At the 2022 Circle of Ivy Event we were thrilled to announce that more than 1,000 Circle of Ivy members collectively raised a total impact of $263,649! Our members provided support to fund 84 projects across the state which are listed below.
Circle of Ivy Anderson Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $10,000.00
IvyCares Student Emergency Fund – $5,000 Students in good standing and showing financial need may apply for emergency funds to cover rent, utilities, car repairs, medical bills, gas gift cards, etc. one time per semester up to $500 per semester. Ivy Tech will pay the vendor directly. Year to date, the Anderson campus has had 61 students apply for emergency aid and we have awarded over $19,000 in assistance.
Give and Take Food Pantry – $2,500 Students that struggle to meet their basic needs will struggle to persist and be successful in college. To help address this need of our students, our campus has established a Give and Take Food Pantry on campus for students and staff who need assistance with food, toiletries, diapers, baby formula, and other essential items. Last year with the help of Circle of Ivy over 50+ students benefited from this program, and we have only seen the need increase.
General Scholarship Fund – $2,500 Scholarships awarded to students in good standing and demonstrating high financial need
Circle of Ivy Bloomington Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $24,087.25
Alternative Spring Break: Adding Two Faculty to Student Experience – $6,000 Alternative Spring Break (ASB) provides students with unique structured and spontaneous learning opportunities that build confidence and encourage and empower collaboration, innovation, and relationships.
Stone Carving Tools- $5,000 As we are in the middle of the Indiana Limestone belt, teaching stone carving is important to the industry and the cultural heritage of the area. With the funding, we will be purchasing 10 sets of hand-carving tools from the Bybee Stone Tool Co, Ellettsville, IN. The tools from Bybee will be made with tungsten carbide, which means that they stay sharp for a very long time. The new tool sare is also made especially for the limestone, having been developed over time through the collaboration of the cutters and the blacksmiths. Our students will benefit greatly from this upgrade.
Accelerated Program Day Trip to Chicago – $4,000 ASAP is a rigorous program where recent high school graduates can earn their entire Associate’s Degree in just eleven months. These are high-achieving and extremely motivated students in every aspect of their lives. We know that towards the end of their journey in ASAP, they’ve worked really hard and pushed themselves in ways they’ve never had to before. As a way to congratulate them and keep them motivated through the end, we will be taking our current ASAP cohort on an incredible field trip to Chicago in April 2023. We will share Chicago sights and foods, while also allowing them to experience two amazing museums – The Adler Planetarium and the Museum of Science and Industry. Some of our students have never left the city, let alone the state, and we want to give them an experience they may never have had otherwise. During the ASAP program, students are encouraged not to work and treat ASAP as a full-time job; because of this, we’re trying to keep this trip as low or at no cost to the students as we can. We’ve asked Kurt Messick, who teaches all the sciences classes for ASAP (Physical Science in the Summer, Earth Science in the Fall, and Astronomy in the Spring), to accompany us and help plan the trip. Not only will it be a great day for ASAP in general, but a great bonding experience between the students, Kurt, and the ASAP staff.
Oculus Quest Virtual Reality & Learning Headsets for Olcott Library – $3,179.85 Students will be able to immerse themselves into virtual environments that they might not have access to otherwise. For example, they may traverse the solar system or travel through history to visit a 16th-century castle. The Library’s previous Oculus Go headsets have reached the end of their lifecycle, and Oculus will not support software patches after 2022. Upgrading to the Quest 2 will allow for more flexibility in VR use. Previously, the library has used VR at events such as a presentation on STEM in India, school visits and First Friday tours, monthly VR Hour events, and an ASTR lab. An upgraded Quest 2 will be used to continue these projects and would expand our opportunity to provide new programs at student and community events, such as a tour of Italy at an Alternative Spring Break function, and a brain tour for the Psi Beta Psychology honor society. Providing VR equipment through the library will benefit not just the students in one class or department, but the entire student body. These students will have the opportunity to experience cutting-edge technology through the Library. Further, instructors from many disciplines will also have the opportunity to discover new technology and implement it in the classroom.
Bloomington E-sports Computer Upgrades – $3,000 Many campuses have eSports clubs and conduct friendly matches against each other. This is great for student engagement, but you need powerful computer hardware to run these games. With these upgrades, more students could participate in the events. In addition, these upgraded computers will also benefit some of our software development classes like SDEV 148 intro to game development.
Forestry Fun: Expanding Our Outdoor Learning Lab’s Reach – $2,907.40 While the Outdoor Learning Lab does include a 6.2-acre wooded area, the woods are very open, so lots of light reaches through in many locations. Unfortunately, this means that numerous invasive species have been able to thrive throughout the woods, including Autumn Olive, Japanese Honeysuckle, and Multiflora Rose. In the fall of 2022, we started adding trails to the woodlot, and, with our garden in place, in 2023 we wish to shift our focus to the woods and trees. For this phase of our implementation, our goals are to increase educational and research opportunities for our students and the public around invasive species (why they are a problem, identification, and their removal) and native trees (types, identification, uses, etc). We also hope to add an outdoor classroom and some bird blinds in the woods to expand our focus in that area as well (pursuing alternative funding for these). We plan to work with students and area groups for a number of workdays throughout the spring, summer, and fall of 2023 that focus on trial building, outdoor classroom and arboretum installation, and invasive species removal.
Circle of Ivy Columbus Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $6,954.65
Corner of Community – $200 The “Corner of Community” project will consist of a free-standing whiteboard that would be placed in a common area at the school. Every day, there will be a new question, puzzle, drawing, or thought cloud for both students and faculty to add their responses. Some examples include: “Thumbs Up Thursday—What was one thing that happened this week that was really good?”, “Turn It Up Tuesday—What is a song that puts you in a good mood?”, “Fun Fact Friday—Write a Fun Fact about yourself?” The board also may have a beginning of a drawing and each person adds something to it as they walk by or a story that is started and each person adds a sentence as they pass, which could also lead to discussions amongst others.
