Educational Excellence
Stacy Atkinson is Digging in as Chancellor at Ivy Tech Hamilton County
Writer / Julie Yates
Photography Provided
Chancellor Dr. Stacy Atkinson is enthusiastic about overseeing Ivy Tech Community College Hamilton Countys transition from a site to a campus. Currently in a time of fact finding, and gathering answers on how Ivy Tech can best meet local secondary-education needs, Atkinson has already prioritized some beginning steps.
Although she began her career in education after serving in the United States Marine Corps, being an educator has always been her ambition.
I was drawn to education through my Hispanic culture, Atkinson says. I grew up thinking that educators are like superheroes. We were taught to honor and respect them. I wanted to be in that role.
Atkinson and her husband Keith met while serving in the Marines. Before transitioning to higher education, she taught second grade in Beaufort, South Carolina, for four years. When it was time to leave, the couple considered moving to New York, but Atkinsons parents decided to move to Puerto Rico. Keiths family is from Pendleton, so the couple and their two children relocated to Westfield seven years ago.
This area is a great place to live, work, play and raise a family, Atkinson says. My children attend Westfield Washington schools. Jordan attends Maple Glen Elementary and Kelsey is at Westfield Elementary. As a parent that sits with other adults at gymnastics or outside Code Ninja class, I am embedded in the community. I see how hungry Hamilton County is for education and how it can collaborate with the workforce. I can contribute to the community through my work at Ivy Tech.
Ivy Tech Hamilton County currently offers 42 credentials, certificates, as well as technical and associates degrees for fields of study in many areas, such as advanced automation and robotics, building construction technology, computer science, and informatics. It also offers a chance to amass general credit hours for courses in mathematics, science, history and English.
For the high school graduate who really doesnt know what they want to do, the price point for gaining general education credits here is so much better than being on campus, Atkinson explains. Then, the student can transfer to a state school as a junior. We also serve the nontraditional student such as a 30-year-old going back to school, a retiree, or the employed person who wants the next credential to move up or transition to another job.
Atkinson has several priorities. Her biggest interest is providing credentials for health-care programs. A partnership with Riverview, Community or IU Health North is in the preliminary stages. She is in the midst of figuring out what type of credentials are needed for other jobs that are hiring, and what is in demand.
We are small but mighty – 35 employees strong, and we are in the first phase of figuring out whats in demand and needed in the community, Atkinson says. Transitioning from a building site to a campus requires much thought. We will keep working to have the answers.
Ivy Tech Hamilton County is located at 300 North 17th Street in Noblesville. For more info, call 317-921-4300 or visit ivytech.edu/hamilton-county.
