Ivy Tech kicks off $2.5 million renovation of health sciences wing

Brooke McAfee, The Evening News and the Tribune, Jeffersonville, Ind.
·3 min read

Mar. 2—SELLERSBURG — Ivy Tech Community College Sellersburg is kicking off renovations to support its health sciences programs.

On Thursday, officials celebrated the beginning of a $2.5 million remodeling project to create the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences and the Baptist Health Life Sciences Laboratory Suite in the southwest wing of Pfau Hall.

The 7,000-square-foot renovation will include laboratories for life & physical sciences, microbiology and biology and a new entrance. It will also include lab study areas, offices and storage space.

Ivy Tech Sellersburg Chancellor Travis Haire said the renovations will offer a "state-of-the-art facility" for Ivy Tech's existing programs in health sciences. The new labs and learning spaces will benefit 10 programs.

"As I reflect on my time at Ivy Tech, there have been many achievements worth celebrating," Haire said. "And now we have another opportunity to continue our journey towards creating a better future for our students, our campus and the community."

The college's partnership with Baptist Health began in 2021. The renovations of the facility are expected to last about 18 months. CSO is the project architect, and Brandt Construction is the general contractor.

The project is part of a 2019 master plan for the 96,000-square-foot Pfau Hall, and it isn't the only renovation occurring in the building's health sciences wing. In coordination with the Baptist Health School of Health Sciences project, Ivy Tech is planning a separate project to renovate 18,000 square feet of the building for a mock hospital and laboratories.

The labs will focus on programs ranging from medical assisting to respiratory therapy. This phase of the project is supported by a $3.1 million grant from the United States Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration.

Ivy Tech President Sue Ellspermann said the renovations will allow the college "to better serve our students, our employers [and] our communities to make sure that we're having the biggest impact."

"Within those seven distinct schools [in the Ivy Tech system], a Baptist Health School of Health Sciences in Sellersburg alone is going to offer 10 programs, which is amazing," she said. "These programs will provide students with excellent opportunities to pursue two-year degrees and to enter into a rapidly-growing field in their future. We want them to grow with us and grow with Baptist Health."

Baptist Health CEO Gerard Colman said more than 200 Ivy Tech alumni and current students are employed in the hospital system.

"We're the largest health care provider in Kentucky and here in Southern Indiana, and with that comes a commitment — a commitment to clinical excellence to provide high-quality care for all of the communities that we serve," Colman said. "And I'm so honored to be here today, because Ivy Tech has helped us fulfill that mission and that vision for many, many years now, and we're looking forward to many, many years in the future."

State Rep. Ed Clere, R-New Albany, was among the attendees at Thursday's announcement. He praised the "synergy" between Baptist Health and Ivy Tech and mentioned the demand for health-care jobs.

"This is going to help address the challenges we face in the health-care workforce, and I'm looking forward to seeing the construction completed and students walking in the door," he said.

Felicia Smyzer, chair of the medical assistant program at Ivy Tech Sellersburg, is "thrilled' about the upcoming renovations, saying they will provide students with "cutting-edge lab and learning spaces."

"Improved facilities will allow us to accept more students, particularly in high-demand areas of medical assistance, medical laboratory technology and respiratory therapy," she said. "Currently, the Baptist Health School of Health Science has 610 students enrolled in health-care participating programs."

"Our graduates are highly sought-after, receiving job offers before they even graduate. I take pride in offering nationally-accredited health-care career paths that support our industry partners and provide essential care to our community."