By Garrett Stack, The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON - As the Indiana General Assembly convenes for a special session today, $20 million in construction funds for a crowded Ivy Tech in Anderson hangs in the balance.
The Anderson campus, one of 27 Ivy Tech Community College branches across the state, needs that money to build new classroom space to accommodate rapidly growing enrollment at its complex in the 100 block of 53rd Street on the city's east side.
"The 53rd Street campus is designed to hold 900 students," said Jim Willey, vice chancellor of Ivy Tech Anderson. "We currently have over 2,500 students studying in that building, and we're running out of room."
Plus, Ivy Tech Anderson has seen a 43 percent increase in summer enrollment since last summer.
Two factors outside Ivy Tech's control complicate the situation.
First, Gov. Mitch Daniels' budget, which includes the $20 million, is going to be hotly debated during the special session in the General Assembly, where House Democrats say they are writing their own budget.
Second, the $20 million would have come to Indiana as part of a $159 million federal stimulus payment that currently is falling $42 million short of what was expected.
Statewide, if the full stimulus money does not materialize, it could mean fewer classes, less staff - and turning away as many as 15 percent of students, Ivy Tech officials say. On a state level, Ivy Tech's enrollment stood at 102,392 during the spring of the 2008-2009 school year, with more growth predicted for 2009-2010.
Throughout all of the Ivy Tech campuses spread across the state, the enrollment has increased 125 percent in the last 10 years. This rapid growth led Ivy Tech President Thomas Snyder to request the $159 million in federal funding.
"I just testified before the state special budget committee that we need at least $22 million more (than the estimated $117 million), and if we don't get it we have to ration," said Snyder, an Anderson resident. "Rationing means we will not be able to have additional classes and staff to meet our growing enrollment."
The main building, which is located on the 53rd Street campus, is being used entirely for health programs, such as nursing and dental hygiene, Willey said. This leaves the school in a bind to provide classrooms for all of the other students not involved in health sciences.
To solve the crowding problem, the community college has tentatively agreed to a five-year lease of the Ebbertt Education Center from Anderson Community Schools. However, the lease is still subject to approval by the state board of trustees in July.
"There are some positive things about going to Ebbertt," said Gail Chesterfield, chancellor of Ivy Tech Anderson. "The center was built for students and it would alleviate a lot of our space problems."
Pending the lease approval, Ivy Tech will close its flagship building, located on Quality Circle Drive by the Nestlé factory, as well as an additional building east of the main campus on 53rd Street. The classes that were previously held at these locations will be condensed into the Ebbertt Center.
"We have two separate needs: a short-term need and a long-term need," Chesterfield said. "The short-term need is having enough space for our students, which the Ebbertt Center can solve. The long-term need is using the stimulus money to add to our campus."
By using part-time staff instead of full-time staff and by putting as many students as possible into each class, Ivy Tech can continue to accept students instead of turning them away. With so many people out of work, growth rates are expected to continue rapidly increasing.
"We are anticipating greater growth, from both young people as well as those who have been displaced recently from their jobs," Willey said. "It's good that we can be an engine for economic growth, but we need more space to accommodate everyone."
But Willey is confident Ivy Tech Anderson will receive the money it needs to operate smoothly, if not have quite enough to build a new campus.
"I'm very optimistic," he said. "Growth is a great thing; it just has to be managed properly."
Diverting from Gov. Daniels' budget proposal
Ivy Tech Community College earned $159,220,366 according to the budget formula, but will only receive $117,248,366, which means it will be shorted about $42 million. This sum may affect the amount that Anderson Ivy Tech was supposed to receive to help build a new campus. Without the extra space, Anderson may have to reduce enrollment or even turn away students if it cannot provide the classrooms and staff to meet the growing enrollment.