Area colleges contribute to South Bend region's training, economy

Saint Mary’s College offers entrepreneurial training for area women through its SPARK program. Bethel College this year received an $868,000 grant from the Lilly Endowment to create a biotechnology certificate program and to develop a program for businesses to provide training for employees. Holy Cross College offers a minor degree in gerontology, designed to prepare students for careers working with older adults.

Meanwhile, at Indiana University South Bend, Chancellor Terry Allison makes clear his philosophy: “We should not only reflect our region, but also help develop our region.”

The major role of a regional public university is teaching students the skills to land jobs in the community after graduating, Allison said. About 70 percent of IUSB graduates stay in the area.

This fall, the campus added a bachelor degree program in sustainability studies. Next year, it will add a bachelor’s program in health sciences. Within a few years, IU South Bend intends to launch a master’s program in communications and a master’s degree in manufacturing and services management.

Like IU South Bend, the vast majority of Ivy Tech Community College graduates continue to live and work in Michiana after college. Ivy Tech's primary mission is to provide affordable training for area residents to move into jobs in the region and retrain for future jobs, said Thomas Coley, chancellor of Ivy Tech’s northcentral region.