SOUTH BEND, IND. (July 28, 2009) – Increasing student success will be the topic of Ivy Tech Community College-North Central’s community coffee and conversation scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 7:45 a.m.  The event will be held in the CyberCafe at the South Bend campus, 220 Dean Johnson Blvd. and is free and open to the public.

Enhancing the academic success of Ivy Tech students benefits not only students, but also the community.  Successful graduates serve the community with a higher level of skills, contribute more to the tax base, and require fewer social, health care and government services.  What changes should our college make to enhance student success?  And how can community leaders, members and educators support and encourage the success of community college students? 

John Gardner, author of “Achieving and Sustaining Institutional Excellence for the First Year of College,” will offer his perspective on the student success at this year’s community coffee.  Gardner has led an international movement to enhance the first year on college campuses across the country and around the world. He is founder and senior fellow of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and distinguished professor emeritus of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public post-secondary institution and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system with more than 130,000 students enrolled annually.  Ivy Tech has 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 and a member of the North Central Association.