Ivy Tech Restructuring: L'burg, Madison Will Be Campuses; Batesville An "Educational Site"

By Mike Perleberg File photo. (Lawrenceburg, Ind.) – Ivy Tech Community College is changing its organizational structure as the school looks to improve efficiency and better align with the local and state workforce needs. “In June of last year, I toured the state and heard from more than 750 Ivy Tech colleagues,” Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann said in a news release. “The bi-regional structure was causing unintended consequences and difficulties in serving local communities. Our overarching focus with the organizational structure is to put more ‘community’ into community college, place more attention on students, and reduce friction across our large organization.” Under the previous structure, multiple campuses reported to regional leadership. For example, campuses in Lawrenceburg, Madison and Batesville were part of Ivy Tech’s Columbus/Southeast region led by a regional chancellor The new structure will put leadership at the campus level. According to the community college, campuses will now be self-sustaining units with a chancellor as the executive in charge. Local campus chancellors will be named between June 15 and August 1 – the first step toward the new organizational structure. By this fall, the new chancellors will have their own campus teams in place. The staff will then transition over the following year into “more effective campus-aligned, student-focused roles.” Lawrenceburg and Madison Ivy Tech locations will be among 19 campuses statewide. Campuses in Batesville and 25 other cities will still offer classes, but will instead be termed “educational sites.” Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution is also ditching the current divisional structure for separating different areas of study. It will instead reinstate a “school” model which the college says will align more closely with Indiana’s key economic sectors. The schools are: School of Business, Logistics & Supply Chain; School of Public Affairs and Social Services; School of Information Technology; School of Arts, Sciences & Education; School of Health Sciences; School of Nursing; and School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering & Applied Technology. Faculty councils will be formed at the campus level and statewide. Ivy Tech said that will allow faculty to have a broader voice in academic policy, procedures and engagement in a new strategic plan to be unveiled in December. “This is not a project to reduce headcount, or eliminate staff or campus locations,” said Ellspermann. “Similarly, we will not add staff. We do, however, anticipate cost-savings over time with more efficient operations allowing us to focus more resources to our programs and student services.” RELATED STORIES: Ivy Tech Will Raise Tuition In 2017 And 2018 Ivy Tech Names Interim Chancellor Of Southeast Region