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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowIndiana's community college system has announced plans to undergo organizational changes aimed at better connecting campuses with local communities.
Ivy Tech Community College will use chancellors to operate each campus instead of having regional chancellors overseeing multiple campuses, the News and Tribune of Jeffersonville reported. Ivy Tech offers more than 150 programs at 32 degree-granting locations across Indiana, serving more than 170,000 students each year.
Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann said she initiated the changes after speaking with more than 750 staff members last summer.
The regional structure was causing difficulties in serving local communities, Ellspermann said. The goal is to put more "community" in community college with the new structure and place more attention on students, she said.
"This is not a project to reduce headcount, or eliminate staff or campus locations," Ellspermann said. "Similarly, we will not add staff. We do, however, anticipate cost-savings over time with more efficient operations, allowing us to focus more resources to our programs and student services."
Campus chancellors will be announced between June 15 and Aug. 1. Staff will transition into the new roles over the next year.
The new statewide structure will also reclassify some locations that were considered campuses to be considered educational sites, said Jeff Fanter, senior vice president of student experience and communications and marketing.
Campuses generally are larger in size and offer more services, such as advisers, Fanter said. If an educational site grows enough, it may eventually become a campus, he added.
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