LETTER TO THE EDITOR: RIECKEN ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY AND IVY TECH STUDENTS TO STAND UP AND DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT MEDICAL SCHOOL PROJECT

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RIECKEN ENCOURAGES COMMUNITY AND IVY TECH STUDENTS TO STAND UP AND DEMAND ANSWERS ABOUT MEDICAL SCHOOL PROJECT

(Riecken Charges That Decision Affects The Integrity Of The Entire Project)

 

Letter To The Editor

Gail Riecken

State Representative District #77

October 13, 2016

Last evening I talked with President Sue Ellspermann about Ivy Tech’s list of proposed capital projects for funding, and the new medical school campus, in particular. I want to publicly thank the President for calling me after her busy schedule.

I appreciate the objective evaluation metric the President’s administration has developed to prioritize their project requests to the Commission for Higher Education.

However, I believe the metric leaves out the importance of the history of Ivy Tech to the IU medical school project in Evansville and the critical relationship the project represents to the entire IU medical school.

I also believe not recommending the project is a breach of trust that legislators should challenge as Ivy Tech was promoted as an integral part of the IU medical school project.

If what I understand is correct, the Ivy Tech projects offered to the Commission in a meeting today did not include Evansville in the top priority for funding.

The decision to not fund Ivy Tech for construction at the medical school campus is a decision that affects the integrity of the entire project.

New concepts in collaborative health care were to be trained and practiced.

The new concepts were to be more effective and efficient in their use of medical personnel.

The forward thinking concept was to improve the health care delivery system of not only southern Indiana but of the entire State.

President Ellspermann said in our conversation that Ivy Tech’s job is to prepare students for the skills that build a future for them in jobs needed for the area. I can’t think of any industry more in need of skilled workers in Indiana than the health care industry.

It is time that we as a community and the students of Ivy Tech stand up and demand answers about what has happened to the IU medical school project that the Ivy Tech project is not slated on the list of priorities from the Ivy Tech administration.

I am asking that Ivy Tech request further education from the medical professionals who designed this project as to what is the health care delivery concept and Ivy Tech’s role envisioned in the design to better understand the concept?

And, I am requesting that a public meeting be held by the Mayor and City Council to hear this explanation as well as information relative to the following.

The Mayor and City Council should explain the dollars that are committed to the IU medical school project.

They should explain why millions of taxpayer dollars will be spent when Ivy Tech won’t be a part, resulting in only 25% of the promised number of students (now around 200) enrolled.

Ivy Tech, alone, was to provide 75% or more of the proposed students at the new facility, a promise that somehow seems to get lost in conversations about the project.

The Mayor and City Council should offer their plan for advocacy locally and in the legislature.

State elected legislators should offer their plan to advocate for funding.

And, Ivy Tech locally should offer how Ivy Tech can be involved in advocacy efforts.

The Ivy Tech project is important.

It is important to Hoosiers who want to see health care needs addressed in Indiana.

It is important to taxpayers who responded with a share of funding for the project.

It is important to students who want the best training and opportunity for their future.

Sincerely,

Gail Riecken

State Representative District #77

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

23 COMMENTS

  1. Wow ..do we remember when the euphoria came forth from Winnecke’s mouth concerning the Downtown Med School ..precisely ..Ivy Tech would have 1,500 health science students in the facility ..U of E would be participating together with USI contributing 500 students and UI would have 200 medical students ..the facility was designed around the 2,200 student capacity and the City’s contribution was $51 Million with $6 Million representing soft costs like legal, underwriting, etc. ..total price tag $57 million. Now, as it appears, the Ivy is out but the price tag remains the same for the citizens of Evansville ..kinda remind us of the bait and switch concerning the hotel.

