Ivy Tech Community College: degrees that result in good-paying jobs; credits that transfer.

You may already be aware that Ivy Tech has gone through several evolutions and name changes over the years. Today, we are Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, giving us a more comprehensive role than ever before and making us a centerpiece of state government's new thrusts in job creation and workforce development. We are, in fact, Indiana's only publicly supported community college.

To say that we have a new mandate, a new vision and a new mission is no overstatement. The governor's office and the General Assembly have singled out Ivy Tech for a bold and unique assignment: to be the primary instrument for workforce development in the state. We are to be a key contributor to economic development by preparing more highly skilled and technically competent workers for the more rigorous, ever changing demands of the job market.

The concept of a community college may be relatively new to Indiana, but certainly not to the nation as a whole. For example, did you know that 45 percent of all undergraduates in America study at community colleges? Or that 54 percent of all first-time, full-time students in colleges and universities are in community colleges?

Community colleges like Ivy Tech are two-year institutions that fulfill four primary purposes:

1. Ivy Tech offers courses that reflect the occupational needs of the regions it serves. Ivy Tech will work closely with major employers and business associations like state and local chambers of commerce and industry associations to assess both present and future job needs. While Ivy Tech has traditionally been focused on community needs, it is important for the college to continue to serve "the community" in a very broad sense. As a result, the community college will be in tune with the ever-changing needs of the workforce and economy and continue to be the engine of the development for both throughout the state. We are adapting our curriculum accordingly to assure that our graduates are well qualified to meet both state and local workforce needs.

2. Second, we offer the first two years of a four-year education. That means we offer courses that are transferable to other colleges and...