Ivy Tech Community College and Purdue University Announce New Collaboration to Grow Indiana’s Engineering Workforce

Ivy Tech and Purdue University signed a memorandum of collaboration January 24 on the Ivy Tech Columbus campus for a new program called Green2Gold that will offer a combined Associate of Science (AS) in engineering from Ivy Tech and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in engineering from Purdue.

The new collaboration is aimed at growing Indiana’s engineering workforce and creating another pathway for Indiana residents to become Purdue engineers.

The Ivy Tech Columbus campus will be the first to offer the Green2Gold program starting this fall. Plans call for Green2Gold to expand to other select Ivy Tech campuses in subsequent years.

Participating students will be co-enrolled at both institutions for their first two years of studies. After completing their associate degree from Ivy Tech and meeting course and GPA requirements for their major, Green2Gold students will be eligible for direct admission to Purdue’s College of Engineering — one of the nation’s top engineering schools.

Green2Gold classes will be held in small, closely-knit groups called cohorts. Students will remain with their cohort throughout the program, providing a built-in support network to aid student persistence and retention.

“Green2Gold creates an opportunity for Indiana students to achieve their dreams of a world-class Purdue engineering degree, starting at Ivy Tech,” said Dr. Sue Ellspermann, president of Ivy Tech Community College. “As Indiana’s engine of workforce development, Ivy Tech is proud to partner with the Purdue College of Engineering to meet employers’ needs for highly skilled engineers prepared to grow Indiana’s economy and emerging industries.”

“As Indiana’s land-grant university, Purdue is committed to its mission to serve the state. We are delighted to expand our partnership with Ivy Tech to help address engineering workforce needs for businesses in the greater Columbus area,” said Purdue’s Alyssa Wilcox, chief of staff to the president and senior vice president for partnerships.

“We are proud to innovate alongside our Ivy Tech partners to align individual student success and degree attainment with community success and workforce development,” said Jenna Rickus, vice provost for teaching and learning at Purdue.

“The Green2Gold program provides a new pathway for talented Ivy Tech students at Columbus to transfer to Purdue engineering. We are excited to partner with Ivy Tech so that more talented Hoosiers have opportunities for a Purdue engineering degree,” said Arvind Raman, Purdue’s John A. Edwardson Dean of Engineering.

The Green2Gold program will ensure employers in leading industries such as advanced manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology have access to highly skilled and homegrown engineering talent that chooses to live and work in Indiana after receiving their engineering degrees.

“This collaborative initiative will help connect students with the skills employers are seeking in the engineering workforce,” said Dr. Tim Frazier, vice president of research and technology, Cummins Inc., and trustee, Ivy Tech Columbus. “Cummins supports Ivy Tech and Purdue in Green2Gold and are delighted they are partnering in finding solutions to grow local talent.

“This innovative partnership with Purdue puts a high-quality, four-year engineering degree within the grasp of many talented Hoosiers,” said Dr. Steven Combs, chancellor of Ivy Tech Columbus. “Purdue is the gold standard in engineering education, and our Ivy Tech expertise in intentional, attentive and intensive cohort programming will prepare students for success on the track to a four-year degree.”

In addition to co-enrollment at Ivy Tech and Purdue, the Green2Gold collaboration will allow both institutions to jointly recruit K-12 students to the program; collaborate with regional employers to expand internship and co-op opportunities; and share faculty for instruction, advising, employer engagement and more.