Literacy Library – $1,000 The Columbus Service Area has expanded its operations to Johnson and Shelby Counties in the last two years. Education students taking courses at the Columbus campus have access to printed children’s books via the University Library and a small library collection in the Education Learning Lab. However, education students taking courses in Franklin do not have access to printed children’s books or book collections to engage in teaching strategies involving literacy for the Education course EDUC 233-Literacy Development through Children’s Literature. This project will fund the purchase of children’s books to begin building a children’s books library to use at the Franklin campus. The books selected cover a wide range of grade levels (K-7) and topics including multicultural, social, and emotional, fairy tales, and graphic novels.
Workbench for Machine Tools – $479.33 Our Machine Tool shop and lab need a workbench to hold tools and materials while students are working on course projects. This is the heart of any shop. The Machine Tool faculty would like to provide a safe stable space for woodworking and/or metalworking.
TV in Aviation Courses – $479.33 Watching TV in school might sound like a bad idea. Granted, in my own school days, the only time teachers let us watch the TV was at the end of term as a treat, not for educational purposes. The 75-inch flat-screen TV in small to medium-sized aviation classrooms will offer the ability for our cohorts to interact with the classroom content through their own remote devices, such as a tablet or a laptop. Going with a professional display during the presentation will increase the life of the unit and provide far more brightness and clarity during the lecture, small group, and class interactive activities than most projectors – that makes every seat in the Round Top Hangar classroom a good seat.
Welding Ergonomics – $479.33 The WELD program is looking to purchase the DHC2000 with oxy-acetylene torch capability of welding, cutting, brazing, soldering, leading, and preheating a variety of ferrous and non-ferrous metals, such as mild steel, stainless steel, aluminum, and cast iron. The combination of a low-velocity flame and concentrated heat will help our students safely practice a new level of welding control and versatility. The flame velocity in this tool is reduced four times than in a conventional torch that prevents the molten puddle from “blowing out,” allowing students to practice, control and complete the welding process of difficult materials such as aluminum. The comfortable pistol-grip torch body is made from lightweight aluminum that trains and develop a more natural working position for students’ hands and body.
Precision and Layout Tools – $208 The precision manufacturing process involves the removal of raw materials from the object to develop a perfect finished product. Our Machine Tool faculty are looking to purchase a variety of small precision measurement and layout tools to supplement and enhance new student learning activities and experiences. Using precision tools in Machine Tool courses will boost precision or accuracy while machining products. Our students will develop and practice a variety of new skills using precision layout tools and techniques, and set up and operate the mills, lathes, grinders, and other important conventional machines found in a standard machine shop.
Summer Camp Tee Shirts – $400 A great way to tap into that pre-arrival summer camp energy is by giving away Ivy Tech custom tees right before the camp begins. The custom t-shirt is an easy way to welcome campers and their families on campus, take a group picture, and get future campers excited to participate in all scheduled activities. Memories of summer camps hold special places in so many hearts. The AMEAS School would like to design and purchase the t-shirts to bridge the gap between practical use and sentimental memories. Also, our t-shirts will make an excellent thank-you gift idea for all summer camp volunteers and donors.
Mirrorless Camera for Still Photography and Video – $1,000 The School of Visual Communications at Ivy Tech, Columbus, maintains a library of cameras, lenses, tripods, mics, light adapters, and other equipment to loan to students in video and photography. This library of tech is extremely important to our program as it provides the opportunity to learn skills in photography and video using industry-standard equipment at no cost to our students. These funds will add the Nikon Z 50 to our library. This is an entry-level mirrorless camera, which is lightweight, compact, silent, and can capture brilliant still photography as well as high-quality video. This camera will be an ideal choice for students who enroll in VISC 104 – Basic Photography as they learn to manipulate aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to achieve a desired mood or effect in their compositions. It will also be an ideal choice for students in VISC 105 – Video and Sound as they will be able to analyze video quality in real-time using the Z 50’s LCD monitor.
Science Education Health Care Related Fields – $479.33 With hands-on 3D models of eyeballs and ears, students will get a better appreciation of the intricacies of the anatomy behind the special senses of vision and hearing.
Precision Ag Drone – $750 Our new Precision Ag Degree Program started in the Fall of 2022. This is a new program with limited equipment. DJI Drones are the standard for classroom training. We are offering a Drone Class PAET 107 in Spring 2023. We need equipment to train students to use. The DJI Mini 2 Fly More Combo with accessories including a tablet holder, propeller guards, and charging base.
Hub Programs – $1,000 Our Hub in Columbus has been gaining great traction with our students. But we want to grow what we offer and offer programs to assist with barrier-busting. We will assist with the following: Offer baby supplies like diapers, bottles, and other needs. $300, Bring back Hello Ivy to provide a free whole meal to students, with instructions on how to make the meal. $300, Offer holiday meals to students for Thanksgiving and Christmas. These meal kits will include ham, vegetables, and a pie. $300, Have available school supplies like notebooks and pencils, these go very fast in the Hub. $100 According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, to reach transcendence, one must have their physiological needs met. Physiological needs are food, hygiene, and other basic needs. Many of our students struggle with meeting their basic needs as our Hub has been very utilized just in the Fall 2022 semester. Helping students meet these needs will help break down the greatest barrier a student has at Ivy Tech. We also working with Amani to provide intentional coaching to ensure students who receive Ivy Cares assistance are retained and have a support team helping them through their educational journey. These funds will directly help and impact the group of students in the most need.
Arduino Kits for IoT – $479.33 I am requesting monies to purchase Arduino starter kits for students to be used in my IoT course on the Columbus campus. It comes with the Arduino board and all the needed components, as well as a project book that contains 15 different IoT projects that can be done with their kits. Some students may choose to purchase their own kits, but I would like to have kits on hand to assist students who may not have the funds to do so.
