College will receive former DuPont building in Kokomo to expand classroom space

KOKOMO – Ivy Tech Community College has purchased the former DuPont building in a bargain sale transaction that equates to a $900,000 contribution from Curtis & Michael, LLC to the capital campaign for the expansion of the Kokomo campus.

After the $900,000 donation, the campaign has now raised more than $2.8 million.  With the gift, Curtis & Michael, LLC have joined the campaign’s Founder’s Circle and have become important leadership partners with the college.

In the past five years, Ivy Tech’s Kokomo campus has increased enrollment to nearly 4,000 students and was named one of the fastest growing community college campuses in the nation, according to Community College Week.  In order to address this tremendous growth pattern, Ivy Tech’s Kokomo campus is building partnerships with community leaders in a capital campaign to raise $4.25 million. This recent purchase of the DuPont building will provide the college with more than 57,000 square feet of office, classroom, and general facilities space. The building is located at 1901 E. Morgan St. Kokomo, just east of Ivy Tech’s main campus in Kokomo.

“Ivy Tech Community College has achieved phenomenal growth in recent years and we are poised for even more growth in the future,” said Ivy Tech President Thomas J. Snyder.  “No institution in Indiana plays a more vital role in workforce development than Ivy Tech.  This generous contribution to our Kokomo campus will help us provide more students with career skills and credits that transfer to four-year colleges and universities, along with accelerated certified training programs aligned with employer needs.”

Curtis & Michael, LLC is owned by Bill Bersbach, Cartwright Ellis, Mike Hopkins and Curt Whitcomb.

Curtis & Michael, LLC formed after Whitcomb and Hopkins, former DuPont employees, recognized the building’s quality and value. Several prospective buyers showed interest, but when Ivy Tech shared its vision for the space, the group recognized the natural fit.

“We felt good about being able to sell the building to the college at a discounted price because it is a high-quality building that will benefit Ivy Tech and the community as a whole,” said Bersbach. “It also helps to geographically connect and complete the campus.  We are excited to be partners with the college in its vision for the future.”

Dr. Pamela Lewis, vice chancellor of academic affairs for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo campus, sees great potential in the building and its proximity to the current Kokomo campus.

“The faculty, staff and students at the Kokomo campus are truly appreciative of the gift of this great facility,” said Dr. Lewis. “While plans have not been finalized, we believe the building will allow us to house our planned advanced manufacturing center. The building offers space for classrooms, the large labs needed to teach manufacturing processes, and significant office space. Its location, directly east of our main campus, is in line with our long-term campus expansion plan.”

Ivy Tech Community College is one of the nation’s largest statewide community college systems and the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution with more than 110,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has 23 campuses throughout Indiana.  It serves as the state's engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.  It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.