Ivy Tech Community College plans to vacate and sell its Lawrence facility, which has been in Lawrence for more than 20 years.
This is part of a larger plan to redevelop Ivy Tech’s main campus just north of downtown. When Ivy Tech builds a new $38 million health sciences and nursing building, the medical program at the Lawrence campus will move across town.
The goal is to provide more clinical opportunities for students.
As IU Indianapolis builds a healthcare corridor downtown, complete with a new hospital and new medical school facilities, Ivy Tech wants nursing and healthcare students nearby.
“With large hospital systems concentrated in downtown Indianapolis, it makes sense to consolidate our health sciences and nursing programs on our Indianapolis campus,” said Ivy Tech’s senior vice president of legal and public affairs. President Mary Jane Michalak said.
Lawrence’s medical facility will be the only facility affected by the new plan. Michalak said Ivy Tech has no plans to relocate Ivy Tech’s public safety training center, Ivy Tech’s Plainfield building, also in Lawrence, or its automotive training center on the west side.
Ca Len Par is a first-year nursing student at Ivy Tech’s Lawrence campus. Although she lives near the main campus, she has no plans to go to Ivy Tech when the changes take effect in a few years. Credit: Doug McSchooler of Mirror Indy
Most current students will not be affected by this change. Some Lawrence University students said they haven’t heard much about the building’s closure, other than a chance mention during orientation or a brief mention from a professor.
Raphael Edeh, who is pursuing a second career as a nurse, chose Ivy Tech in Lawrence. The reason was that they had the program I wanted at an affordable price. But being close to home in McCordsville is also a plus.
“I now live 10 minutes from here,” said Ede, 35. “My job is also like 10 minutes from here. So it’s a nice triangle.”
But Ede is somewhat of an outlier compared to many of Lawrence’s colleagues. Despite being located on the east side, Ivy Tech does not necessarily accept students from surrounding areas. Students from all over the city drive to Lawrence to take medical and nursing classes offered there.
Nursing student Ka Leng Parr has no plans to stay at Ivy Tech when the changes take effect in a few years. She lives near the main campus. It would have been easier if I didn’t have to drive to Lawrence.
“So it’s close to my house,” the 21-year-old said, “so that’s a plus.”
Rethinking Ivy Tech in Indy
Ivy Tech has been at its current location in Lawrence since 2003.
The facility currently serves approximately 2,700 students attending the university’s Fairbanks Health Professions Center. It’s the center of Indianapolis’ medical programs, including nursing, respiratory care, and massage therapy.
Nellie Ada, originally from Nigeria, is a first-year nursing student at Ivy Tech’s Lawrence campus. Yvonne Smietanski is a first-year nursing student at Ivy Tech’s Lawrence campus.
But Michalak said the Lawrence building was not originally designed for classes and will require about $30 million in repairs.
Instead, Ivy Tech plans to spend about $33 million in state funds and $5 million from fundraising efforts on a new building closer to downtown, which the university has determined is a better use of time and money. did.
“Nursing and health sciences students have the advantage of being close to medical facilities in downtown Indianapolis,” Michalak said. “Bringing health sciences and nursing to the Indianapolis campus is at the heart of everything, and the domino effect will happen from there.”
In addition to the new medical building, Ivy Tech also plans renovations to its main campus in Indianapolis, including new classrooms at the North Meridian Center and improvements to the Illinois Fall Creek Center.
“Where we can upgrade existing facilities in a reasonable way, we do so,” Michalak said.
Lawrence redevelopment
Ivy Tech’s plan to oust Lawrence raises questions about who will replace him.
The university is quite large, with 300,000 square feet of facilities on more than ten acres of land.
Additionally, the new Purple Line terminates on campus, and Lawrence University officials no doubt hope that increased public transportation will encourage pedestrian traffic and business development.
Keith Johnson, executive director of the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority, which manages development in the Fort Harrison area where the campus is located, said there are no plans for redevelopment at this time. But Johnson said he is hopeful for arts and culture development.
Ivy Tech Lawrence Campus on October 10, 2024. Credit: Doug McSchooler of Mirror Indy
“What the students are adding is the kind of daytime traffic that we want, which is to make the Fort a downtown Lawrence and arts and cultural district,” Johnson said. said.
Ivy Tech will remain in Lawrence for at least the next two years, Michalak said, and the redevelopment is still in its early stages.
In fact, Ivy Tech plans to move more general studies students and classes to the Lawrence campus while construction on the main campus begins early next year.
“We need to make sure construction on our downtown Indianapolis campus is complete before we move all of our programs,” Michalak said. “Once all the moves are complete, we will then decide what to do with the property.”
Claire Rufford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire at claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org or Instagram/X @clairerafford.
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