Circle of Ivy Evansville Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $20,000
Stamp Your Passport: Global Learning is for Everyone (Study Abroad) – $2,355 This proposal for funding from the Circle of Ivy aims at strengthening the skills of our students by providing them with international learning opportunities through a partnership between student life, wellness, and study abroad on the Evansville campus. Students will have a variety of opportunities to learn about their world on and off campus. Study abroad, and other international events offered on the Ivy Tech, Evansville campus serve as a building block for students to internationalize their skills. In 2023, Ivy Tech students will have an opportunity to study abroad in Budapest and Prague and attend meaningful international programming on the Evansville campus. The money requested in this proposal will be used to provide scholarships and to provide campus international events. Many of the campus events help to strengthen the tie between academics, and other areas of the institution, hence, providing students with a comprehensive, and holistic learning experience.
Advising Technoloy – $4,600 To aid in the student experience, advising has taken back the task of helping student register for classes but we are sorely needing the technology and equipment to make it both efficient and FERPA compliant. I humbly request the assistance of the Circle of Ivy to aid the Academic Advising Office with funds to go towards technology to help streamline in-office registration.
We envision advising sessions no longer having awkward pauses as advisors attempt to figure out how to register the student and navigate systems. Students will be able to sign in securely using these mobile devices to register and access their student information. Advisors will not have to utilize our work computers to register students, it reduces paperwork/DocuSigns and student traffic to the EEC and the Registrar.
This also allows advising to be more mobile and intentional. Advisors can take a mobile device and meet students in the commons or right outside classrooms. We can participate in registration fairs, and also help students apply for loaner laptops and emergency services. Or Advisors can even go to a local High School and work with students who have committed to attend Ivy Tech. For Ivy Tech as a whole, we can help with application/appointment to registration conversion. The impact can be monumental, but your support is needed.
Community Engagement: Adult Education and Literacy Programs – $10,000 Through Ivy+ Career Link, the Adult Education and English Literacy Programs are offered to the community as free open entry/ open exit programs designed to assess and academically challenge adult students who would like to learn English as a second language or acquire the core skills needed to earn a High School Equivalency diploma. Our instructors provide 45 hours of Adult Education and English Literacy programming each week in Princeton, Rockport, and at three Evansville locations. Most importantly, the adult education and literacy programs demonstrate an understanding of the community and align services to not only meet educational goals but reduce barriers by developing partnerships and support networks that increase student success and the workforce’s talent pipeline. Continued funding through the Circle of Ivy will provide the finances necessary to serve students and the community in a greater program capacity. Additional funds will again be allocated to pay for exams and bus passes, establish new program locations (e.g. YMCA), and purchase digital textbooks for distance learning due to Covid challenges. Due to the community need for adult education and literacy programs, our campuses’ accelerated growth has exceeded the allotted grant funding for the FY within 2 quarters; a continued partnership with the Circle of Ivy for program funding will again be an immediate benefit to the adult education and literacy community at Ivy Tech Community College.
Ivy Success: Look GOOD! Feel GOOD! Do GOOD! – $3,044.96 Ivy+ Career Link would like to provide motivated Ivy Tech students in their final two semesters of classes with the opportunity to access resources that will allow them to look good, feel confident, and be successful in their job search. Resources include an Ivy Success Package of a professional grade pen and padfolio for the completing participants, along with the chance to be awarded an Ivy Success Platinum Package of a $25 gas card to assist with transportation to & from interviews and a $100 gift card to assist with purchasing interview attire. To be awarded the Ivy Success Package and qualify to possibly be awarded the Ivy Success Platinum Package, students will complete three critical tasks related to job search success: 1) draft a resume and have it reviewed by a Career Coach, 2) upload a resume to HireIvy and get it approved for use on the site, and 3) complete a mock interview either in person or online via interviewing.com, including feedback from a Career Coach and the review of information addressing appropriate interview attire.
Circle of Ivy Fort Wayne Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $5,695
Emergency Funds (Barrier Busting Dollars) Helping Hands Emergency Fund – $1,900 The Helping Hands Fund assists students at Ivy Tech Community College through short-term financial emergencies so they can be in class, be prepared, and persist in their academic coursework. Students are eligible for a minimum of $50 and a maximum of $500. The previous allocations we have received from the Circle of Ivy have been beneficial in helping remove those barriers impacting our students.
Emergency Funds (Breaking Busting Dollars) Rent and Utility Fund – $1,900 In 2021, 24% of families in Allen County reported “getting behind” in their bills due to the high costs of housing in the area. During the 21-22 academic year, students requested assistance with housing or utilities 102 times. Knowing that most of our students are just one high utility bill or rent payment away from homelessness, this fund will target those students and prevent a student from dropping out of college to work additional hours or pick up another job to maintain their housing.
DSS Sensory Positive Study Room – $953 The Disability Support Services (DSS) program of Ivy Tech Fort Wayne and Warsaw (NE-Northeast) has created a sensory-friendly environment for our students. During Fall 2022, room 1630 opened to our students as a disability-friendly study space where our students can utilize assistive technologies, build relationships with each other, and receive support from DSS staff. Our students have identified a need for making room 1630 more sensory-friendly. This will enhance the environment of this space by altering the lighting and soundscape, enhancing visual stimulation, offering alternative seating options, and providing opportunities for sensorimotor stimulation, stress management, relationship building, and fostering a sense of belonging and community on campus. DSS staff have identified a need to provide opportunities for relationship building and safe spaces for our students where they feel welcome and can access support.
Coffee with a Professor – $942 Engagement with faculty outside of the traditional classroom setting is considered a predictor of student success in college. Coffee with a Professor is being created to encourage student-faculty and student-student interactions outside of the classroom–possibly discussing topics of academic interest, upcoming coursework, and general life experiences. As the name (Coffee with a Professor) suggests, professors and students would meet in a casual setting to drink a café style beverage while having a conversation. Getting to know a professor and fellow students may help students feel more at ease in the classroom, may give them more confidence when addressing their peers and professor, and may give them a deeper understanding of the course. Additionally, many of the theories used in studies of college student persistence and completion emphasize the importance of academic and social integration. Therefore, Coffee with a Professor strives to create connections that support academic and social integration while reinforcing the growth and holistic development of a student.
