Chasing after a higher level of education is a noble pursuit for anyone. At Ivy Tech’s Michigan City Campus, Chancellor Peter Linden and his team are dedicated to making sure it’s a great experience for whomever walks through their doors.
Linden, with over 20 years of experience in higher education, happily serves as the chancellor for Michigan City’s campus. As a first generation college graduate who began at a local community college, he understands the role and importance a community college can serve in a student’s life.
“Both of my parents emphasized education growing up, but we really had to figure out for ourselves what avenue or route was the best for us,” Linden said. “My route took me to the community college nearest our home. I know the value and appreciate what the community college is because I’ve lived it and breathed it as a student.”
After gaining a strong foundation at a community college, Linden headed to New York and received a degree from the Culinary Institute of America. He then spent several years in the business sector before being invited to teach at the same community college he had attended. It was there that he rediscovered his love for the community college atmosphere. He later became a faculty member in the College of Business at Chicago State University. There he designed the Hospitality Management curricula, taught classes, began a student run restaurant, and went on to design one of the first successful online classes.
“That’s when I rediscovered my roots and fell in love with not only teaching, but teaching at the community college level,” Linden said. “Once it was reignited, there was no looking back. From there I pursued my own education by a bachelor’s in business, then an MBA, then I got my doctorate.”
This passion is what inspires Linden, and much of his team, to provide a quality education for each and every student they encounter. In fact, Ivy Tech is dedicated to creating pathways for student success across the State of Indiana. Their strategic plan involves increasing their enrollment, student retention, and the median wages of graduates by the year 2023. The school plans to do so with seven goals centered around student success, recruitment and enrollment, completion, workforce, employees, financials, and community.
“What’s so excellent about the team here at the Michigan City campus is their passion and their entrepreneurial spirit,” Linden said. “We have to be nimble; they have to be responsive and receptive, true to the community college mission, and growing the campus needs of our community.”
From Linden and his love of the community college culture to his team and their passion, Ivy Tech Michigan City is an excellent place to be for those looking to further their education. Their hard work shows in the ability to prepare students for the workforce or to transfer credits to achieve a four-year degree.
“The role of higher education is to prepare our constituents, our stakeholders, for the modern workforce,” Linden said. “The advantages of starting off at a community college is that they will get the same quality of education they would receive at a four-year college or university, but at a fraction of the price before transferring to a four-year institution. Also, we are always in communication with our business partners, to be responsive and receptive to those sectors of business that are in need of skilled workers.”
The team at Ivy Tech Michigan City take their job very seriously. Linden and his team are constantly working to engage students, provide the education they need, and meet the needs of the surrounding community.
To learn more about Ivy Tech Michigan City, visit them here!