Donna Kiesling (left) and Keisha White
Science is the jewel for Ivy Tech in Arts & Sciences Building
Contributed By:The 411 News
Now, pre-med students can get their start at community college
As construction was set to begin on the shared classroom building for Indiana University Northwest and Ivy Tech Community College in 2016, Gariup Construction held meetings with jobseekers. Construction manager Alex Gariup pointed out that $25 million of the proposed $45 million cost for the new Arts & Sciences Building on IUN’s campus would go to constructing the 3-story building, the rest would go inside. And it shows.
The building occupies the entire east side of the 3500 block of Broadway. Inside, a 500-seat theatre with the latest lighting and sound technology, 45 classrooms, faculty offices, lecture halls, science labs, an art gallery, and focus rooms for students needing private study areas.
The jewel for IUN is the new theatre, a replacement for its Theatre Northwest housed in Tamarack Hall that was destroyed during flooding in 2008.
In between dedication ceremonies for the Arts & Sciences Building on Friday, Ivy Tech’s assistant vice president Keisha White and marketing assistant Donna Kiesling led a tour of the jewels in the building for Ivy Tech.
The community college offers associate degrees in nursing and programs in allied health sciences – including physical and respiratory therapy assistants, radiology, medical records, dental hygiene, and others.
All students in the health science fields will benefit from the chemistry, biology, and the combined anatomy & physiology labs. White said, previously, the only labs available to students in nursing and the allied health programs were designed for applications in a hospital. Those labs are on the Crown Point campus.
Pods in the chemistry lab allow 2-3 students to work collaboratively, each equipped with a sink and a remote controlled desk space that can be raised or lowered so students can work sitting or standing.
In spring 2018, Ivy Tech will start offering associate degrees in biology and chemistry. One advantage of the new degrees, Kiesling said, is that students hoping to study pre-med can get their start at Ivy Tech. Those completing their associate degrees will be able to transfer to IUN or another four-year school as juniors upon being accepted.
For Nancy Escobedo, a science lab technician and adjunct faculty member at both Ivy Tech and IUN, she’s excited Ivy Tech students will now have the opportunity to work with modern technologies and equipment. “It’s all about preparing students well for their careers, to do the best they can. With this facility, we have the ability to change lives.”
“We’re also excited about the new bus service. It’s amazing to see all these things coming together with this building to accommodate students,” said Kiesling. In November, Gary Public Transit will start up its Broadway Express, rapid transit from the downtown Gary Metro Center with limited stops on Broadway to Merrillville and Crown Point.
Ivy Tech also restructured the campuses in East Chicago, Gary, and Crown Point under the Lake County Campus, and named Louie Gonzalez as chancellor. Since 2006, Gonzalez had served as campus president at East Chicago.
Story Posted:08/28/2017
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