Circle of Ivy Hamilton County Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $9,000
The New Tutoring Center at Ivy Tech Hamilton County – $4,000 Tutors not only teach essential skills that students can use to succeed academically but give students the emotional support needed to tackle the rigors of college life. Here at Ivy Tech Hamilton County, we have an opportunity to create a tutoring center that not only serves our student body with the individualized academic support indicative of top universities across the country but also a space that is warm and welcoming to students.
Bulding Community One Slice at a Time – $1,140 Spending the day learning and eating lunch together will build community. Often, students are more likely to persist through tough classes when they feel they belong to the campus community. Sharing a pizza with them during their first week while also covering the course objectives for IVYT will help build the connections and confidence they need to succeed at Ivy Tech.
CliftonStrengths Champions – $1,990 The Hamilton County campus team has grown to include a Nursing Success Coach and a Retention Specialist. These roles will work directly with students to support them as they work to achieve their goals at Ivy Tech. To help these student-facing staff coach our students we would like for them to complete the CliftonStrengths for Students: Champions training offered through Gallup.
Metacognition: The Key to Acing Courses (and Life) by Dr. Saundra McGuire – $1,870 This interactive workshop introduces students to cognitive science-based learning strategies that help students experience meaningful, transferable learning, often resulting in A’s in their courses. This workshop can also help reduce the metacognitive equity gap between low-income versus high-income, minority versus majority, and well-prepared versus underprepared students.
Circle of Ivy Indianapolis Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $38,872.19
Teaching Equipment for Medical Assisting – $7,037.65 This will provide necessary teaching equipment for the clinical areas within the medical assisting programs at both Lawrence and Plainfield sites within the Indianapolis Campus Service Area.
Reconfiguring Library Space in Alignment with Student Needs – $5,386 To make research, writing, and technology support more convenient and accessible across the curriculum, we are integrating the Writing Center into the LRC Library. This requires a reconfiguration of the library’s current design and furniture arrangement, which are fixed and need to be replaced to update and realign the Library with what students are requesting.
Teach-2-Grow English 111 Service-Learning Course – $967 A popular course that regularly fills, students, to research gardening, write about gardening, and grow vegetables in a shared school garden located at the Culinary Center on the downtown Indianapolis campus. Funds will be used to purchase items necessary to maintain and refresh the existing garden beds, package the product for transport to students’ homes, and create a 400-square-foot butterfly garden that will provide nectar and host plants for native butterflies, including Monarchs.
Writing in Harmony: Summer Retreat in New Harmony, Indiana – $2,000 An inspiring setting, a supportive community, and a retreat from daily distractions—these TWO intense five-day retreats in New Harmony offers an ideal way to create a writing community. Though students won’t leave the state, New Harmony, with its remote location and minuscule population, feels like a very different experience. It’s a small, walkable community that gives our students a safe and nurturing space where they can venture out of their comfort zones—it’s an incredibly affordable, high-impact, ideal stepping stone to future travel experiences.
Active Learning in the Classroom – School of Nursing – $1,430.54 Research shows that students learn best when they can bring learning concepts into the classroom while participating in hands-on activities to bring those concepts to reality at the moment. Funding will provide interactive, in-class items such as buzzers, games, and materials needed to enhance the flipped classroom method of instruction, greatly benefitting students and leading to success in the classroom, as well as, success beyond the classroom in the clinical setting.
Elevate: “Change Starts Here” – Justice Involved Program – $7,500 Ivy+Career Link developed a program, Elevate: “Change Starts Here”, to support individuals who have encountered the criminal justice system e.g. prison, parole, community corrections, probation, jail, or have a criminal history. The Circle of Ivy grant will be used to enhance our support to Elevate: “Change Starts Here” specifically for Justice-involved program participants. The program aims to reduce recidivism, increase the number of credentials awarded to justice-involved students, and increase the retention rate of program participants.
IvyCARES (Caring Assistance Resources for Every Student) – $5,000 IvyCARES at Ivy Tech Indianapolis provides wraparound services to help students remove barriers to academic success and improve self-sufficiency. These services are available at no cost to all Ivy Tech Indianapolis students. Our goal is that this additional funding for housing assistance will help students overcome a large barrier they face while in school and assist in the overall educational attainment of Ivy Tech Indianapolis students.
Physics Department – Heat Engine Lab Equipment – $4,573 This funding will allow the physics department to purchase two sets of lab apparatus and related equipment for performing heat engine and gas law experiments including a university/department license for the software to record and graph lab data. This would allow us to design and implement a lab offering future physics students a hands-on opportunity to understand the basic thermodynamic principles underlying modern combustion engines, refrigerators, and turbines while using state-of-the-art software to analyze and characterize those processes.
Re-establishing the Visual Communication Collaboration Lab – $2,978 This project will provide a large format printer to place in a secured area to allow students to generate quality assignments for print evaluation. This will also serve as a resource for campus Visual Communication projects. This would reactivate a gathering space, making it a resource center again and a reason for students to return to campus.
Entrepreneurship Multi-Cohort Network Builder – $2,000 Funds will be used to support a gathering of 46 Entrepreneurship students together for an evening to celebrate progress, business success, and the addition of new and continuing local business champions, mentors, and coaches.
Circle of Ivy Kokomo Projects 2021 – 2022 Total Funding = $16,244
Cash for Completers – $3,000 Cash for Completers assists students working towards the completion of a certificate, technical certificate, and/or associate degree while in high school. Many of these students face the obstacle of not having the financial means to cover the cost of tuition and fees since high school students are not eligible for financial aid awards.
Hispanic/Latinx Education Coalition Jump Start – $2,712 The Hispanic/Latinx Education Coalition made up of staff, faculty, students, and community members strive to impact the Cass County community through educational opportunities at Ivy Tech Community College. The coalition seeks to build relationships and will aid in recruiting and retaining Hispanic/Latinx students making our service area more diverse and multicultural. Funding will include testing fees for foreign language test-out, recruitment materials, snacks for student gathering sessions, swag, and experiences beyond the classroom.
CastleBranch Record Portal for Nursing and Health Science Students – $4,000 Health Care students are required to receive a background check, drug screen, and demonstrate immunizations before being admitted into their program of study. This information must be submitted through a record-keeping program called CastleBranch. The cost of the CastleBranch record portal is a minimum of $130 per student. Funds will support students who do not have the resources to purchase the CastleBranch subscription.
Fund-A-Friday, ASAP Enrichment – $4,000 ASAP, our accelerated associate degree program continues to grow in our service area and our team has grown to support ASAP in both Kokomo and Logansport locations. The support, enrichment, and celebrations all play a role in the experience ASAP students receive while completing a 2-year-degree in less than one year. Without a doubt, these experiences, in addition to classroom instructional activity and learning environments, are key to their success.
New Beginnings – $2,532 With a greater need to combat the increasing decline in the labor force, it is essential to identify untapped populations in the community for potential growth opportunities and advancement; short-term (e.g. forklift) training for reentry (second-chance citizens) have the ability to meet that need. The ability to provide short-term (e.g. forklift) training certificates can foster stable employment and positively impact the workforce and community, as well as reduce recidivism. Overall, providing a new beginning in forklift training can address the numerous needs of employers as well as the community in a positive way.
Circle of Ivy Lafayette Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $9,000
Mothers Room – $1,200 We propose a room for mothers who need to breast pump while on campus. We know we have a room, but it is not very comfortable. Students are choosing to go to their cars to pump instead. We propose the following to make pumping and storing breast milk on campus much easier and more comfortable: A comfortable chair such as a leather rocker/recliner with a table to rest a breast pump on and nearby outlets to plug the pump into A sink to wash hands and pump parts A refrigerator to store breastmilk while on campus If funding allows, a Medela symphony hospital grade pump, which allows multiple users to bring their pump parts only rather than carrying a pump to campus each day.
Dual Credit Recognition: Ivy Tech Swag for Dual Credit Students – $2,400 The ITCC- Lafayette currently works with over 300 K-12 instructors with Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment opportunities. The items would be to recognize and highlight the amazing work that our K-12 instructors do for the college and their students. The items would also be a great way to market and showcase the dual credit program in hopes of increasing interest among other K-12 instructors. Our K-12 instructors currently teach over 4,000 amazing high school students. Additionally, the students would also receive items to showcase their involvement with dual credit courses.
Medical Evaluations for Students Needing Disability Services – $2,400 Often students come to us from high school and need to be re-evaluated for Disability Services. The high school evaluation does not carry over. They go without because they may not have the funds to get the medical evaluation that is needed. In many cases, grades suffer, not because they cannot do the work, but because they have a documented different ability that requires extra time or resources. I would like to see us help these students to move forward with their education and to remove barriers to their academic success.
Single Mom Student Success Tuition for IVYT111 – $2,400 FREE IVYT111 Class and ongoing support for Single Mom Learners This class and I.PASS program provides single-parent learners with an overview of the skills and strategies necessary to reach their educational, career, and life objectives. Topics include time management, study skills, learning styles, campus and community resources, critical thinking, utilization of technology, career skills, and global society. The class and I.PASS programs are designed to specifically assist single parents and provide a community of support. Single Mom Learners will: – Learn about campus and local resources. – Learn how to navigate through the college experience. – Build lasting relationships with campus leadership, classmates, and workforce partners. – Connect with wrap-around services that are designed to remove any barriers – counseling, tutoring, coaching, and more. Upon successful completion of the IVYT111 course and participation in the program, students will receive a refund for the 1 credit IVYT111 class tuition. Students will continue to receive ongoing mentoring, encouragement, and support throughout their education at Ivy Tech through the I.PASS Single Mom Success Program.
Tie Blanket Project – $600 Students, faculty & staff would work together to make tie blankets for the veterans and homeless in our community. This project would take place the week before fall finals, so this could also be an activity to help students de-stress from their studying for finals. Holiday cookies would also be available as a fun, festive treat and to provide an extra boost to finish studying strong. There would be tables set up on both the first and second floors of Gipe Hall to provide ample space for everyone to participate. Blankets would be delivered after the end of fall semester.
Circle of Ivy Lake County, Michigan City, Valparaiso Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $8,400
Road to Graduation Scholarship – $8,400 Funds will help students pay for tuition and fees to complete an Associate Degree program or Technical Certificate. Required criteria include female students with a minimum GPA of 3.0, who have unmet needs, who have 12 or fewer credits remaining, and who have applied for graduation. Twelve (12) awards of $700 each are awarded to 6 qualified candidates from both Lake County and Valparaiso campuses for a total of $8,400.
Circle of Ivy Lawrenceburg Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $8,655
Nursing Student Refrigerator – $375 The nursing students are on campus some days for class from 9-4 and they have nowhere to keep their lunch cold. I would like to get them a small refrigerator to store their lunch in.
From Garbage to Garden: The Ivy Tech Service-Learning Compost Trail – $1,580 The purpose of the Ivy Tech Service-Learning Compost Trail is to utilize composting as a life skill that not only illustrates learning objectives across disciplines but also provides a sustainable means of recycling food waste and feeding the community. It was developedand implemented by BIOL101 service-learning students in the Fall of 2017 and has made a significant community impact by bringing together various community members, including local restaurants, community gardeners, and Ivy Tech students, to naturally fertilize the Southeast Indiana Community Gardens. Last season we collected ~1500 gallons of compostable waste, and the Ivy Tech Service-Learning plots in the community garden produced ~500 pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables for the campus and local community food pantries. To strengthen community engagement, we are requesting funding for an additional cart and compost buckets that will be provided to community members in collaboration with Lawrenceburg Main Street at the weekly Farmers Market. Buckets printed with composting information will be taken home by community members, filled with compostable items, and brought back to the Farmers Market to exchange for an empty bucket. Service-learning students will provide composting education, add the compostable items to the compost pile at the community garden, and clean the buckets for the next week. To evaluate success, gallons of compostable waste will be tracked, and service-learning reflections will be assessed.
