GUEST COMMENTARY: Education helps propel people out of poverty

Addressing poverty issues is a complex task. There is no easy answer for how to bring people out of poverty and, more important, how to keep them from dropping back in.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Change can support a healthy region

I recently had my routine doctor’s appointment, and except for my “winter weight gain,” the doctor indicated I was progressing well. He did say, however, I was due for a more complete workup during my next visit. We all realize that we have to get regular checkups, follow our doctor’s advice…

GUEST COMMENTARY: Invest in training to create 'perfect fit' workers

Companies are complaining they can't find suitable candidates for their jobs.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Quality of life should be daily topic for region

Recently, the Quality of Life Council collaborated with the One Region, One Vision Council in a luncheon to both report on progress made in pursuit of One Region initiatives and to recognize individuals for their efforts in advancing the goals of the Quality of Life Council. It was wonderful…

GUEST COMMENTARY: Diversity is about inclusion, not numbers

For too long the notion has been that somehow diversity revolves around numbers, balance and being politically correct. Perhaps we should use the term "inclusion" instead.

GUEST COMMENTARY: Volunteering is key to essential services

American Heart Association, Boys and Girls Clubs, Catholic Charities, Daughters of Penelope, Everybody Counts,... Salvation Army, Taltree Arboretum, United Way... These are just a fraction of the non-profit and service agencies in Northwest Indiana that significantly influence our quality o…

GUEST COMMENTARY: Quality of life takes on a broader meaning

The Quality of Life Council is a membership organization of engaged citizens from business, education, not-for-profit, and government sectors of Lake, Porter and LaPorte counties. It is chaired, on a rotating basis, by the six Chancellors and presidents of colleges and universities in Northw…

GUEST COMMENTARY: The challenge of dreaming about the quality of life

There have been a series of columns over the past year focused on the Quality of Life Council's indicators for northwest Indiana. These indicators were culled from years of data that reflect what we in Northwest Indiana should be concerned about -- from education to the environment, to healt…

Will you take the dare to dream?

Ivy Tech and our sister institutions recently helped launch the "Dare to Dream: One Region/One Vision" initiative because, quite frankly, we don't have all the answers. Funded by the Knight Foundation through our Gerald I. Lamkin Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center, this initiative will…

Population density improves our quality of life

When are too many people too many? The environmental challenges of population density are not something that many of us think about on a daily basis. Sure, we complain about traffic congestion when in a hurry or the long lines at a restaurant, but from day to day we generally ignore the issu…

Keep focusing on quality-of-life issues in region

Life comes at us fast. A national insurance company reminds us of that every day in their television ads. Recent ups and downs in our national economy, strife and conflicts in various parts of the world, and the adverse effects of global climate changes fill the news daily.

Strengthening job sectors will strengthen region

If you take a broad look at jobs in Northwest Indiana, we still rely a lot on a variety of employment sectors to support our economy. There are still opportunities for employment available.

Fast IT growth means jobs for instructors, too

Ivy Tech Community College has been an education resource for technology in the computer information arena dating back to punch card technology.

Area colleges' bottom line is graduates' success

Every business understands the bottom line. It reveals how much the business has earned in terms of products made or services provided during the course of an operational cycle. To some extent, colleges and universities do the same thing. Northwest Indiana universities and colleges graduated…

Ivy Tech culinary graduate cooks up mentoring programs

When Anthony Fenyves was a young boy in the 1970s, he used to ride his Schwinn Stingray bicycle past the old Highland Custard Shop on Highway Avenue. Little did he know that one day he would be the proprietor of his own restaurant in the same location.

Healthier economy from healthier lifestyles

Every new year, we Americans promise to positively impact our long term health.

Anyone can become an innovator

Those who attended last October's Regional Innovations Forum might remember the call to action by Vice Chancellor Nabil Ibrahim of Purdue University Calumet.

Seek opportunities for assistance along educational pipeline

If a student needs remediation in certain subjects, who should be blamed? How far back can we look for someone who is at fault when students advance to the next academic level scholastically and socially unprepared?

The stars align for a better Northwest Indiana

My 11-year-old daughter, upon her return from summer camp recently, told me she and her friends saw a comet passing overhead. I haven't been able to confirm what she reports, but it seems that the stars have aligned for the good of the region once again. They are promising a bright future.