Morgan McCabe Times correspondent
Some of the students in Professor Renee Corso's advanced human physiology class at Ivy Tech Community College in Valparaiso aren't typical college students.
They are participants in the Senior Scholars program, which offers tuition-free college credit courses to Indiana residents age 60 and older at Ivy Tech campuses across Indiana.
“It's been extremely rewarding to share nearly 40 years of medical experience with students of all ages and generations,” said Corso, 78, a Vietnam War veteran and Green Beret medic, who called teaching his “retirement hobby.”
By waiving tuition for seniors, Ivy Tech is going beyond Indiana law, which requires 50% of tuition to be waived, said Emily Sandberg, assistant vice president for public affairs at Ivy Tech.
“Senior Scholars can take any course offered at our local campus or satellite campus,” Sandberg said, adding that 2,204 Indiana seniors have taken advantage of the program from 2019 to 2023. “The Indianapolis campus has the largest concentration of Senior Scholars. This spring, Ivy Tech Indy had more than 200 Senior Scholars enrolled.”
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“Over the past five years, the Valparaiso Campus team has helped 75 Indiana residents age 60 and older take tuition-free courses at Ivy Tech,” said Ryan Segary, assistant vice president for enrollment and student affairs at the Valparaiso Campus. “Currently, we have 11 senior scholars taking classes with us in a variety of programs.”
In addition to age and residency requirements, senior scholars must have a high school diploma or GED and not be employed full-time, Segary said.
“Tuition is free for senior scholars, but they are responsible for fees, textbooks and other materials,” Sandberg said. “Depending on the number of credits they take, it's usually less than $150.”
“Many of our senior scholars tend to take liberal arts or liberal arts and sciences courses,” Sandberg says. The 70-plus courses available to them include engineering, robotics, agriculture, education, accounting, hospitality, interior design, human services, liberal arts and health specialties such as pharmacy and nursing.
“Our Valparaiso campus has excellent patient simulators in a hospital-like environment, a full-scale operating room, and even a full-scale ambulance in a classroom,” Corso said. “This space is open to seniors who want to learn more about health care.”
Founded in 1963, Ivy Tech has regional campuses in East Chicago, Gary, Crown Point, Michigan City and Valparaiso. For more information about these campuses, course offerings and enrollment requirements, visit ivytech.edu. Ivy Tech also offers more than 500 online classes through IvyOnline at www.ivytech.edu/programs/ivyonline.
According to Erica Michalek, director of marketing and communications, credits from Senior Scholars courses, like other courses at the university, are transferable to Ivy Tech partner schools such as Purdue University, Ball State University and Indiana State University.
“As humans, we are always learning. We never stop. It's never too late to enroll in a course and learn something new,” Michalek said. “Ivy Tech is here to help all students.”