MST Trainers – $4,200 Modular Skills Trainers (MST) are Independent Skills Practice Trainers that are modular. Trainers improve, validate and promote independent student learning. Trainers require no electric or pneumatic power making them on demand in any environment. Trainers can be utilized in the lab as additional practice stations to accommodate increased enrollment. During clinical site experience MSTs can be utilized by clinical instructors and students to review or remediate a skill(s) or if the unit census is low. Students can check out MSTs and practice skills at home. Instructors can utilize MSTs during didactic to demonstrate evidence-based nursing practice. MSTs could also be utilized in the event of building closure to prevent delay of course progression. Students will be able to self-record demonstrations of required skills and submit them for grading. Practice with MSTs will increase student retention by improving student access thus improving lab skill competencies.
Placed-Based Junior Ranger Program – $1,500 This proposal is to increase place-based learning experiences for younger students in the STEM field of science. Placed-based activities are a great learning modality and bringing this type of program to a local level would be beneficial. This proposal would bring a place-based learning experience for particularly younger students (grades 3-7) to a local city park. The goal is to develop a Junior Ranger Program at Lena’s Loop, which is a park in Batesville. This Junior Ranger Program will include an educational booklet for Lena’s Loop. The development of this booklet is part of a Service-Learning Project for EarthScience classes at Batesville. The students are creating science education content including such topics as learning about city/state/National Parks, Leave No Trace principles, ecosystems, habitats, food webs, dichotomous keys, etc. Students will devise workbook content while hiking, observing nature, determining the impact they can have in nature, and the importance of preserving environmental spaces such as the park being studied. While this is geared toward grades 3-7, any individual can participate in this program. Once any individual (regardless of age) completes this program, they would be eligible to receive a Junior Ranger Badge. It is hopeful that the Batesville Parks & Recreation Department and Batesville School District will join this Place-Based Junior Ranger Program to make it a success.
ASAP Goodwill Hunting – $1,000
Circle of Ivy Madison Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $2,000
Etiquette Dinner – $2,000 The annual etiquette dinner will be hosted by the CCEC staff and led by Professor Marta Belt. The event will address topics such as table manners, mingling, and professional behavior in social situations. The dinner will take place in our rotunda which will be transformed into a restaurant. Each table will include a member of the Madison community who will act as the table host to facilitate conversation and interaction among the students. Past events have resulted in student participants receiving job interview opportunities and scholarships.
Circle of Ivy Marion Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $2,100
Student Emergency Fund – $2,100 This program works to help meet the academic and personal needs of our students that are barriers to their education. These barriers could be school supplies including uniforms or equipment, car repairs, childcare, internet/hot spots, and nutritional needs.
Circle of Ivy Muncie Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $6,500
Rudi’s Success Net – $2,500 Rudi’s Success Nest is a combination of many supports that help students remain successful throughout their college careers. The Career Clothing Closet helps students be interview-ready with clothing they can keep or return. The Food Pantry provides students with groceries and other incidental items that are needed on a day-to-day basis so that their minds can be focused on class, not their next meal. These are just two examples of the way Rudi’s Success Nest can impact students.
Student Emergency Fund- $4,000 Student emergency funding is essential to our efforts to remove barriers for students and support their success. Through this funding, we help students pay bills and deal with life when it happens so they can remain in school to complete their degrees. Many lives have been changed through the use of these funds.
Circle of Ivy Richmond Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $5,782
Amnesty Scholarships – $2,841.90 Richmond campus has long struggled with helping students achieve their educational goals due to missteps that occurred on the part of the student in the past. The typical scenario we see happens like this: Students took a couple of courses with Ivy Tech Community College (or in some cases Indiana Vocational Technical College) when they were recent high school graduates. For any one of a dozen reasons, this attempt at college was unsuccessful. Many years later they are looking to skill up, advance within their organization, or pursue a career change and they apply to start a degree program here at the Richmond Campus. Due to the unsuccessful attempt at college right out of high school, they are now terminated from financial aid. Proposal: Two first come first served scholarships that will allow a student that meets the below criteria to take up to three courses in one semester to attempt to regain financial aid eligibility. Took all prior Ivy Tech classes before the age of 22. Currently, Financial aid is terminated for a Completion Rate or GPA. Have not taken any Ivy Tech classes in the past 7 years. Are not undeclared or undecided program students. Willing to complete courses covered by this scholarship on campus in a traditional modality. Take courses with no consumable fees or agree to pay for consumable fees out of pocket. Must meet with the IVY + Career Link Career Coach before being awarded the scholarship
NCLEX Fee Scholarships – $2,940.10 This proposal is to request grant money to fund payment of the NCLEX-associated fees (including the Indiana State Board of Nursing application fee, background check fee, and/or NCSBN NCLEX test fee) for nursing students in need graduating in May 2023 and July 2023. Nursing students in their final semester face many costs that are not part of their program tuition and fees. These include an Indiana State Board of Nursing (ISBN) application fee, mandatory background check fee, National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) NCLEX licensing exam fee, NCLEX picture fee, graduation regalia costs, nursing ceremony pin cost, and many choose to participate in an additional NCLEX review course to increase their likelihood of NCLEX testing success. These costs quickly exceed $800 to $1000 for each student. While the earned credential is a great accomplishment, graduates cannot obtain nursing jobs without passing the licensing exam. Each year, the Richmond campus has seen several students who would not have been able to apply to sit for the NCLEX exam without the help of emergency funding. Fortunately, the Richmond campus has been awarded Circle of Ivy grant funding for the past four years and assisted 43 graduates in need to pay for application and testing promptly. In fact, 86% of Circle of Ivy grant-funded testers passed NCLEX on the first attempt in the past four years!
