When students first began attending IPFW, which was established in 1964, Kettler Hall was the lone building on campus. Over time, construction began and other buildings rose to meet the ever-expanding demands from the growing student population and education departments. In doing so, IPFW has brought greater opportunities to college students.
Now, IPFW has twelve main buildings that make up campus – along with a hotel, student housing and numerous places to hang around and enjoy the time spent at school. Still, with all of those changes, Kettler Hall continues to be the center of activities. Kettler Hall is where most collaborative groups meet, study areas are available, the largest computer lab on campus is located and a vast array of offices reside. Chancellor Michael Wartell humorously used the example of how busy Subway is at any given time to measure the amount of activity in the building.
Though Kettler Hall will always be a very important and historical part of IPFW, Wartell decided that it was time to “shift the center of campus more toward the actual center of campus.” To accomplish that goal, construction began in May of last year, according to Wartell, to bring that vision of campus to life. Ultimately, the Student Services and Library Complex project will cost $42.4 million.
According to a pamphlet on the site plan, “The addition of collaborative-learning space, new classrooms, a student commons, and an international student center will provide students and faculty with countless opportunities to connect on both a social and interactive level, while supporting academic programming.”
Students seem to have mixed feelings about the whole project. Some are happy and contentedly waiting for completion, while others are upset or do not know any of the details concerning the complex.
“I cannot wait until the extension of Walb and the ‘skywalk’ connecting it to the library is finished,” said IPFW student Jackie Hesley, adding that the accomplishments made by the construction workers never cease to impress her.
“It seems every Monday when I get back [on campus] … another dramatic improvement has been made to the additions,” Hesley said.
In agreement, student Colin McCallister, who had unpleasant experiences at his old high school with construction is also impressed by the sudden rising.
“One thing I am surprised about is how fast these guys [construction workers] work,” McCallister said, after mentioning that the majority of his high school years were taken up with construction, while IPFW seems to be running quickly.
“I think that once the last brick is laid and the last beam is erected, it will be worth it,” McCallister concluded.
Some students are not as impressed, though. For example, student Tony Yaney said that he is not even sure of what is being built, but he feels like it is taking “forever.”
In turn, others apparently feel uneasy about the new additions. “Bridges to nowhere and tunnels without purpose are a waste,” said student Jack Ellsworth, though he said the new additions are okay if they make the campus more functional.
Wartell laughed while mentioning the “bridge to nowhere,” which was completed in Fall of 2008, stating that construction is being planned for that area of campus in the near future as well. He mentioned that there will be a new Alumni center and a park on the other side of the river. Also, a new parking garage is to be made near the Visual Arts building.
To clarify, the work on the Student Services expansion, which is expected to be finished Fall 2011, will bring a large indoor running track with multi-use courts in the middle and coaching offices to the side, said Wartell.
In addition, a student commons area will bring more places for students to eat, as well as a few extra classrooms, collaborative learning space and an international student center. Also, Follett’s bookstore will move into the new area and expand, said Wartell. Then, there is going to be an over-head walkway connecting the complex to Helmke library. All of that will be wrapped up in a design that stays in-line with the buildings IPFW already has while also bringing a more modern-looking structure to campus.
Over all, according to the pamphlet, the current construction is going to be approximately 173,000 square feet, consisting of “two stories above grade and a partial lower lever below grade.”
The additional space is undoubtedly needed for IPFW students. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the total enrollment at IPFW for Fall 2008 was 12,338 students.
Though, because of the economic hardship that many people have experienced nationally in recent years, many returning adults, unemployed workers and those opting to stay in school for higher education, IPFW saw a great increase after 2008.
As stated on ipfw.edu, enrollment has reached over 13 thousand, with 8.5 thousand of those students attending classes full-time. In turn, IPFW holds over 2 hundred degrees and certificates for students to achieve.
In addition, NCES shows that 27 percent of first-time, full-time students from Fall 2000 did not graduate until their eighth year at IPFW. Following closely, 22 percent took six years, and only 4 percent completed their degree in the traditional four year slot. Because of this, ever-graduating high school seniors will undoubtedly continue to enroll as freshmen in coming years, increasing the student population even more while others stay longer to earn their degrees.
With a campus that is 642 acres, IPFW is beginning to utilize much more space, which in turn will help to accommodate the growing student body. The entire project will not raise student expenses at all, said Wartell, and it is being done with the students’ needs in mind, trying to make IPFW a better place for all enrolled.
According to the mission, values and vision statement, IPFW envisions “an exceptional environment for teaching, learning, and student achievement,” and values “a campus environment that promotes integrity, respect for diversity, responsible citizenship, accountability, sustainability, and continuous improvement.”
Basically, in keeping with that statement, Wartell stressed that although not all students realize what is going on with all of the construction or disagree with it completely, that the whole project is “fundamentally for the people we serve.”
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