Ivy Tech opens new building in Crawfordsville

CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. (WLFI) - One of the most popular higher education schools in Indiana opened a new building in Crawfordsville Thursday.

Dozens of community members gathered to celebrate the new location in the name of higher learning.

The facility is complete with computer labs, classrooms and various science labs.

The building will allow students from Montgomery, Fountain, Boone and Putnam counties to have the higher education experience without traveling to the Lafayette campus.

Officials say although this is a great start, they want to see the building continue to grow to serve the community.

"We could easily see this growing to well over 500, eventually 1,000," Ivy Tech President Thomas J. Snyder said.  "And all of those people have the opportunity to get a better credential and to build a better life with that kind of college education."

"We've designed this building to expand, and I hope we see it expand," Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton said.  "I hope we see the need there and we expand and see it grow further."

"What we're really after is addressing the skills gap we know we have," said Barton. "Make ourselves more appealing for investors who want to bring jobs to our community and allow our residents to improve their lives."

"I grew up in Anderson where a factory job without a high school diploma was an easy thing to do," Snyder said.  "Those days are gone, a high school diploma isn't really enough today."