Ivy Tech, PCCF announce $100,000 gift to support Ivy Tech Greencastle students

Ivy Tech Community College and the Putnam County Community Foundation have announced the first distribution of a $100,000 grant to impact educational opportunities for students pursuing their post-secondary education path at Ivy Tech Community College in Greencastle.

The Putnam County Community Foundation launched a matching challenge in September 2021. The Community Foundation committed to donating $2 for every $1 donated to Ivy Tech Greencastle, up to $100,000. More than $65,000 in gifts were made to Ivy Tech Greencastle, leveraging the full $100,000 match from the Community Foundation.

The first of four distributions of the grant will impact the following areas at Ivy Tech Greencastle:

• $20,000 to expand the enrollment capacity for the School of Nursing,

• $11,000 to support the continued growth and program needs of the Associate of Science Accelerate Program (ASAP),

• $9,000 to fund scholarships for students to receive a laptop.

“With the need for nurses in our community and throughout the state it’s critical that we expand the opportunities to support the industry demand,” PCCF Executive Director Neysa Meyer said. “Plus, it’s essential that students have access to the technology needed to be successful. Providing laptop scholarships helps eliminate a potential barrier for students interested in pursuing their degree.”

The ASAP program helps recent high school graduates earn an associate’s degree in less than a year and prepares them to transfer to a four-year college to earn their bachelor’s degree. During the 11-month program, students progress through the program with their small, closely-knit cohort and are guided by an ASAP coordinator who helps them identify academic goals and maps out a path to completion. Beginning this fall, ASAP students at Ivy Tech Greencastle can earn their associate’s degree in psychology by taking only three additional classes.

This first distribution, totaling $40,000, will be followed by $20,000 each year for the next three years. The Putnam County Community Foundation will select new or existing projects to fund each year based on campus priorities and recommendations.

Rachel Mullinnix, executive director of Ivy Tech Terre Haute Foundation, will be sharing an update on this partnership at the Putnam County Community Foundation’s annual business meeting and luncheon on June 21 at Tiger Pointe Country Club.

This gift is the largest gift to Ivy Tech from the Putnam County Community Foundation since the Ivy Tech Greencastle building was constructed in 2009. The grant comes not long after Union Health Foundation announced its $1 million gift to Ivy Tech Community College Terre Haute. This fiscal year, which began July 1, 2021, the Ivy Tech Terre Haute Foundation has raised more than $165,000 for program and student support in Greencastle with guidance provided by Dave Murray and Mike Harmless who serve on the Ivy Tech Foundation Board of Trustees. Collectively, the Ivy Tech Terre Haute Foundation has secured 76 percent of the $12 million campaign, which supports the six-county region in West Central Indiana.

The campaign is set to wrap up in 2023. For more information about giving to the Ivy Tech Foundation, contact (812) 298-2450 or terrehaute-foundation@ivytech.edu.