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February 26, 2006

Testing the waters

Will Ivy Tech open a campus in Pendleton?

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST

If college towns are full of leafy green trees, unique shops and brick-lined streets, then Pendleton might already be one.

It just needs a college.

Pendleton Town Council President Don Henderson would like to get one, preferably a campus of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.

But Anderson Mayor Kevin Smith said he doesn’t think the area could support another Ivy Tech location.

The disagreement between the two governments isn’t the first. Smith says Henderson and the rest of the Pendleton Town Council are developing their town at struggling Anderson’s economic expense. Henderson says they just have a very clear plan for growing their flourishing town.

Ivy Tech officials, for their part, won’t comment on whether a Pendleton campus is a possibility, but they may be testing the waters.

“(Whether they come) is up to Ivy Tech,” Henderson said. “But since they’ve now become a community college, I think they’ll fit in perfectly.”

A campus would help the town continue to develop economically, Henderson said, and give residents the chance to get an education in town. He said they’ve offered the school land off Interstate 69 near Exit 19.

Ivy Tech already has a Madison County campus at 104 W. 53rd St. in Anderson.

“I don’t think the area can support two campuses one (Interstate) exit away,” Smith said. He said the college has already bought up the land around its current campus for future expansion.

The school also offers classes at the Flagship Enterprise Center, Highland High School, St. John’s Medical Center and Community Hospital, among others.

So how does Ivy Tech decide to build a new campus?

First they test the community by offering classes in a high school or community center where they can gauge how many people might be interested.

“Is there a pent-up demand for Ivy Tech programs and courses?” asked Bob Holmes, vice president for finance at Ivy Tech.

If the answer is yes, then Ivy Tech sets up shop, building or remodeling a building, “where we can offer classes any time of day.”

Holmes couldn’t say anything about Pendleton in particular, and east central Indiana Chancellor Gail Chesterfield said through a spokeswoman she had no comment on the situation.

But the college is offering classes at Pendleton Heights High School, spokeswoman Katie Hutton said.

That may mean they’re already gauging demand.

“There have been some examples where a community actually goes out and builds or renovates a building for us to use,” Holmes said. “If we had good reason to believe we’d become part of the larger community, we might accept right off.”

Pendleton isn’t building any buildings, but it is offering up the land.

The closest campuses are now located in Indianapolis, one at 26th and Meridian streets and the other in Fort Harrison in the city of Lawrence, about 10 miles apart, though in city traffic, that’s about a half-hour of driving time, Holmes said.

According to Mapquest.com, Exit 19 and the existing Ivy Tech campus in Anderson are about 8.15 miles apart, or 14 minutes apart.

If Ivy Tech isn’t interested, Henderson said, the town may look to other schools.

“We’re trying to give something back, make Pendleton a good place to raise a family,” he said.

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