IU and Ivy Tech agreement ‘a labor of love’

A dream come true. \nThat was how outgoing Ivy Tech President Gerald Lamkin described a memorandum of agreement signed between IU and Ivy Tech Community College at The Bloomington Country Club Thursday.\nThe agreement, which was also signed by outgoing IU President Adam Herbert, culminated a years-long process that saw IU and Ivy Tech reach several credit transferability agreements. The agreements, mandated by the state legislature, created more than 100 transferable courses and 12 major programs that can be taken from any Ivy Tech campus to any IU campus across the state. \nJohn Whikehart, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Bloomington campus, said he believes the steps taken by IU and Ivy Tech, the state’s two largest universities in terms of enrollment, can influence other public institutions around the state to reach similar accords. He called the agreements “pathways for Indiana students” to receive the best in-state higher education possible. \n“We are the two largest institutions in higher education (in Indiana),” Whikehart said. “If the two largest (universities) can make this happen ... we’re confident the other (institutions) will be willing.” \nBoth Ivy Tech leaders credited Herbert for his involvement in the entire process. Herbert said he has wanted to strengthen the IU-Ivy Tech relationship since he came to campus in 2003. \nHerbert said the major problem in establishing such a relationship earlier had been a lack of communication between the two institutions. Herbert said both sides had to “break down those barriers” before much could be accomplished. \nJ.T. Forbes, IU’s assistant vice president and director for state relations, credited Whikehart as a key factor in finalizing much of the work between the two universities and said he was proud of the way IU and Ivy Tech established communication and worked together. IU faculty members carefully reviewed each Ivy Tech course to make sure it met acceptable standards for transferability. \nHerbert spoke before the signing and said he was pleased with the way the two universities worked together for so long to complete all of the agreements. He said he was happy to sign the memorandum before stepping down as IU president. \n“This has been a labor of love for me,” Herbert said in his speech. “We have laid some important foundations... It’s just a wonderful way for me to end my career.” \nWhikehart joked before the signing that Herbert was actually signing a tuition waiver for his daughter’s education, signaling the laid back and celebratory atmosphere surrounding the event. \nHerbert penned his signature to the memorandum and responded, “You were serious about this tuition thing,” drawing laughter from the mixed IU-Ivy Tech crowd. \nHerbert said he was glad to see the process culminate in Bloomington, site of IU’s flagship campus. He called the signing “a wonderful opportunity for us to play a leadership role in Bloomington.” \nWhikehart emphasized that all IU campuses have been involved in different agreements with several Ivy Tech campuses but agreed with Herbert that Bloomington should continue to pilot new transferability programs. \n“I think Bloomington will continue to lead the way, and that’s as it should be,” Whikehart said. \nHe said that, although the signing was a symbolic culmination of the first major agreements between IU and Ivy Tech, new transferability programs will continue to be developed in the future.\n“This has never been a destination; it’s always been a journey,” Whikehart said.\nWhikehart added that he had personally spoken with IU president-elect Michael McRobbie, who indicated to the Ivy Tech-Bloomington chancellor a “commitment to furthering this (IU-Ivy Tech) relationship.” \nHerbert spoke of hope for the future in his speech, saying he believes the future is bright for similar work between IU and Ivy Tech.\n“We have laid some important foundations,” Herbert said in his speech. “I’m just very, very optimistic that the best years are ahead of us.” \nLamkin also said he hoped the future would hold only further cooperation and teamwork between IU and Ivy Tech.\n“I use that word, ‘hope,’ very seriously,” Lamkin said. “As we (Lamkin and Herbert) leave ... we hope we have left a legacy for the future. We cannot ever go backwards.\n“It’s been my dream. That dream has come true.”