Ivy Tech recognized for helping veterans gain degrees

By Mike Leonard 331-4368 | mleonard@heraldt.com
January 12, 2010

Ivy Tech’s efforts to support military personnel and their families toward achieving academic success and graduation is being recognized nationally.

The Bloomington Ivy Tech Community College has been selected as a finalist at the annual Community College Futures Assembly on “Graduating America” in Orlando, Fla., on Jan. 26.

Ivy Tech’s program “Mission Graduation: A Student Military and Veteran Organization” was selected among nine other community college finalists for the prestigious Bellwether Award for Planning, Governance and Finance.
Ivy Tech-Bloomington Chancellor John Whikehart said in a prepared statement that being chosen as a finalist for the Futures Assembly Bellwether Award is further recognition of the college’s commitment to comprehensive student support. “Ivy Tech has begun developing transition programming, providing ongoing assistance and developing best practices for advising military students and families so they can achieve their academic goals,” he said.

Ivy Tech will be represented in Orlando by Whikehart; regional trustee Gary Chaplin; executive director of life sciences initiatives John Stephens; and student veteran Catherine Davis.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and one of the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college systems with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually.