Ivy Tech enrolls more students for summer

Summer enrollment has increased by 10.9 percent at Bloomington’s Ivy Tech Community College in the last year, according to the college’s enrollment report. \nIU and Ivy Tech signed an agreement earlier this month that allows more credits to transfer between the two colleges, which could be the cause of Ivy Tech’s \nhigher enrollment.\n“I do know that we now have a number of articulated programs with Ivy Tech where students can do 24 hours of credit at Ivy Tech and if they get a B-plus average, then they can transfer into IU for the two years remainder,” IU Director of Media Relations Larry MacIntyre said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s part of the reason why the enrollment has gone up.”\nMany credits offered at Ivy Tech can transfer to any of Indiana’s 18 public institutions that Ivy Tech has agreements with, including IU, Indiana State, Ball State and Purdue.\nJim Smith, Ivy Tech dean of academic affairs, said younger students have been more attracted to the college recently due to transfer credit agreements, but that is not the only reason for increased enrollment. Ivy Tech has also added approximately 20 academic programs, including biotechnology, education and nursing that have drawn in younger students.\n“Typically, today’s students are transient, and in order for a student to complete their degree, they may have to do that at multiple institutions,” Smith said.\nBryan Newton, Ivy Tech dean of Enrollment Services and Student Development, said Ivy Tech changed from a state college to a community college in 2005. He said this change has attracted more students between the ages of 18 and 24.\nThe Ivy Tech Bloomington campus serves as a temporary college to many residents who are returning home from other colleges during the summer.\nMany Ivy Tech students do not intend to complete a degree program in the college, Newton said; they typically enroll to gain credits to \ntransfer elsewhere. The low tuition costs are attracting students to Ivy Tech as well, \nhe said.\n“We do see other students from around other state colleges that come to a class to take back to their home campuses,” Smith said.\nIU and Ivy Tech officials agree that transfer credit agreements are benefiting Indiana college students.\n“The legislative goal was to establish a menu of classes that would be able to transfer to all of the public institutions,” Smith said. “Because there was a lack of interoperability among public universities all over the state, ... students ended up having to retake classes, and the goal was to allow students to transfer those credits.”