Ivy Tech Community College is making space in downtown Kokomo for its new School of Computing and Informatics.
The Kokomo region board of trustees last week approved a resolution to move forward with renovations on the fourth floor of the Armstrong-Landon Building, 105 W. Sycamore St. The college leases the fourth and fifth floors of the building from First Farmers Bank and Trust.
Approximately $150,000 will be spent on creating two classrooms/computer labs in the space, as well as faculty offices, said John Martino, assistant director of facilities. It is unknown how the project is being funded; Mike Karickhoff, executive director of facilities for Ivy Tech Kokomo, was unavailable to comment as of press deadline.
The renovations are expected to be finished by mid-August, in time for Ivy Tech to launch the School of Computing and Informatics for the fall semester.
Lou Ann Stroup, chair of the computer information program, said 188 Ivy Tech Kokomo students currently are enrolled in the three courses the new school will offer: information assurance, software development and information technology support.
The program has capacity for 562 students this fall, Stroup added, and some students may be enrolled in more than one class.
“To identify the needs in our region, we contacted our advisory board, which is made up of industry leaders from this area, and also sent out a survey to all industries, education and healthcare facilities to acquire their input,” Stroup said of Ivy Tech’s decision to add the School of Computing and Informatics in Kokomo.