    • Obviously, Winnecke never stepping a foot in any School of Business at any University does not know the meaning of Murphy’s Law. Consequently, time after time the devil seems to pop up in “Winnecke’s World”. Many of us wonder why he has such a deviate in the likes of Steve Schaefer as his Chief of Staff and when asked we here so often, “his abilities in reaching out in the General Assembly” ..if this is the case why is it that Ivy Tech seems to be eliminated from this project?

  2. Uhh ..we have republican control of the Indiana House and Senate and the Governor’s office. We have republican control of local government but nothing seems to be coming Evansville’s way? Perhaps Mr. Winnecke is not so adored at the State level. Maybe this is why during the Republican Caucus to consider replacing Pence that Winnecke when placed in consideration the discussion lasted 10 seconds then the Chairperson said, next candidate? ..

  3. I believe all of the area candidates for State Representative owe it to the voters to take a stand on this issue immediately. We actually have a chance to base our votes on a very important issue. I’m sure that the GOP would have preferred this information did not become public until November 9.

  5. Quote from Indy Star story about Ivy Tech’s decline in enrollment and graduation numbers in 2015: “a 25 percent drop in Ivy Tech’s enrollment over the past three years and a state report showing that fewer than 30 percent of it’s students complete a certificate or associate degree program within six years.”

    • And just how does that drop ferret out to 1600 fewer students? And if was in the past three ears than the drop was occurring before the deal. It makes no sense to cut IVT out when even if their graduation rate is longer. Are the not still selling the same credit hours? Something else is going on.

      • This article is about how the 28 million for Ivy Tech’s involvement was cut from the 2015 session budget. You don’t have to be involved with a project to be halfway informed about it.

  6. As a candidate for State Representative, I believe that Ivy Tech should be a part of the med school.

      • I will be a public voice to advocate for it. I’ll work with local and state officials to try to get the project back on course.

      • It will be a top priority for me during this budget session to acquire the funding for Ivy Tech to be a part of this valuable project.

        • I appreciate your good intentions but feel your answer is vague. To be fair we should also ask specifics from your opponent too.

          • I’m not sure how much more specific I can be sent to say that I will work to get funding needed for ivytech to be a part of the med school. Have a republican, I will work with the majority in the house, my fellow southern Indiana legislators, and house leadership to bring this about.

          • There really needs to be an edit function. It should read, “As a Republican”
            My thumbs are too big for typing on my phone.

  7. Excellent letter Gail. May I call you Gail? I set out the last mayoral election because I don’t trust Winnecke and could not get past the ketchup stain the size of Urbana on your blouse. With this letter that stain has faded and it makes me wish I had voted for you.

    You’re the right person, in the right place, at the right time, and I for one appreciate your efforts, wisdom, and experience in this latest of the sneagal shenanigans of this administration. Somewhere, somehow, someone is profiting from this bait and switch, and it is not the taxpayers.

    Thank you.

  8. Why would they even start construction of the facility if it is fact that 75% of the planned students will not be there ? This should not be a Field of Dreams ‘If you build it, they will come”. The project should either be right-sized or canceled given this change in scope.

  10. There were no “promised” number of students in the 2014 announcement.. There were numbers given for possible students from different institutions of which the majority were forecasted to be from Ivy Tech. Studies were done by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education which did not support Ivy Tech being included because of falling enrollment and lack of student completion of certificate and associate degree programs.

    • True, but in the 2014 announcement it reads “It is expected to serve as many as 1,800 students.”

      So how is it that we are 1600 students less?
      Was the vetting of the project bad?
      How do the numbers add up with that much of a difference?

      Something is really strange here disaffected, and you seem like someone who knows. Can you give a better answer than the obvious double speak “promised?” Who are you and what is your involvement in this project?

    • If they didn’t support Ivy Tech then why did they use the Ivy Tech enrollment predictions to pad the number of total students to get the project going and to fund it? If Ivy Tech was predicted to have the most students and they are not even included that sounds to me like a bait and switch. Are you Steve?

      BTW what happened to the What’s on your mind section today?

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