Letter to the Community from Dr. Lorenzo L. Esters

Today marks my first day as Chancellor of Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis. I am very excited about having been selected as the next Chancellor for this campus. Over the last few weeks, I have had the opportunity to spend time at the College before officially transitioning to the role of Chancellor and greatly appreciate the warm welcome I have received from Chancellor Lee, the campus, and the Greater Indianapolis community. 

In addition, I have had the opportunity to meet with several of our distinguished alumni, campus board members, business leaders, community-based organization representatives, K-12 school leaders, and elected officials. Many of our faculty, staff and students have been most welcoming and have shared useful and insightful information about the college. I also appreciate that several presidential colleagues at area four-year institutions have taken the time to meet with me and I look forward to working with them in the future.

In an effort to learn more about the campus, I will be appointing a Chancellor’s Transition Advisory Committee (CTAC). This committee will provide me with critical information and feedback as I continue to learn about the campus and plan for the next year.  The committee’s work will focus on gathering knowledge and data about the campus as well as soliciting insight from members of the internal and external community. I will share more about the plans of the CTAC and its membership soon.

Since arriving at Ivy Tech, I have admired the mission of the institution, its spirit and energy. From watching the recent launch of Ivy+, our new tuition model that includes free textbooks and classes after 12 credits per semester, to watching our employees collaborate and volunteer for Gleaner’s weekly Summer Drive-Thru Food Distribution on our downtown campus, I have observed our mission in action.

The spirit of Ivy Tech is also reflected in our students, who continue to inspire me with their drive and resilience, especially the more than 1,200 Ivy Tech Indianapolis students that graduated this Spring – having to overcome unseen challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our innovative faculty and staff continue to build partnerships with employers to meet the needs of students and reinvigorate the local economy. This is a testament to the quality and commitment of our faculty and staff.  I am looking forward to seeing the continued success with our local longstanding community partnerships and the new and innovative partnerships that we will forge together.

Today is also significant as it represents the effectuation of our newly restructured service area from nine counties to three, which comprises Marion, Boone and Hendricks counties. The new service area presents us with a wonderful opportunity to focus more specifically on our community and ensure we are responsive to the needs of learners and community.

In early June, we held the grand opening for our new Automotive Technology Center in the city’s International Marketplace District. We also are looking forward to the July 29 ribbon cutting of the new MADE@Plainfield higher education facility in Plainfield, which will allow us to expand program offerings and opportunities in Hendricks County.

I am absolutely delighted to have been chosen as Chancellor and commit to this community and to those who look to the College for access to opportunity that we will build on the College’s wonderful legacy of commitment.