ANDERSON — Just four days are left in Thomas J. Snyder’s tenure as president of Ivy Tech Community College.
But there was no sense of his being a short-timer just marking time and packing boxes during an interview at the new Ivy Tech Anderson campus a week ago. Apart from sitting down for a short video interview, Snyder was all hustle, constantly on the move.
He stopped to speak with Dianna Lott, assistant director of admissions for the campus, who briefed him on a new initiative underway at Highland Middle School to get sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students to begin thinking about college.
“Planting that seed,” she called it.
He ducked into a human services class where representatives from Capitol City Family Education Services, a contractor for the Indiana Department of Child Services providing in-home services for families, was making a pitch for prospective employees.
The company recently opened an office in Anderson and needs homemaker/parent aides and case managers.
After speaking with students for a few minutes and the business representatives, Snyder headed down another hall to the math lab where he found tutors Marvel Johnson and Madeline Harris, and one student, Courtney Chamberlain.
There, the discussion focused on the new Ivy Tech “Math Pathways to Success” initiative that establishes three different math requirements, depending what math skills are necessary based upon a student’s area of study.
In between these stops, Snyder talked about the special place Ivy Tech has in Indiana’s system of higher education. And it is unique. Not only is Ivy Tech Indiana’s largest institution of higher education with approximately 170,000 students, it’s focus is on career and technical job skills.
There’s a set of numbers Snyder knows by heart that highlight just how important the college is to providing a gateway to good middle class jobs. In 2014, he said, there were 1,200 high school graduates from Madison County. Of that total, 700 people enrolled in college.
Those ratios generally hold for the rest of Indiana, and therein lies the problem: About one-third of high school graduates don’t attend college, Snyder said.
“Maybe some go into the military and get some training there, but otherwise they don’t have a credential for the workplace,” he said. “What we’ve tried to do in each county, or each campus, is to focus on the fact that you need a credential beyond the typical high school credentials to get access to the middle class. This is the real world today.”
No education background
Snyder was an unconventional choice to lead Ivy Tech when he was named president in 2007 following the retirement Gerald Lamkin. Clearly, Snyder had strong leadership skills given his background as president and CEO of Delco Remy, but he did not have a background in education. Nevertheless, some business people encouraged him to apply for the position.
“I was working with Chuck Staley on new business startups, and some people suggested that with my international experience and the span and width of Ivy Tech, the college could be well served by bringing somebody in with some global experience,” Snyder said. “I started to do a little investigating, and I could see this was a hidden jewel that nobody really knew much about.”
In the nine years Snyder has been president, according to the college:
• Enrollment at the nation’s largest singly accredited community college has grown 56 percent.
• The number of campuses has grown to 33.
• Many old buildings have been replaced with new ones, including here in Anderson.
• A robust dual credit program that allows Indiana students to earn college credits while still in high school has been created.
•Transfer credits between Ivy Tech and four-year institutions have been implemented.
• More than 110,000 students have earned an associate degree or certificate.
Over the past year, however, state lawmakers and members of the Indiana Higher Education Commission have become increasingly concerned about declining enrollment and low graduation rates at Ivy Tech. Less than one-third of Ivy Tech students complete a degree in six years.
Different type of students
Snyder, however, argues that traditional graduation expectations used for four-year institutions should not be used with Ivy Tech students, who are generally older, and working and raising families in addition to taking classes. In fact, only 6 percent of Ivy Tech students attend school full time.
Nevertheless, the Legislature imposed a moratorium on capital projects in the Ivy Tech system and ordered the college to review its academic programs.
Moreover, Snyder believes some of the changes that have been implemented recently simply haven’t been in place long enough to prove their effectiveness, but he’s confident they will.
“I think the new president, Sue Ellspermann, who I have great admiration for, can be a bridge to bring the two sides together,” Snyder said.
“I think there’s still a lot of work to be done, and I think part of it is how do we communicate our mission to the people of Indiana?”
State Sen. Luke Kenley, R-Noblesville, is one of the state lawmakers who sought a pause in capital funding, and he supported the review.
Kenley acknowledges he and Snyder have differing opinions about some issues, but he nevertheless thinks Snyder “did a real good job” as president.
Also praising his work was Rep. Terry Austin, D- Anderson. “Tom has helped to lead one of the largest expansions of our community college system,” which was no small task, she said. “I think time will look favorably on his tenure.”
Dr. James Edwards, president emeritus of Anderson University, who worked with Snyder on many community projects over the years, said leading such a large institution with 33 campuses spread out over the entire state was a daunting challenge in itself.
He added that Snyder’s business experience helped forge constructive relationships with many employers across Indiana who need skilled workers.
Although after Thursday Snyder will no longer be president of Ivy Tech, he will still be promoting community colleges on a national stage. He’s written a book called “The Community College Solution” and, as a member of the College Promise Advisory Board, he will continue to lobby for developing creative ways to lower the cost of education more.