Ivy Tech Community College says students should not see any changes to their academic programs following the passage of Indiana Senate Enrolled Act 254.
SEA 254, which passed the Indiana General Assembly on March 5, updated the governance structure and mission of Ivy Tech. According to Ivy Tech Senior Vice President of Legal and Public Affairs Mary Jane Michalak, the bill was initiated by the community college.
The law changes the mission of Ivy Tech Community College by redefining it as a “workforce engine for the state of Indiana.”
“Statutes can become outdated or ambiguous over time, and so we wanted to clean up our statute to make sure that we could one remove some obsolete language, resolve some inconsistencies, but also place clear guidance for our operations, emphasizing our workforce mission,” Michalak said.
According to the act, the college’s academic curriculum should align with employer needs, ensure that degrees and certificates lead directly to job opportunities, and prioritize skills that can be applied in the workplace.
“We found that 69 percent of job openings in key industries that include healthcare, advanced manufacturing, logistics and technology will require education and training beyond high school, including nondegree credentials,” Michalak said. “That's really the sweet spot for Ivy Tech.”
Ivy Tech serves more than 100,000 students, including more than 11,000 at its Bloomington campus, according to the college’s website.
“Our institution awards nearly half of all postsecondary credentials in Indiana, and again, those are certificates, industry credentials and associate degrees,” Michalak said. “We are here to make sure that employers have the workforce that they need to operate in Indiana.”
SEA 254 states that the college will remain open access to high school students and it amends Ivy Tech’s mission to include dual credit.
“No other higher educational institution in the state of Indiana has that in their statute,” Michalak said. “There is a statute that says that higher education institutions can offer dual credit, but Ivy Tech is the largest dual credit provider in the nation, and we felt like it was important as to the legislature to add dual credit to our mission.”
For adult learners and high school graduates, the college’s purpose is now more tightly centered on preparing students for specific jobs and careers.
“Ivy Tech is Indiana's workforce engine, and we wanted to make it clear to legislators, students, parents and members of the public, as well as Indiana employers, that we are here to support the Indiana economy and Indiana workforce development, and we are a partner in that effort,” Michalak said.
The law says Ivy Tech will be required to collaborate with employers, incorporate industry input into program design, and expand training opportunities tied to real-world job demands.
Additionally, the law requires the college to develop an education-to-employment research program by December 1. Data gathered from the program will be used to promote labor market alignment, strengthen workforce training programs and support return-on-investment analysis.
The program will be formed in collaboration with the state secretary of education, the CEO of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the CEO of the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, a member of the Indiana General Assembly selected by the speaker of the house and another selected by the president pro tempore of the senate.
“What we are doing with this legislation is making sure that we are aligned to the workforce needs of the state,” Michalak said. “We want to ensure that when we are offering an academic program, we are doing it through a workforce lens, so that students who come to Ivy Tech can be assured that they're getting the skills and knowledge that they need.”
