Madeleine DeVries, a nursing student at Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso, was practicing patient interaction on a talking mannequin inside the college’s nursing simulation lab Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, walked in.
DeVries, a third-semester nursing student, told them working in the hospital room inside the simulation lab has helped her improve her bedside manner skills. Additionally, DeVries said the faculty are knowledgeable and supportive.
“You can have the fanciest mannequins that talk and have eyes that follow you around, but it doesn’t matter if the people who are serving the students are not student centered. This is a student-centered school,” Cardona said.
Cardona came to Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso as part of his 2024 Back to School Bus Tour, which aims to highlight student achievement in public education. Cardona and Mrvan toured the flex lab and the nursing simulation lab at Valparaiso campus.
“We need schools like this. This has to be the norm not the exception. Yet, the reality is, not only are you the exception in many cases you are the exemplar,” Cardona said. “What I saw here today … this is really top tier.”
The country needs more schools like Ivy Tech to prepare the workforce for well-paying jobs, Cardona said. The Biden administration has pushed for public education systems like Ivy Tech to expand across the country.
President Joe Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, which focused on domestic manufacturing; the Inflation Reduction Act; and the Infrastructure Bill, which helped improve American industries and create jobs, Cardona said.
The U.S. Department of Education has invested over $6.4 billion to strengthen education across Indiana, including $66.3 million to increase college access for low-income and first-generation students and students with disabilities, according to a news release.
“Policy is only as good as the paper that it’s written on unless you can deliver, and you’re delivering. This is the delivery arm of that legislation,” Cardona said.
This is the second visit to Ivy Tech’s Valparaiso officials by Biden administration officials. In March 2023, First Lady Jill Biden, who is an English professor at Northern Virginia Community College, learned about the college’s efforts to train students for jobs in renewable energy alongside acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk.
Cardona held a roundtable discussion with four students, including DeVries, to ask them what drew them to Ivy Tech and what advice they have for him to take back to Washington as the Department of Education considers expanding educational opportunities across the country.
DeVries said the affordability of Ivy Tech drew her to the college’s nursing program. DeVries said she attended a four-year college before Ivy Tech, but because of the cost, she left the school.
When he goes back to D.C., DeVries said Cardona should “shatter that norm” that someone has to go to a four-year college to have a career.
“There are so many opportunities at a two-year, affordable school,” DeVries said. “I hope that it continues to be uplifted.”
Dexter Kehle, a junior at Chesterton High School and in the Ivy Tech dual credit program, said he will graduate high school with an associate’s degree in renewable energy. The U.S. Department of Education should expand opportunities for dual credit throughout the country, he said.
“It will put you much further ahead and cut down significantly on your college costs,” Kehle said.
Ryan Raleigh, who is pursuing an associate’s degree in advanced automation in robotics, said he would like to see more opportunities for hands-on learning while in high school and programs beyond.
Cardona said while some high schools may not have the teaching staff to offer specialized hands-on learning, those schools could partner with a college or university to allow interested high school students the opportunity to participate in those programs.
“That’s some of the innovation that we’re looking for,” Cardona said.
While touring the flex lab, Cardona talked with Raleigh as he worked at the automation and robotics station.
“I saw you downstairs, and I could tell you were really enjoying it,” Cardona said.
Aaron O’Reilly said the affordability and the teachers at Ivy Tech are what drew him to the college’s nursing program. O’Reilly, who is a third-semester student, said he is currently pursuing a second career path.
“For those that are looking to have a second career path, I think Ivy Tech is the perfect place for someone to realize that you don’t have to pick one thing and do it for the rest of your life. There are opportunities for higher education that are tangible, affordable and that will work around your real-life schedule,” O’Reilly said.
In Congress, Mrvan said he will advocate for Ivy Tech and community colleges so that students are prepared for their future careers. Mrvan said he heard the points made about affordability of a two-year college, and he will work toward expanding those opportunities.
“It is the pathway to the future for our workers and for allowing everyone to have a seat at the economic table to be able to succeed,” Mrvan said.
Cardona said Ivy Tech is a tool for Indiana’s economic development.
“This is putting money back in the community,” Cardona said. “A strong education system is your best economic driver. Schools like this one accelerate that.”
Back in Washington, Cardona said he will highlight Ivy Tech’s relationship with the local four-year university, the K-12 education system and the local hospital.
“This is the infrastructure that we need to build in education to provide opportunities for our students. So what I’m taking back to D.C. is that there are models here in Indiana that should be lifted. We should send states who are struggling to figure it out or folks who want to see how to expand it. There are models that they can learn from here,” Cardona said.
