Circle of Ivy Proposal Voting – 2021

To help support the course objectives of students in our Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning program, the department is requesting funding to purchase three 30-piece hand tool kits that are uniquely designed for HVAC support.

To reinforce the importance of bees to our ecosystem, biology faculty are requesting funding to integrate the study of bees, hives and pollination patterns into our new Outdoor Learning Lab. This cross-disciplinary phase of the lab will engage with our fine arts department to both create and install original art reflective of this key concept.

To support the Biology department’s focus on bee ecosystems, Fine Arts faculty are requesting funds to integrate instruction from a visiting artist both to teach artistic concepts and to create/install bee-themed original art in our Outdoor Learning Lab.

To emphasize skills that support early literacy, our Olcott Library is requesting funding to underwrite this family-friendly program that will include Ivy Tech students reading books, singing, and engaging in craft-time with their children. This 6-week program would serve 60 families.

Food photography done well is an important skill for students in our Hospitality/Culinary program. Faculty are requesting funding to purchase equipment to provide students a hands-on experience in photographing the foods they create for posting on social media and related marketing outlets.

The current cohort of accelerated students (earning associate degree in 11 months) endured a difficult transition from high school to Ivy Tech, largely missing out on rituals like homecoming and prom, and having to finish online. ASAP faculty are requesting funding for teambuilding activities that enrich students’ Ivy Tech experience and give back some of what COVID took from them.

Portrait and figure painting/drawing—particularly using a live model—are essential skills for arts students to master. Faculty are requesting funding to underwrite eight life-model sessions for students in ARTS 231 and ARTS 232 classes.

The ability to diagnose electrical systems on modern vehicles is essential for our automotive technology students. Faculty are requesting an interactive whiteboard and portable digital camera to reinforce the mastery of this key program outcome.

With ongoing enrollment growth in science classes, our physics, physical science, chemistry and radiation therapy students are limited in their access to technology that supports learning. Faculty are requesting funding to purchase additional sets of data-logging interfaces and chargers to use with existing sensors/probes.

The First Annual Ivy Tech Next Big Idea Virtual Pitch Contest is an Ivy Tech Community College centered pitch contest for Ivy Tech students (Evansville Campus) to present their business concepts via the IGOTBOOM contest platform in hopes of winning the Ivy Tech winning start-up business kit package provided. This incentive provides the opportunity to practice presenting a business idea in front of their peers, other established entrepreneurs, local business experts, professionals, community leaders, etc. Viewer/voters of the contest will evaluate the pitches based on the market opportunity and concept validation of the business idea. The pitch that receives the most votes will win the start-up business kit package powered by Circle of Ivy – Ivy Tech Community College (Evansville Campus). WHY: College level pitch competitions provide opportunities to network with other student participants, connect with mentors/investors, and learn about new resources available for future entrepreneurs.

The Ivy Tech Evansville Campus will be creating a beautiful green space full of amazing potential. This space will not only provide beauty and sustenance, but will be an outdoor space for learning and reflection. Community gardens are essential and they require many helping hands and materials to keep them thriving. Our Evansville campus will reap many benefits from this endeavor. There is already a design in place for the garden, we are just trying to secure more funding to get things started. The main purpose of the garden is to provide a peaceful space for tranquility and provide fresh produce to our students on campus to help them thrive during their journey at Ivy Tech.

Targeted programming that aligns with the greatest non-academic trends we have seen throughout the pandemic such as; Food Insecurity, LGBTQIA+ students, Disability support services, Domestic Violence, and emergency aid Ivy Cares strives to help students gain access to resources that can help them remain successful in and out of the classroom. We recently partnered with dare to care to address food insecurities that college students face while trying to matriculate. Through that partnership we were able to start a food pantry that needs supplies so that we can offer things such as meat, veggies and sides for students. Ivy Cares has many programs planned to help bring awareness to the many issues that students are facing such as domestic violence, LGBTQIA+ services, transportation, and disability awareness. We have seen an influx of students who are single parents, experiencing financial hardships and that are having a difficult time navigating life. 85% of Ivy Tech Students are Pell eligible, meaning their expected family contribution is less than $50,000 annually, but many of our students are awarded Pell grants with a gross annual household income of less than $20, 000. When you think about household, take into consideration the following, according to data from the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS), almost 70% of the almost 4 million adult learners are mothers. These mothers are not only faced with providing basic necessities for their children, they have to maintain a household, and many aspire to do better for themselves, in the form of returning to school with the goal of obtaining a livable wage earning credential. According to the NPSAS, a little over 60% of mothers in college, are single mothers, while most of their counterparts (fathers) are married. Keeping all of this in mind, how does this data lead to assisting our students? Goal 1 of the Ivy Tech Strategic Plan is Student Success. Strategy 1.1: Ensure the basic needs of the student are met. Most specifically, develop and orchestrate intentional wraparound services to meet the unique needs of students ranging from individual case management to location of external resources and services while enrolled. By giving us the funding needed to push these initiatives, we will be able to ensure that students basic needs are met with programming, emergency aid funds and intuitional supplies. I hope that you will consider the advocacy work that we do and the students who need our support!

