As part of Ivy Tech’s plan to reimagine its main campus north of downtown, the community college will relocate the library, tutoring center and gallery space early next year.
The college will close the library and tutoring spaces on Dec. 18 at the Julia M. Carson Learning Resource Center. They will reopen Jan. 3 on the fourth floor of the North Meridian Center. The current library space will become offices for administrators and the college president. It’s unclear where the gallery space will move to.
A small but vocal group of students feel like the decision happened quickly and without enough communication from faculty. Raina Schnaiter, an art student, created a petition urging Ivy Tech administration to keep the library and gallery space as is, which as of Dec. 2 has gotten more than 250 signatures.
Schnaiter is especially mourning the loss of the gallery space that gave her so much validation and confidence as an art student. Though the college committed to creating a new gallery space for art students, there’s no information about where that might be located.
“For that to be going away is heartbreaking for me, honestly,” Schnaiter said. “I don’t see anything similar coming down the pike.”
Administrators say the move is an effort to centralize student resources — enrollment, advising and library and tutoring services — into one building.
In response to student concerns about transparency, Ivy Tech officials said when the plan for the library’s move was finalized, library staff were asked to communicate the changes to students, including the closure dates and the library’s new location.
“We’re really working to try and eliminate physical barriers for our students,” said Amanda Wilson, vice president for capital planning and facilities at Ivy Tech, “and allowing them to say, ‘Hey, you’re making a big step. You’re going to college. Let’s make this as easy as possible for you, and bring all those things you need to get started and to support you into one location.’”
Reimagining Ivy Tech
Ivy Tech plans to remodel the first three floors of the North Meridian Center to create this new student resource hub with advising, enrollment and library services.
Eventually, the library will move from the fourth floor to a permanent location on the third floor.
When the Julia M. Carson Learning Resource Center opened in 2011, the project represented a transformative development for the campus, which was growing fast both in student population and in footprint. But today, as Ivy Tech undergoes yet another period of transformation, the campus focus is on efficiency rather than simply expansion.
The college also plans to renovate the Illinois Fall Creek Center to be the new home for nursing and health sciences when those programs move from Lawrence. The renovations are primarily funded by $33 million from the state.
“We have more than enough physical space right now,” said Andy Cummings, chief operating officer of Ivy Tech Indianapolis. “It’s just not oriented correctly.”
Though some students are upset by the changes, officials said the college is working off student feedback in an effort to make the campus more accessible.
“Anything that we come up with is going to be better designed to meet student needs, and we’re going to stay focused on that,” Wilson said.
Student concerns
To students like Zuri Muniz, who is a visual communications student at Ivy Tech, the library’s move represents the loss of an irreplaceable student and community gathering space.
“It would just hurt,” she said, “because that’s where everybody comes together.”
Student Cecelia Whitfield says the library is a crucial part of her daily routine. She goes there almost every day to read, study and use the printers and computers. In addition to running a nonprofit that transports people to visit their incarcerated family members, Whitfield’s a student through the college’s Senior Scholars program, which allows retirees 60 and older to take classes for free.
While she’ll use the new library, she can’t help but think about the large windows and airiness she treasures in the current space.
“I know it wouldn’t be as beautiful and peaceful in a different area,” she said. “So, I’m a little bit disappointed.”
Claire Rafford covers higher education for Mirror Indy in partnership with Open Campus. Contact Claire at claire.rafford@mirrorindy.org or on Instagram/X/Bluesky @clairerafford.
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