IU-South Bend to relocate Elkhart Center campus

IU-South Bend officials announced Monday plans to relocate the IUSB Elkhart Center from the west side of Elkhart, Ind., to a new building in the city's downtown. \nIn addition to providing classrooms for more than 1,500 students that are enrolled at the Elkhart Center, the new building will house a bookstore, a student lounge and offices for faculty and staff.\nThe building will cover 16,000 square feet and has an estimated cost of $2.5 million. IUSB officials and community leaders have been working in the past year to privately raise funds for the building. \nIlene Sheffer, IUSB vice chancellor for public affairs and university development, said the Elkhart Center deserves to have its own building.\n"Elkhart has been tremendously supportive of the IU system, and we've had classes at Elkhart since 1977," Sheffer said. "We are in rented space right now. The University wanted to have a permanent space that was theirs. We wanted a space for growth."\nCurrently, the Elkhart Center is located in the Key Bank building in a strip mall. \nThe Elkhart Center is one of two community centers for IUSB. Ken Baierl, director of communications and marketing for IUSB, said the Elkhart Center allows students from Elkhart who attend IUSB to take classes closer to home.\nThe other community center is in Plymouth, Ind. Classes for the Plymouth Center are held at Plymouth High School.\nIn addition to providing the Elkhart Center with its own building, community leaders hope the project will revitalize downtown Elkhart.\n"Having the Indiana University center in downtown Elkhart is a golden opportunity for our citizens," Elkhart Mayor David Miller said in the press release. "We are delighted." \nCity and University officials expect enrollment to increase as a result of the move.\nBaierl would not disclose how much money has been raised for the project but is assured the group will reach its multi-million dollar goal.\n"They've assured us that that's not going to be an issue," Baierl said. "I think if they reached they would either continue the fund raising until they got it or go back and make sure that they've tried." \nBaierl is confident IU will not face a bill if the group is short of what is needed to fund the project.\n"At that point a lot of decisions would have to be made on the future of the center," he said.\nStudents at the Elkhart Center cannot earn a four-year degree without taking courses at IUSB's main campus. Baierl said the center serves to complement the main campus, but he hopes it can one day house four-year degree programs.\nIn fall 2004, 7,501 students were enrolled at IUSB.