“Ivy Tech Community College’s Associate of Science in Education program will have a dramatic impact on economic and workforce development in Indiana,” said Dr. Marnia Kennon, Ivy Tech Community College Vice President of Academic Affairs. “The Indiana Department of Workforce Development predicts that in the period of 2002-20012 there will be a total of 9,840 openings for elementary teachers and 9,560 openings for teacher assistants in Indiana.”

“Nationally, approximately four out of every ten teachers working in the U.S. today completed at least a portion of their undergraduate coursework at a community college. There is no such history in Indiana. Ivy Tech Community College is now providing a close to home opportunity for people interested in a teaching career,” explained Kennon.

The Associate of Science in Education degree, being offered at most campuses beginning this fall, will prepare graduates to serve as teacher assistants or as elementary education teachers by transferring at the completion of the associate degree to an institution offering a bachelor’s degree. Ivy Tech Community College has a partnership with Indiana State University which guarantees the transferability of credits earned in the Associate of Science in Education degree program towards a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Ivy Tech is working on similar arrangements with other institutions throughout the state.

Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s second largest public post-secondary institution with over 73,000 students enrolled this spring. 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.