Circle of Ivy Sellersburg Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $18,339.42
Reducing Road Rish for Commuters – $1,200 Students in the healthcare field are required to complete classes and clinical rotations in person. A large number of students in the Physical Therapist Assistant program are from other Ivy Tech campuses across the state and commute over 100 miles to the Sellersburg campus and/or clinical sites. Currently, we have students traveling from their homes in Kokomo, Bloomington, Plainfield, Evansville, Crawfordsville, and Indianapolis. During the spring semester, the weather is a big challenge for these commuters. Often, our students from the more northern part of the state are forced to make decisions about driving that compromise their safety or force them to miss valuable class/clinic time. Many of our students cannot afford the extra cost of staying at a local hotel. If an emergency fund was available, it would allow faculty to provide some monetary support so students could better afford a hotel room to prevent driving in treacherous weather conditions.
Food Pantry Supplies – $3,000 Ivy Cares is here to support students with challenges that they face outside of the classroom that can stop them from being successful while in college. The food pantry is one of the ways that we make sure that students’ needs are met. Our food pantry supports strategic goal 1, student success. Strategy 1.2 is to create a community of care. This includes connecting students to resources and services that are needed. The Ivy Cares food pantry is a resource that addresses food insecurity on the Sellersburg campus. For the food pantry to be maintained, we formed a partnership with Dare 2 Care. They assist us with making sure that we have food in our pantry, but they are unable to help with other items students may need such as household items, toiletries, and reusable bags. This money would allow Ivy Cares to maintain the food pantry until the summer 2023 school semester. Last year with the help of Circle of Ivy over 200+ students benefited.
IvyCares Holiday Programming – $3,000 The Department of Ivy Cares hosts two annual holiday events. These two events eliminate student barriers that take place during major holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Ourholiday programming/events align with goal 1 student success and goal 7 community. Goal 1.2 is to create a community of care. These events show the students that we care about the challenges and hardships they face during the holiday season. This also shows that we are not only informed but we would like to be a helping hand in a time of need. Goal 7.2 is to engage directly with each community’s most pressing needs. During these events, we engage our staff members, community partners, and agencies so that they can firsthand see the need that we have. The first event is Thanks for Giving where we collect donations for a Thanksgiving basket. After donations are collected the department of Ivy Cares is tasked with collecting the items that we were unable to secure. Last year during this event we had 35 applications and we were able to assist 15 families a total of 51 people. After the donations were collected Ivy Cares then spent $800 on turkeys and other items, which we were unable to secure through donations. The angel tree event is designed to make sure that our students can provide holiday gifts for their families. Last year’s angel tree event had over 50 applications and we were able to accept 39 students and 80 angels. The money will be used to help fund these two events. This will not only benefit the students but also the communities that we serve and live in.
Active Learning Programming – $2,897.97 Students are responding positively to active learning. There is an increasing need for active learning supplies. The Active Learning Program provides the equipment for students to use to be able to actively participate in their virtual classes. The multi-media equipment (green room) availability provides students access to videotaping presentations for classes, practice for public speaking, segments for portfolios, career interview practice, and more. The collection of human anatomy models provides students with opportunities to see, feel, and retain important health details. In Ogle Commons, students have the option of studying individually or in groups.
Breakthrough Ambassador Program to include Mind & Body Workshops – $3,000 The Breakthrough Ambassador Program is a pilot mentoring program targeted to first-year students. While the intent is for faculty, staff, and second-year students to serve asBreakthrough Ambassadors to create a sense of community and belonging for our first-year and at-risk populations, any interested student could participate. The structure would be monthly enrichment activities where success stories from our ambassadors are featured as well as helpful tools for the best learning experience (campus resources, time management, test-taking tips, mindfulness training, stress management, etc.) The participants would also have the opportunity to benefit from a breakout session within their program of study, so they bond with program leaders, instructors, and fellow students outside of the classroom. We would also like to host a family event during the early part of the Spring semester so families can also feel involved in their student’s school. This program is needed to connect the first-year and at-risk populations to our campus. Students who feel connected have higher success and retention rates. Funds are needed for food, supplies, student and family event planning as well as shirts to identify the ambassadors at our functions and kick-off events throughout the year.
Mind & Body Workshops Tricia Wall To increase personal wellness, enhance the campus culture, and help all those on campus feel more included and connected, we are looking to provide a five-part series of Mind and Body Workshops for the spring semester. Possible topics might include mindfulness training, self-defense training, yoga, stress management, and even a relaxing paint party (creating a unique work of art with the help of a professional). These events would be open to all students, faculty, and staff. The funding would cover the cost of the instructor and food.
Through these events, participants would have an opportunity to informally interact with peers and those in other roles on campus to build a more cohesive campus culture, along with participating in events that will enhance their overall wellness. Through this community building, students will have a greater likelihood to persist in their educational goals and faculty/staff will be more likely to be retained. Everyone benefits!
Hot Stone Massage Equipment – $2,315.45 Hot Stone Massage is one of the top requested services in the therapeutic massage industry. Providing our TMAS students with the appropriate equipment to train and master this skill in our classroom places them atop the list of prospective employees. It is an applied skill that cannot be replicated in the classroom without the proper equipment. This training complements the TMAS 211 Deep Tissue massage course and we currently do not have the equipment to demonstrate or train this skill. The proposal allows for allocated funds for the purchase of 6 sets of equipment to utilize in our training program for Therapeutic Massage on the Sellersburg campus.
