Ivy Tech Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Lakefront Campus

Chancellor Mark Graver and Chancellor Emeritus Jim Helms took community members on a trip down memory lane on Tuesday.

Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg Lakefront Campus. Photo by Travis Thayer, Eagle Country 99.3.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - Community members gathered on Tuesday afternoon to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg Lakefront Campus. 

The celebration included a Campus Legacy Program hosted by Chancellor Mark Graver and Chancellor Emeritus Jim Helms, campus tours, information about the campus and how Ivy Tech can prepare students for in-demand careers. 

"The Lakefront Campus has a strong heritage of serving our area counties," said Graver. "We are excited to celebrate its history, and we look forward to continuing to provide affordable, accessible education for all students."

The Lakefront Campus has been a big part of the fabric of southeastern Indiana since it opened on Industrial Drive in October 1999. 

The 40,000-square-foot building houses 13 classrooms, three computer labs, a science lab, four technology labs, and one medical assisting lab. Today, the campus includes an advanced manufacturing and technology center that was added on in 2016, on-site community partners 160 Driving Academy, One Dearborn, and WorkOne Southeast. 

Area firefighters also use the campus where a $1.8 million dollar training facility was built. 

During Tuesday's presentation, attendees were shown a promotional video that documented the need for a permanent campus in Lawrenceburg. 

"We need a new home. We have one of the highest enrollment growth rates in the state, but unlike other regions, Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg does not have a suitable campus to accommodate all of our students," read a line from the promotional video. 

When Ivy Tech first came to Lawrenceburg in 1977, they anticipated having 52 students, but ended up having 80 enroll at the original facility on Main Street (seen below). Over the course of 15 years, the college grew to serve 375 full and part-time students, outgrowing the facility that was once a blacksmith shop, mushroom farm, a car dealership, and a bowling alley. 

The original Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg on Main Street. 

Since then, Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg has grown to have over 4,000 students between its Lakefront and Riverfront campuses.  

Much of the success of Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg has been attributed to Chancellor Emeritus Jim Helms. 

Helms started his career in education at the high school level in 1963. He would go on to have a 35-year career at Franklin County and Sunman-Dearborn Schools, serving in various roles such as English teacher, guidance counselor, principal, driver's ed instructor, basketball coach, and more. 

In 1976, Helms joined the Ivy Tech Trustee for the Southeast Region, which consisted of Batesville, Lawrenceburg, and Madison. After retiring from his high school career in May of 1998, Helms took six weeks off before becoming the Executive Dean at Ivy Tech. 

Fast forward a year to 1999 and the new Lakefront Campus opened its doors to students. 

During Helms' 16-year tenure as Chancellor, the college experienced a massive and unprecedented growth period of enrollment, curriculum, and programs. Helms was also instrumental in launching the now statewide Dual Enrollment initiative creating partnerships with the area high schools to offer college credits to high school students. 

For more information about Ivy Tech Lawrenceburg, visit Lawrenceburg - Ivy Tech Community College.