News Release

FORT WAYNE — The second annual Ivy Tech Day is happening April 23, and Ivy Tech Community College Fort Wayne and Warsaw invites alumni, employees, students and community members to support the college’s mission to break barriers to quality higher education.

This year, Ivy Tech Fort Wayne/Warsaw is adding fun twist to fundraising. The Jail or Pardon Challenge allows donors to send Chancellor Kim Barnett-Johnson to “jail” or “pardon” her from her “sentence.” The vote with the highest dollar amount wins and goes toward the $6,000 goal.

Here’s how it works:

• If “pardoning” gets the most votes, the chancellor avoids jail.
• If the “jail” wins, the chancellor will spend an entire eight-hour workday in a jail cell provided by the Fort Wayne History center, once repurposed by former Ivy Tech students, at the beginning of the fall 2024 semester.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participated last year and look forward to uniting again to have an even greater impact on students’ lives,” said Barnett-Johnson. “We’re using this day as an opportunity to have fun. It’s a celebration for education and the commitment we have to students and their futures.”

Funds raised during Ivy Tech Day will go toward strengthening programs to give students more opportunities to graduate career ready. It’s part of the college’s goal to look beyond graduation day and give students “higher education at the speed of life.”

Anyone interested in contributing to Ivy Tech Day can do so at ivytech.edu/giveday for 24 hours starting at 12:01 a.m. ET on Tuesday, April 23. Cash and check will also be accepted in the foundation office on Coliseum Campus, 3800 N. Anthony Blvd.

To participate in the Jail or Pardon Challenge via online giving, indicate in the comment section “Jail” or “Pardon.”