Preparing Students for the Next Generation NCLEX! – $2,926 Have you heard?! The NCLEX is changing! The Next Generation NCLEX is set to launch on April 1, 2023. Students graduating from the School of Nursing will be tested like never before as they prove themselves capable to become a nurse! The nursing faculty team has been preparing and making changes as we strive to support our students. One strategy will be Next Gen NCLEX Workshops led by nursing faculty during the spring 2023 semester. All nursing students anticipating program completion in May or July 2023 will be encouraged to attend. The Circle of Ivy will help to provide additional resources for students in need! Two items have been selected as ideal resources to help nursing graduates prepare for NCLEX. For the Associate Degree in Nursing (ASN) graduates, the Hurst NOW NCLEX-RN provides 90-day access to a comprehensive online review of must-know content, a study workbook, and a question bank of over 1500 NCLEX questions to practice. For the Practical Nursing (PN) students, the UWorld NCLEX-PN 60-Day access code will allow graduates to complete a self-assessment and practice over 1400 NCLEX questions. The selection process for the distribution of items to students will be needs-based and also require attendance to the NGN NCLEX Workshops offered by faculty. Thank you for supporting future nurses!
Circle of Ivy South Bend/Elkhart Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $14,036
Style Ivy – COI Signature Event – $4,000 Style Ivy is the SBE COI signature event where students get the opportunity to work with a stylist to purchase career wear that will prepare them for job interviews and their future careers.
Fine Dining Service Evaluation for Hospitality – $2,000 Hospitality students will have the opportunity to experience top-notch dining service at South Bend’s Rose Lily restaurant. With this interactive learning experience, they will see the 9 principles of remarkable service in action
Ivy Academy & ASAP Activity Snacks – $1,500 Ivy Academy and ASAP students are high-school students working towards a college degree at Ivy Tech. These students can be at the college for most of, if not all of the day, sometimes missing their normal lunch at the high school. These funds will provide snacks to the students so they can stay focused and engaged during their time at the college.
Respiratory Therapy Student Lab Bags – $936 Respiratory students purchase lab bags to store and transport lab equipment to and from clinical courses. In the past, these bags have cost $300. This year the price was increased to $378. COI funds will subsidize the cost by covering the additional $78 for students in the program, reducing barriers and increasing retention.
Employee Engagement & Recognition Committee Events Fund – $2,000 Funds awarded to the Employee Engagement and Recognition Committee will support events throughout the year that celebrate the different backgrounds, accomplishments, and life events of our employees, all the while having fun!
The Ivy Quill Publication – $1,600 The Ivy Quill publication will allow students to publish their writing, art, and/or their photography in a collaborative learning environment. This will allow curriculum learning and cooperation between faculty and students. The Ivy Tech community at large can view and admire the hard work our students put into their classwork here at Ivy Tech SBE.
Career Awareness Program at the Charles Black Center – $2,000 Partnering with the Charles Black Center in South Bend, Ivy Tech students and faculty will host information sessions for more than 90 teens and adults who visit the center each day. The college will provide a clear pathway via Ivy Tech to increase employability in areas such as Information Technology, Logistics, and Entrepreneurship.
Circle of Ivy Terre Haute Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $12,000
Dual Enrolled Scholarships – $12,000 Description: Ivy Tech Community College is committed to providing a pathway for students in the K12 system to prepare for a post-high school education or career, often referred to as the concept “K14”. This term alludes to students planning to continue their education for at least 2 years after high school. One of the primary ways Ivy Tech creates K14 opportunities is through partnering with area school corporations to offer dual credit or dual enrolled courses. Dual credit courses are courses that count for high school credit but also earn college credit. These courses are taught in high schools by high school teachers. Through Ivy Tech, dual credit courses are offered at no cost to the student or their families. Dual enrollment courses, however, are existing college courses often taught on-campus or online. Dual-enrolled students are treated like all other students in the course. They are charged at the same rate as all other courses. At Ivy Tech, tuition is $149.55 per credit hour or $448.65 per three-credit hour course. Ivy Tech strives to provide high school students with the opportunity to graduate high school with a college credential already completed, allowing them to seamlessly transfer into a postsecondary institution of their choice or the workforce with employable skills. Often, Ivy Tech works with high schools to build “completion pathways” so that students can work towards a specific credential related to their career aspirations. However, if the school is unable to offer all the required courses in a credential, the student will have totake the remaining as dual enrolled. In the academic year 2021-2022, Ivy Tech Terre Haute/Greencastle provided more than 4,000 dual credit or dual enrolled courses to 2,550 high school students in West Central Indiana alone. As a result, these students’ families collectively saved an estimated $2 million in tuition fees. These students were not only able to fulfill high school graduation requirements but were allowed to start building their college careers. In the academic year 2021-2022, more than 260 college credentials were awarded to high school students before they even graduated high school. Support for this initiative will provide funding to offer a scholarship for a dual-enrolled course to high school students who have taken advantage of their dual credit offerings but need to enroll in at least one dual-enrolled course to earn a college credential. Scholarship dollars would be available starting in Spring 2023 and would support approximately 24 students.
Circle of Ivy Warsaw Projects 2022 – 2023 Total Funding = $6,100
Thanksgiving Meal-in-a-box – $500 For students with food insecurity, Ivy Tech Warsaw would like to provide a Thanksgiving meal for the entire family. In partnership with Combined Community Services which provides free turkey vouchers, Ivy Tech would purchase other fresh and ready-to-cook ingredients. Students would be encouraged to submit a brief application explaining why they are requesting assistance and the number of people in their immediate family. Funding would cover supplies for 10 boxes/families.
Emergency Funds (Barrier Busting Dollars) Emergency Transportation Funds – $1,600 For students short on cash and needing gas to get to class, we would like to continue providing $10 gas cards. For students needing longer-term transportation, we would assist in getting a KABS route established and would help cover those fares (typically $1 – $5 per ride).
Basics Bank Supply Pantry – $1,000 Housed in the Warsaw Learning Resource Center, the Basics Bank offers food, school supplies, and personal hygiene items to students, no questions asked. While in the Basics Bank, students are also encouraged to see LRC staff if they have other needs. Brochures and contact information for community social service agencies are available. The Warsaw Meijer store has also donated to this cause for the last several years.
Emergency Funds (Barrier Busting Dollars) Helping Hands Emergency Funds – $3,000 Students in good standing and showing financial need may apply for emergency funds to cover rent, utilities, car repairs, medical bills, etc. one time per semester up to $500 per semester. Ivy Tech will pay the vendor directly.
