By KELLY HAWES

Pharos-Tribune managing editor

Jerry Lamkin, the president of Ivy Tech Community College, told a Logansport audience on Friday he had received probably a hundred letters supporting funds for a new local campus.

“I have never seen this much support from a local community,” he said.

State Rep. Rich McClain put it another way.

“I want to thank you because you are really true lobbyists,” he said.

His fellow Logansport Republican, Sen. Tom Weatherwax, had a slightly different take on the outpouring of letters.

“After three days, I said, ‘You know what? They’ve got the message,’” he recalled.

All three men spoke Friday as college leaders, public officials and members of the community gathered to celebrate the approval of $16 million in state funding for construction of the new campus at U.S. 35 and Main Street.

During the course of the legislative session, Mayor Mike Fincher got a call from Ivy Tech Region 5 Chancellor Steve Daily.

“He said, “Stop the letters. They’ve heard enough,’” Fincher recalled.

Daily said it was Fincher who really started the campaign.

“I talked to him soon after he was elected, and he asked me what the heck we needed to do to get a new campus here,” Daily recalled.

Daily responded that the campus had been on a project list for years but that it hadn’t moved much.

“I told him the key to a project like this was to rally community support,” Daily said.

Fincher and other local officials got behind the project, coming up with the land for the proposed campus and pledging funding for infrastructure and other needs. The total support for the project, Daily said, totaled more than $3 million.

“We’ve got it,” Fincher told the crowd. “Now we’ve got to pay for it.”

He said he hoped the city would be able to break ground for a proposed new road by the end of the month.

Lamkin said projects like the new Logansport campus were the key to restoring the state’s economy.

“Indiana is a state of small towns, and that’s how it will be rebuilt,” he said. “You don’t do it from Marion County.”

The mood at Friday’s event was one of excitement.

“This is the fulfillment of a lot of dreams,” Weatherwax said. “It’s been a very exciting week that is the culmination of many years of planning. It also represents the support of the community and its citizens working together to achieve what we have achieved this week. I see our community utilizing the new Ivy Tech campus for many other cultural opportunities. I have people calling every day with ideas — art, music, a river walk. The new campus will provide an improved total quality of life for the entire community.”

McClain echoed Weatherwax’s enthusiasm.

“This session, we wanted to prioritize projects based on importance,” he said. “With the help of our local leaders, state leaders and, most importantly, the citizens of our community, we were able to achieve this dream. I commend all parties on their hard work and dedication. The creation of a new campus presents many opportunities and possibilities in which I believe our community will take great pride.”

Fincher also joined in the celebration.

“This is an exciting announcement for Logansport and Cass County,” he said. “Ivy Tech will help build a pathway to the future not only for existing employers, but also for students who can’t afford or are not yet able to attend college. Ivy Tech will be a catalyst for the community that we want now and in the future.”

Daily said the college had many people to thank for helping to make the dream of a new campus a reality.

“So many people have worked to help make this happen,” he said. “We thank the Jones family for their contribution, the city and county for providing additional funds, Mayor Fincher, Senator Weatherwax, Representative McClain, and countless people in the community who have worked for years toward creating a new campus here. We’d also like to thank our good friends Don Heckard and Joe Reed who have always shared the vision of what Ivy Tech could become.”

Jan Bailey, executive dean of the Logansport campus, also spoke at today’s event.

“On behalf of the faculty and staff on the Logansport campus, we are grateful to the community for their support in moving the college forward,” she said. “We are thankful for the support of many as we move forward with more opportunities to provide educational and training programs in the Logansport community.”

Ivy Tech Logansport offers associate degrees and technical certificates in accounting, business administration, computer information systems, early childhood education, general studies, industrial technology, office administration, practical nursing and medical assistant. In addition, it offers courses in reading, composition and mathematics, and numerous transferable general education courses, including composition, mathematics, psychology, sociology, American history and public speaking.

The campus also offers continuing education and customized corporate training courses.

The campus has 21 full-time employees, including 11 full-time professors, 50 adjunct faculty, more than 800 students and more than 120 course offerings.

Kelly Hawes can be reached at (574) 732-5155 or kelly.hawes@pharostribune.com