Ivy Tech’s first Day of Giving to support next generation of Hoosier leaders
Last Updated on April 10, 2023 by Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Service Area
Nation’s largest singly accredited community college holding statewide Ivy Tech Day on April 11
KOKOMO, Ind. – For students carving out a career, a day can mean everything. On April 11, Ivy Tech alumni, friends, and people across Indiana can help the College develop the next generation of Hoosier healthcare professionals, manufacturing specialists, entrepreneurs, and others by participating in Ivy Tech Day, the College’s first-ever Day of Giving.
Starting at midnight – for 24 hours – alumni and friends everywhere can support the College’s 19 campuses and 173,000 students who are building brighter futures for themselves and for those around them. The Ivy Tech Foundation, which is organizing the statewide day, wants to reach 600 gifts in recognition of the College’s 60th anniversary.
“Ivy Tech Day is a big moment for our entire College family,” said Sue Ellspermann, president, Ivy Tech Community College. “As Indiana’s community college, we want to create a fun, memorable way to come together and demonstrate our collective passion for our students, the college, and our communities. I believe our donors, alumni, students, employer partners, faculty and staff, and friends in the community will rally in celebration of Ivy Tech’s impact and 60th anniversary.”
Jennifer Hindman, a 1997 graduate of Ivy Tech Kokomo’s EMT program, is a great example of the leaders that grow from the community college experience. After starting as a paramedic at Howard Community Hospital 25 years ago, today she serves as vice president and administrator of Community Hospital North in Indianapolis. In 2021, she was honored with the Ivy Tech Distinguished Alumni Award and she now serves on the Ivy Tech Foundation Board of Directors.
“For me, Ivy Tech was a catalyst,” Hindman says. “My degree was the accelerant that I needed to continue to further my education and complete my bachelor’s and master’s degrees.
“Without completion of my degree,” she continued, “I simply would not have had the professional growth opportunities in my healthcare career. And what I found was that Ivy Tech can be fuel for your personal change. And that they will partner with you to help you find a path to success that works with and for your future goals.”
Supporters will be able to contribute toward the future of Ivy Tech students by visiting ivytech.edu/giveday. Participants can contribute through the Ivy Tech Foundation – whether it’s $6 or $6,000 or more – starting at midnight. The Foundation encourages everyone associated with Ivy Tech to wear green and share videos and photos on social media showing their passion for the College and expressing why they are participating in Ivy Tech Day. Alumni and friends can use the hashtags #give2ivy and #growivygrow to show their support. Supporters will be able to follow the Foundation all day long on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
Ivy Tech Day is part of the Foundation’s five-year campaign to raise $285 million for the College.
At the Ivy Tech facilities in Kokomo, Logansport and Peru, faculty, staff and students will be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the founding of Ivy Tech Community College and the impact the College has made in the six-county Kokomo Service Area since its charter in 1968. The Ivy Tech Kokomo Service Area now includes the counties of Cass, Fulton, Howard, Miami, Pulaski and Tipton and the communities of Kokomo, Logansport, Peru, Rochester, Tipton and Winamac.
“We are so very proud of our Ivy Tech graduates and the impact they are making on our communities and on our state,” said Kelly Karickhoff, executive director of Resource Development for the Kokomo Service Area. “With the help of our partners and donors, our experienced faculty and our dedicated staff offer the education and support that will ready generations of successful Hoosiers to come.”
Ivy Tech was founded 60 years ago on March 15, 1963. Today, Ivy Tech contributes $3.9 billion annually to Indiana’s economy, including a net impact of $3.6 billion from alumni working in the state. Eight of ten students who graduate from Ivy Tech do so without student debt. Additionally, Ivy Tech:
- graduates more nurses with 2-year degrees than any college in the nation, and most stay in Indiana to pursue their careers.
- contributes to 1 of every 70 jobs across Indiana.
- awards more than 40,000 credentials and certifications each year, and nearly all who graduate – 93 percent – stay in the Hoosier State.
SOURCE: News release from Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Service Area