Beginning January 2013, Ivy Tech Community College will begin a year-long celebration commemorating its 50th anniversary.
The year-long celebration will kick-off in Kokomo with a presentation entitled “Finding Your Roots” by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., which will be held at the Kokomo Event & Conference Center on Jan. 25 at 7 p.m.
“It is fitting as we look back on the college’s history, reflecting on our roots as an institution, that we kick off the 50th anniversary with a really dynamic, nationally-renowned speaker,” said Susan Maxson, chair of the event. “No one could be more appropriate than Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr.”
Harvard professor, author and literary critic, Gates is an expert in exploring the past. At the core of his exploration of the past through his work with PBS, Gates examines race, culture, and identity through genealogy and history to unveil who we are and where we come from.
Ivy Tech Community College will officially mark its 50-year anniversary on March 15, and each of Ivy Tech’s 14 regions will host celebrations throughout the year to commemorate the college’s 50-year history. A statewide gala is also being planned for Sept. 6 at the JW Marriott in Indianapolis.
Tickets for the Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. event in Kokomo are $50 each, including dinner, and are available for purchase online at Ivytech.edu/kokomo/gates.html.
Ivy Tech Community College is the state’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest singly accredited statewide community college system serving nearly 200,000 students annually.
Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana. It serves as the state’s engine of workforce development, offering affordable degree programs and training that are aligned with the needs of its community along with courses and programs that transfer to other colleges and universities in Indiana.
