially from the campus’s 2004 numbers. While official “paid” numbers, i.e. students with tuition paid in full as of the 10 th day of classes, will be released by the College next week as part of its statewide enrollment figures, Ivy Tech - Bloomington has 3,885 students enrolled for the fall 2005 semester, representing a 12% increase over last fall. In addition, full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment climbed 13.8% signifying that Ivy Tech students are taking more courses per semester than in the past. Both head count and FTE figures are records for the Bloomington campus. It’s the 12 th year in a row in which campus enrollment for the fall semester has grown.

John Whikehart, Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington Chancellor, says that more students are recognizing the quality of Ivy Tech programs. “Students continue to see the value and benefits of a community college including smaller class sizes, transferability and easy access to financial assistance. We listen to what students say they need and we work diligently to provide them with the academic and financial support they need to succeed.”

This summer saw the continued implementation of an aggressive retention strategy, streamlining of the advising and registration processes and the development of an internal department dedicated to refining recruitment efforts. James O. Smith, Ivy Tech-Bloomington’s Dean of Academic Affairs cites these increased efforts in student recruitment and retention as other factors for the increase in enrollment numbers. “Our recruitment staff now contact students and counselors directly to make sure they know about the degrees and career possibilities offered by the college. We’ve also adjusted advising procedures in an effort to provide students the support they need while pursuing their educational goals.”

Ivy Tech-Bloomington expects enrollments to continue to increase due to the addition of new programs such as the two-year human services degree that was recently approved by the Ivy Tech Community College Board of Trustees. Other new programs including Kinesiology, Radiation Therapy, Respiratory Care, Biotechnology and Paralegal were added in just the last year.