On the evening of Friday, March 14, Ivy Tech Community College’s Ivy Tech Foundation hosted its 21st annual Spring Event. Ivy Tech administration members, trustees, faculty, staff, students, and well-wishers from across the Region came to enjoy the evening’s festivities. The venue was decked out with Mardi Gras-style decorations, and the attendees donned colorful bead necklaces and feather boas. Return 2 Soul provided the evening’s live musical entertainment.
The proceeds from this fundraiser will be used to support Ivy Tech’s “Meet the Need Fund,” which is offered to students at Ivy Tech’s Gary, La Porte, East Chicago, Valparaiso, Crown Point, and Michigan City locations. Urschel Giving, Purdue Federal Credit Union, and Sensit Technologies were among the event’s sponsors. This fund also supports programs like IvyCares, a program that offers students an array of wraparound services like mental health resources and financial aid.
Although Ivy Tech receives over a quarter of a billion dollars in state funding to support its operations and programs, the college is always finding new ways to generate revenue. The Spring Event has long been one of Ivy Tech’s most successful fundraisers, and this year’s installment was no exception. The evening featured a silent auction, which offered prizes donated by businesses like Blue Chip Casino, Hotel & Spa, Gary SouthShore Railcats, Martin Binder Jewelers, Ironwood Brewing Co. LLC, and Blackbird Café. For $20, attendees could purchase a gift bag containing a Mardi Gras feather mask and a mystery beverage.
Aco Sikoski, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s Valparaiso, Michigan City, and La Porte branches, appreciates how the community pulls together to support Ivy Tech students at the Spring Event each year.
“The fundraising we are doing tonight helps us support our students as they pursue their educational goals," Sikoski said. “It’s an amazing event. We want to continue to do the best we can to provide students with a high-quality college experience so that, when they are hired, they are equipped to do what they need to. It warms my heart to see that the people who live in the community we serve believe in what we do and embrace our mission. I want to thank everyone who helped make this night possible.”
During his remarks, Stewart McMillan, Ivy Tech Lake County and Valparaiso/Michigan City state trustee, and two Ivy Tech students presented Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech, with roses and a card in commemoration of her upcoming retirement. Ellspermann has been president for the past nine years and has done much to advance Ivy Tech during her tenure.
Ellspermann is grateful for the time she has spent at Ivy Tech and has deeply enjoyed holding the role of president.
“I am always excited to support our campuses as they raise funds to help our students,” Ellspermann said. “That support can take many forms, whether it’s tuition support, emergency needs, housing, food, or even assistance with a flat tire. Our communities truly care about their students and they want them to succeed. Ivy Tech is an incredible college and the nine years I have spent as president have been wonderful. I got to know Ivy Tech from the outside when I visited its 19 campuses while traveling the state as lieutenant governor. However, when I became president, I fell in love with Ivy Tech’s mission, faculty, and students.”
Scott Kleppe, an Ivy Tech Foundation trustee, views the Spring Event as a reflection of Ivy Tech’s core values, the foremost being that it always seeks to deliver for its students.
“This event is all about the students,” Kleppe said. “We’re generating funding that’s needed to help them get out and make a difference in their lives as well as ours. I enjoy seeing everyone from all of the Northwest Indiana campuses gather at this event, all with the shared goal of helping our students excel. Everyone here should know that they are part of something big.”
For more information on how to enroll at Ivy Tech and to learn more about the college’s upcoming events, please visit ivytech.edu.