Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area to celebrate Class of 2022
More than 1,200 degrees and certificates earned by 784 graduates
Ivy Tech Community College Kokomo Service Area – which includes campuses and instructional sites in Kokomo, Logansport, and Peru – will celebrate the Class of 2022 with three commencement ceremonies on May 13. The events, divided by schools, will honor 784 students who are expected to have completed work on 1,227 degrees and certificates by the end of the Fall 2021 and Spring and Summer 2022 terms.
Graduates of the School of Arts, Sciences, & Education and the School of Health Sciences will be honored at a 9 a.m. ceremony. At 11 a.m. graduates of the School of Advanced Manufacturing, Engineering, & Applied Sciences; the School of Information Technology; the School of Public Affairs & Social Services; and the School of Business, Logistics, & Supply Chain will be honored, Graduates of the School of Nursing will be honored at a 5 p.m. ceremony. All ceremonies will be in Hingst Hall in the Health Professions Center on the Ivy Tech Kokomo Campus at 1815 E. Morgan St.
While attendance is restricted to ticketed guests, the ceremonies will be live-streamed at: ivytech.edu/kokomo/graduation.
“Our students come to us from such a rich variety of backgrounds and when they leave us to follow their passions, their futures will be even more diverse,” said Ethan Heicher, interim chancellor for Ivy Tech’s Kokomo Service Area. “Commencement is our favorite time of the year because we not only get to celebrate our students’ accomplishments, but we get to reflect on the time we have spent together as we’ve learned, grown and made our community a better place to live.”
This year, Ivy Tech Kokomo is awarding three honorary degrees to honor the leaders of three major hospitals in the Kokomo Service Area, and, by extension, their employees. They are Perry Gay, president and chief executive officer of Logansport Memorial Hospital; Joe Hooper, recently retired president of Community Howard Regional Health; and Margie Johnson, president of Ascension St. Vincent North Region, including Ascension St. Vincent Kokomo.
“Under the leadership of these individuals, all three institutions have been vital, long-term partners in educating and training Ivy Tech students for a variety of healthcare positions,” Heicher said.
“All three have been generous donors to the College in support of our students. And,” Heicher continued, “in the last two years, these leaders, and their dedicated teams, have offered above-and-beyond contributions to their communities as we fought through the coronavirus pandemic.
“They have led the way in responding to waves of patients who filled their hospitals, promoting the latest guidance to help us avoid infection, and providing the tests and vaccines that minimize the virus’s spread. They have stepped up to meet unprecedented challenges – service we honor in the conferring of these degrees.”
Jessica Higgins of Fishers, who is graduating with an Associate of Science in Nursing degree, is representing her class as student speaker at the 2022 Kokomo Service Area commencement. Those being honored during the event include:
* Tara Kaser of Swayzee, chair of the Department of Education and assistant professor of Education, recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Instruction;
* Dennis Brunk of Tipton, adjunct instructor in Life Sciences, recipient of the Adjunct Faculty Award for Excellence in Instruction;
* Graduating student Allison Salkie of Greentown, who graduated with an Associate of Applied Science degree in Business Operations, Applications, and Technology, was honored with the Chancellor’s Award for Academic Excellence.
* Mallory Claypool of Walton, director of the Lewis Cass Polytechnic Academy in Galveston, is being recognized as Ivy Tech Kokomo’s 2022 Distinguished Alumni Award winner.