This proposal is requesting funds to purchase 5 Raspberry Pi micro-computers and accessories to be used for real world projects in the IT Pathways Dual Enrollment Program at CSA High School. This equipment will provide the students with real hands on experience while learning concepts in areas such as IT support, IoT, networking, and programming. These micro-computers can potentially be incorporated in all 9 courses in the IT Pathways program.

Since the ASAP cohort was established at Columbus in 2014, students have successfully persevered through a 60-credit hour program in just 11 months. ASAP has now expanded in our area to include the MUTC Cyber Academy and the Advantage Shelby cohorts. 2022 will bring further expansion to the Franklin site and the launch of Ivy Accelerate, an adult-focused cohort. Our enrollment numbers continue to increase, and our students continue to persevere and graduate. Despite trials and tribulations along the way, students leave ASAP with not just associate degrees but with a new family of classmates and a director that has supported them through the process. This support continues after graduation—whenever it is needed. The ASAP curriculum is demanding, and these students often have additional stressors from life circumstances. These factors make an accelerated program additionally challenging. Our challenges are many, but our students are resilient. One challenge that has been ongoing but seems even more prevalent today is mental health. We would like to supply our ASAP students with not just a mental health toolkit of items to help reduce stress, but also an opportunity to come together in community with the other ASAP students in our area for mental health awareness activities. This will not only give students tangible items to enhance their mental health but will also widen their support network (their “ASAP family”) beyond their classroom to our entire area.

Diversity, Equity & Belonging are very important on our campus, and we want to expand celebrating and offer a variety of cultural and educational events throughout the Hispanic Heritage Month. National Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

The welding field is a profession that carries much more risks than others. The purpose of the personal protective equipment (PPE) is to protect the employees, students, and guests of Ivy Tech Community College from exposure to hazards and risk of injury while in the laboratory at AITC. It will be used in conjunction with other controls unless no other means of hazard control exist. Personal protective equipment will be provided, used, and maintained when it has been determined that its use is required to ensure the safety and health of our high school students graduates. When dual enroll high school graduates complete basic WELD 100 and INDT 114 courses they are not allowed to keep personal protective equipment (PPE) for future courses. During the enrollment process with Ivy Tech they realize that they are looking for an additional expense to purchase PPE kit to finish their CT, TC, and AAS. We are looking to purchase three PPE kits from the Lincoln Electric Company, price per each is $272.42, total is $817.26. Please note that prices listed are subject to change due to the volatility of steel, chemical and other raw material prices.

The food pantry has been taking off this semester and has expanded to Franklin, Shelbyville, and MUTC. The pantry has the most utilization since I became the supervisor over the pantry with over 50 snack bags and 16 known students using the pantry, some more than once. The pantries at Shelbyville, Franklin, and MUTC have grab-and-go shelves so the exact number of students utilizing the pantries is unknown, but the items have been flying off the shelves. Snack bags are available on each campus for students to grab if they need food or are unable to afford a meal, the bag includes a microwavable meal, a snack (granola bar, peanut butter, or cookies), and a fruit cup/applesauce. At the end of the month, I am hosting a food drive, but the need for pantry items has never been greater. We are also providing feminine hygiene items in the woman's bathroom at Columbus but I am wanting to extend this to each of our campuses. With these funds, I will be able to purchase quality items to provide to our students in need. All of the funding will be used to buy needed items for the food pantries and distributed as needed to each location. Currently, I have some funding, but I am reserving those funds to be used for Thanksgiving and Christmas hams for 10 students at Columbus and 10 for Franklin. I am so happy the pantry is being utilized to this extent and any funds will be appreciated! If anyone would like a tour of our pantries I would be happy to show you around. I have attached photos.

The Student Success for Single Moms I.PASS program offers support for single moms to achieve their educational and personal goals. Students enroll in the IVYT 111 Student Success course and receive one on one mentoring support and resources not only while they are in the class, but also throughout their educational journey. In addition, students develop supportive and encouraging relationships with other single mom students at Ivy Tech and get help in making professional connections to community partners as well as Ivy Tech faculty and staff. Helping single mom students realize they do not have to do this on their own and realize so many caring people are here to cheer them on and care about them, is making a big difference in believing in themselves and achieving the goals and dreams they already have as well as setting bigger goals and dreams for themselves and their children! They funding proposal will provide the single parent students with much needed and valued tuition and fee reimbursement after successfully participating in the I.PASS program.

Phi Theta Kappa is an honor society for two-year college students. PTK recognizes students who have at least a 3.5 GPA after completing at least 12 college-level credits. PTK builds fellowship, supports scholarship, builds leadership, and joins in service to our school and community. There is a one-time $60 national membership fee for students to join. Please consider a donation of $480 to sponsor 8 students for the fall semester. Students must apply to receive this sponsored scholarship and commit to being active members. A sponsored student from this summer has used her opportunity to become our chapter president!

