Ivy Tech Bloomington to confer 1,750 credentials to graduates on Friday
Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington will host its annual Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 12 at 6 p.m. at the Indiana University Auditorium, where it will confer approximately 1,750 associate degrees and certificates to graduates, a 17% increase over last year.
- Larry Swafford, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Ivy Tech Bloomington, will give the Commencement address and will also be his final ceremony as he retires his position after 17 years of service to the College and 35 years in radiation therapy and higher education. Swafford will speak to his own educational journey in pursuing his life’s calling as an educator and radiation therapist.
- An Honorary Associate of College and Community Service degree will be awarded to Connie Ferguson, Chairwoman of the Campus Board of Trustees and Owner of CS Property Management, for her decades of service to the College.
- The 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Erik Bare, will also be recognized. Bare is a 2009 graduate of the Radiation Therapy program. He currently holds the position of Executive Director of Oncology Services at Community Health Network MD Anderson Cancer Center in Indianapolis, Ind. and serves on the Bloomington campus Radiation Therapy program advisory board.
- Ivy Tech Bloomington is conferring 455 transfer degrees and certificates to graduates, which is 26% of all credentials awarded. Ivy Tech has transfer agreements with more than 100 in- and out-of-state schools, including guaranteed admissions programs to Indiana University.
- The number of students graduating with honors is 432—up 63 graduates over last year—with 135 graduating summa cum laude for maintaining a 4.0 grade point average.
- The campus is graduating 370 Early College graduates that have earned credentials with dual credit classes in high school. Early College graduates earn a certificate, Associate of General Studies, or an Indiana College Core technical certificate before high school graduation. By earning the Core in high school, students can earn their first year of college credits before they graduate.
- The campus is conferring 100, tuition-free credentials to graduates, paid for by the state’s Next Level Jobs Workforce Ready Grant. Next Level Jobs programs at Ivy Tech Bloomington prepare Hoosiers for in-demand jobs in Indiana.
- Associate Accelerated Program (ASAP) students will earn 54 associate degrees and certificates among 21 graduates. ASAP allows students ages 21 and under to earn an associate degree in 11 months.
- In 2020, Ivy Tech Bloomington launched IvyAccelerate for busy adults who want to graduate on time and will award 13 credentials to 8 graduates. Classes are held two nights per week with the flexibility to attend in-person or virtually.
- Ivy Tech Bloomington is conferring 30 associate degrees and certificates to 44 Achieve Your Degree™ (AYD) graduates. AYD is an employer-paid tuition assistance program that offers the chance to earn college credentials with no upfront cost to students. Locally, Ivy Tech has agreements with 17 employers, and the College works with more than 200 companies statewide.
- 28 military veterans and 8 international students representing the countries of China, India, and Zimbabwe are graduating.
- Approximately 82 Associate of Science in Nursing (RN) degrees and 51 Practical Nursing (LPN) certificates will be awarded.
Cops Cycling for Survivors releases 2023 ride information
Cops Cycling for Survivors is pleased to announce plans for their 22nd annual bicycle tour of Indiana as well as unveiling the memorial photos on their support truck in anticipation of National Police Week, May 14-20, 2023. The group will bike nearly 1,000 miles over 13 days in July to honor law enforcement officers fallen in the line of duty and their survivors. As in past years, Cops Cycling does not make a determination of line of duty death status but honors Indiana officers recognized by state and federal officials as having died in the line of duty. This year, special honor is given to four (4) officers recognized as line of duty deaths in 2022 as well as one (1) officer from 2020 who was recognized by officials in 2022 as a line of duty death.
In 2002, Cops Cycling for Survivors began with a ride to Washington, D.C. to honor fallen officers. The cyclists now ride through Indiana meeting with survivors of officers to support them as they continue to deal with the loss of loved ones. The group honors the more than 450 Indiana officers who have been recognized as line of duty deaths by reading a memorial for each officer during the tour.
In addition to memorializing Indiana’s fallen officers, Cops Cycling for Survivors raises financial support for survivors. Proceeds from the annual ride provide line of duty death benefits for primary survivors as well as fund scholarships, camps, and other avenues of support for survivors. The group also assists Line of Duty Death Justice as survivors work through years of court dates, including parole hearings and appeals. More information and a donation page are found at http://www.copscycling4survivors.com/ .
Interested cyclists may contact the group at copscyclingforsurvivors@gmail.com for more information on joining the ride for all or parts of the ride. Cyclists include survivors, law enforcement officers, and friends of law enforcement.
Creative Entrepreneurs to Complete Entrepreneurship, Community Engagement Workshop
The Indiana Arts Commission announced today that 40 Hoosier creative entrepreneurs will participate in the annual On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator. On-Ramp is a national award-winning program designed to educate artists and creative professionals in key areas of entrepreneurship and finance and to provide ongoing mentorship and development of arts-based small businesses.
Over the course of three days, participants will follow a curriculum designed and led by Elaine Grogan Luttrull of Minerva Financial Arts. The programming will take place in Columbus, Indiana, with Columbus Area Arts Council serving as cohost for On-Ramp. Columbus Area Arts Council is also a Regional Arts Partner of the Indiana Arts Commission.
At the conclusion of the three-day training, the entrepreneurs will submit proposals for a $2,000 fellowship to directly apply course lessons to their creative career and small business development. Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of mentor creative entrepreneurs who will provide feedback based upon their individual and collective expertise.
Learn more about the On-Ramp Creative Entrepreneur Accelerator.
This Week in Hoosier History
1876 – Colonel Eli Lilly opened a laboratory on Pearl Street in Indianapolis. His firm grew to become one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
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