Chancellor Gros Louis to Speak
at Ivy Tech Graduation

May 8, 2006

Bloomington, IN - Ivy Tech Community College’s annual commencement ceremony will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 12 at the Indiana University Auditorium. The commencement speaker is Kenneth Gros Louis, Chancellor at Indiana University.  Amid much pomp and circumstance, 267 students will be graduating this year with Associate of Science degrees, Associate of Applied Science degrees and Technical certificates.

John Whikehart, Chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington, says that the ceremony gives the faculty and staff the opportunity to celebrate the success of their students.  “Each student graduating has a story to tell about his or her journey to this important milestone.  During the ceremony, many of us will reflect upon these stories as we watch our students take this enormous step in life.”

Thirty percent of the total students graduating are graduating with honors, with ten students earning Summa Cum Laude honors for attaining a 4.0 grade point average.  A total of 38 Associate of Science in Nursing degrees are to be conferred.  These students will also be pinned during the ceremony.

Frederic Young graduates Magna Cum Laude with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Accounting.  Young, 70 years old, is now employed by BioConvergence as a Software Validation Technician.  He was the first Ivy Tech student hired in February of this year by the newly created company after receiving a referral from Ivy Tech’s career placement office.  Young, a 1961 graduate of the University of Massachusetts, came out of retirement to begin the accounting program at Ivy Tech in 2004.  He said, “Ivy Tech presents opportunities to students young and old to pursue lifelong learning.”  Going to class also gave Young the chance to interact with younger students.  “At first they [students] were thinking who is that old geezer sitting back there; however, I think I gained their respect by being prepared and by speaking about my personal experiences,” he said.

Sisters, December and Jennifer Hendrickson, are another success story. Their stories begin with their mother, a single mom of five, who went back to school and received her LPN from Ivy Tech and her RN from Vincennes University in the mid-eighties.  As children, Jennifer and December watched their mom balance motherhood, work, and college.  Jennifer would shadow her mom at work and during this time she decided that she wanted to become a nurse.  After their mother’s death, Jennifer and December had to overcame difficult financial and personal obstacles prior to, and during, their time at Ivy Tech.  December, like her mother, had to balance motherhood, work and classes.  Jennifer dealt with the demands of Ivy Tech’s rigorous nursing program while helping out December.  They both received financial aid and took advantage of work-study opportunities at the Bloomington campus.  “My sister and I have come a long way thanks to the support of everyone at Ivy Tech,” Jennifer said.  “The people I worked with in the Registrar’s Office were like one big family for me.  They always advocated for us.”  Thanks to her business administration classes and work-study experience, December was hired in 2002 to work full-time in Ivy Tech’s Business Office.  “My life has changed drastically,” she said.  “I had no experience. I had never worked in an office before, but the more classes that I took, the more it tied into what I am doing now.  Having realized her dream of becoming a nurse, Jennifer will begin working at Bloomington Hospital on the medical/surgical floor this summer.  December will receive an Associate of Science in Business Administration and Jennifer graduates Cum Laude from the Nursing program. 

Michael Truelove, Melissa Johnson and Nicholas Beltz, the first three graduates of the Biotechnology program, will receive their degrees during the commencement.  Johnson left her job at the IU School of Optometry to get her degree.  “I was at a point in my life when I needed a challenge and the Biotechnology program fit,” she
said.  Johnson graduates Cum Laude from the Biotechnology program.  Johnson and Truelove both said that one-on-one time spent with their instructors was benficial.  “It is a very sophisticated field so the access to

facilities and the hands-on lab work was extremely beneficial,” said Michael. “Our instructors also gave us ‘real world’ insight.”  Truelove graduates Magna Cum Laude from the program.  Johnson and Truelove will complete an internship program with Cook Pharmica this summer.

The 2006 Commencement Ceremony is a significant event, not only for the students involved, but also for all the members of the faculty, staff and administration at the Bloomington campus who look forward to recognizing their students’ achievements.  Members of the public are welcome to attend the Commencement ceremony.
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Ivy Tech Community College – Bloomington
Outstanding Student Recipients