Community colleges are having a moment. President Obama has been plugging the key role they can play in lifting communities. In a blog post, LISC Indy’s Bill Taft comments on the president’s visit, earlier this month, to Indianapolis’s Ivy Tech--a community college founded, with LISC’s help, in a repurposed hotel.
Obama’s Ivy Tech Visit Spotlights Community Development Partnerships
It’s exciting to see President Obama celebrating the work of a great partner to LISC like Ivy Tech. The President’s highlighting of the impact that a community college can have on a community has been reflected in how Ivy Tech has been part of local comprehensive community development efforts. The Ivy Tech campus is located in the Mid-North Quality of Life neighborhood, and the college has joined with residents and organizations like the Indianapolis Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, Mapleton-Fall Creek CDC, and Near North Development in implementing many community improvement goals.
Three years ago, LISC invested $11.2 Million in Federal New Market Tax Credits into the renovation of a vacant hotel into the Ivy Tech Corporate College, where students learn job skills tailored to fulfill opportunities with local employers. Ivy Tech has supported efforts to beautify the Fall Creek greenway as part of the Destination Fall Creek and ROW Initiatives.
LISC has also supported the creation and growth of a Center for Working Families (sometimes called Financial Opportunity Centers) at Ivy Tech, which empowers neighbors and low income students to build their income and assets while they are connected to educational and employment opportunities. CWF participants from around the city are now taking certification classes at Ivy Tech to improve their employability. Citizens of Indianapolis should be proud that the President has chosen to recognize the work of Ivy Tech, and we hope that this includes their contributions to improving the lives of residents in their community.
Bill Taft, Senior Vice President of Economic Development
Bill leads the expansion of LISC’s inclusive economic development efforts in its 37 local programs by investing in people, places, and businesses. Bill has been with LISC since 2005, initially serving as LISC Indianapolis’ Executive Director, later as Program Vice President, and now as Senior Vice President for Economic Development. Under Bill’s leadership, LISC Indianapolis invested over $240 million to leverage $1 billion of investment in the core urban neighborhoods of Indianapolis. Prior to that, Bill was President of Southeast Neighborhood Development, Inc. (SEND) for 14 years, overseeing the early phases of revitalizing the Fountain Square area of Indianapolis. Bill holds an undergraduate degree from Cedarville University and a master’s from Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning.