By Joseph S. Pete, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer
A public university education will be available closer to home for southside residents.
IUPUI plans to open a satellite campus on County Line Road near Interstate 65 in Greenwood.
The university has long planned a Greenwood outpost because Johnson County is the third-largest suburban feeder county of students, a spokesman said.
IUPUI and Maxim Healthcare, a home-nursing health care company, plan to move into the Indiana-American building this year. The university is looking at leasing 7,400 square feet of space, said Ron Feeney, vice president of sales and leasing at Wellbourne Cos.
"It's a very positive development for the southside to have the higher education you can get at a major public university so close to home," he said.
IUPUI has planned a Greenwood campus for years to bring classes closer to students, spokesman Rich Schneider said. Earlier plans called for a joint campus that would offer both IUPUI and Ivy Tech classes.
More than 29,000 graduate and undergraduate students are enrolled in the downtown Indianapolis school, a research and academic university that offers degrees in more 200 programs through Indiana and Purdue universities.
Plans for the satellite Greenwood campus call for a student area, administrative offices and five classrooms, including a large lecture hall that would seat up to 90 students, Feeney said. The large lecture hall could be divided into two smaller classrooms if needed.
IUPUI hopes to have up to 200 students taking classes at the branch, which will be modeled after a new facility on 71st Street on the northside. University officials have expressed interest in expanding later and would have priority in leasing the 6,500 square feet of space left in the building, Feeney said.
The new campus should make it easier for Greenwood residents, especially working adults, to further their education, Greenwood City Council member Ron Bates said.
"This is going to make higher education more accessible, even if it is limited class offerings because that's another 10 miles you don't have to go to further your education," Bates said. "People who earn a bachelor's degree make an average of a million dollars more than people who don't, so this should mean more opportunity for residents."
IUPUI will join Marian College, Indiana Wesleyan University, MedTech College and Indiana Tech in Greenwood. ITT Tech and the University of Phoenix also have student learning centers in or near the city.
The addition of another university will help the Johnson County Development Corp. market the area to potential employers, who often are interested in an educated work force, executive director Cheryl Morphew said.
The university's Greenwood presence will be mentioned in promotional materials sent to companies looking at investing in the area.
"A trained labor pool is important, so businesses really look for what higher education is around a community," she said. "Some employers are more interested in the two-year training programs, but it's definitely a welcome addition."
IUPUI will share space with Indiana American Water Co. and the Midwest Eye Clinic. They picked the location because of its proximity to the interstate and the relatively large amount of parking available for students, Feeney said.
Renovations to the office building, including the addition of classrooms, are expected to be complete in December.