The Gulbransen piano has found a home in Ivy Hall and is utylized by students in their free time. It needs a regular tune up but these funds will be used for the 1st tune up, etc. to really bring it back to a new beginning in a new location! Northside Music was able to offer a high proposed amount of $1000.00 but seemed very confident the work would not cost that much. They are mailing the proposal to me.

This service project will be done near the end of the semester at the Crawfordsville site. Students, faculty, and staff will make tie blankets which the Kiwanis Club will help to distribute to local charities. Possible recipients include hospitals, nursing homes, or women's shelters. The participants will also enjoy fellowship, hot chocolate, and holiday cookies. The goal is to build a community of belonging for our students while also caring for those in our Montgomery county community.

For the current year, 2021-2022, Lafayette campus has over 4,000 students signed up for dual credit courses. The items requested would be given out as a way to continue to engage, recognize and outreach to the students within the dual credit courses and/or students inquiring about dual credit courses for the future. Our hope and goal is, these are the students that continue their education journey with ITCC after high school. While many of our in-region high schools participate in college fairs, some larger universities do not always accept invitations to visit our rural schools. These items would serve as a reminder to the K-12 and more importantly the high school students that Ivy Tech Community College is here for all students and we welcome them anytime.

The statewide system has implemented the Ivy Achieves program in two parts. The course retake option and the incentive program. The Ivy Achieves incentive program provides points to actions that a student does that have been determined to maximize student success and retention. These student points can be redeemed for various prizes at a campus wide and statewide level. This program is made possible by funds earned from a Lilly grant, but grant funds cannot cover the incentive prizes and fundraising for prizes are expected at every campus level. We are seeking dollars to cover these incentives so that students from our campus have an equitable availability of prize offerings as others around the state. The purpose of this second proposal is to provide funding for smaller individualized prizing priced from $5-50per the Incentive Redemption Proposal for the 2021-2022 Year and the Ivy Achieves Incentive Tiers. The requirement as a campus to provide funding for a Supplemental prize if not granted here, would need to be raised by other philanthropic dollars.

Ivy CARES (Caring Assistance Resource for Every Student) provides emergency financial assistance and integrating services and resources for Ivy Tech students that focus on creating self-sufficiency while working to improve quality of life in partnership with community agencies. IvyCARES staff understands it is a struggle for many Ivy Tech students who are facing poverty to afford housing, food, clothes and other basic necessities. Many Ivy Tech students are one flat tire away from dropping out. Many may be unable to even afford enough gas to drive to and from campus for a week, let alone their many other basic necessities. Ivy CARES is designed to provide resource assistance to Ivy Tech students, helping them overcome obstacles along their paths to academic and personal success. This involves providing financial assistance, identifying challenges, strategizing solutions, referring students to needed resources, and following up with students to further support and retain them. In most cases, resources are needed immediately to ensure students' continued success in their coursework and educational goals. The goal of Ivy CARES is to work with the student to ensure that they have regular attendance and can successfully complete their classes. Ultimately, Ivy CARES helps students achieve their educational objectives.

Pathways to Opportunity will serve to assist with efforts under the Pathways to Careers (P2C) Scholars program and grant partnership with the Lilly Endowment and Indiana Latino Institute. This program will provide financial assistance in the forms of refundable scholarships for tuition and fees as well as an opportunity to provide emergency funds to eligible students. Scholarship Eligible students Enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College for Spring/Summer 2022 Enrolled in a degree-seeking program Identify as Hispanic/Latinx Enrolled in 6 hours minimum Applicants with established GPAs must have a cumulative grade point of 2.0 students without established GPA encouraged to apply No residency requirement or FASFA required Preference given to students who have no other funding available Barrier Busting Funds Eligible students Enrolled at Ivy Tech Community College for Spring/Summer 2022 Must be enrolled in degree seeking program Identify as Hispanic/Latinx Enrolled in a minimum of 6 credit hours Identify an outside barrier to education- transportation, housing, utilities, or food. No residency requirement or FASFA required The Scholarship Information will be announced to students upon the award of funds. Students will receive notification through a Signal Vine (text message) campaign, as well as through announcements in My Ivy and Ivy Life (partnering with SOL- Student Organization for Latinos). Prospective students for Spring will receive information.

The Learning Center provides tutoring for Ivy Tech students in Math, Writing and many other courses. As technology progresses, we find that our original methods for providing those services are no longer adequate for students. They are now given digital assignments and bring their own laptops to work on them. Students no longer need to carry around physical notes or writing implements, but there is also a great need for charging space for computers. The first upgrade is a set of power trees that would allow us to accommodate the changing needs of students. Currently, students are unable to charge laptops without leaving their work space. The power trees are on casters which allow us to set up mobile charging points in the room as necessary for students by plugging the trees into outlets and wheeling them to the areas where they are needed. The second is to replace a few of our tables with portable white-board surfaced tables. These would allow us to use less paper, work quickly with students on questions right in front of them, as well as give students a large space to write their own work out for their digital assignments. The mobile tables allow us to reconfigure the layout of the lab at a moment’s notice. Students with accessibility issues can have their own space or larger groups can be accommodated by rolling the tables together. We think these small upgrades will make a big impact on our ability to service our students in a more modern and efficient manner.