Ivy Tech Community College in Bloomington will conduct a once-a-year institute on community service and name it for former Gov. Frank O'Bannon, who died last September, college officials announced this week.

The first installment of the daylong event will be April 30 at the Ivy Tech campus off Ind. 48 west of Bloomington. Judy O'Bannon, the governor's widow, will be the keynote speaker.

"Gov. Frank O'Bannon's legacy was the creation of a community college system in Indiana," said Ivy Tech-Bloomington Chancellor John Whikehart, announcing the plans at a Wednesday news conference. "I can think of no better way to honor his legacy than to name our program the O'Bannon Institute for Community Service."

This year's institute will include panel discussions on nonprofit organizations, political participation and integrating higher education with service. Participants will include former Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez, state Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton of Columbus and Monroe County commissioner Joyce Poling.

It is part of the Ivy Tech campus's plans for a center for civic engagement, which are being developed and will be unveiled this year, officials said.

Whikehart said a focus on community service and engagement is part of the mission of Ivy Tech-Bloomington, along with meeting the educational needs of its students and serving work force and training needs of area employers.

"The third pillar is going to be community service," he said.

He said the effort is reflected in some classes, with computer students getting real-world experience by providing technical support for nonprofits and accounting students helping Bloomington public-housing residents with their taxes.

Whikehart said the focus results from a belief that the college should repay the community for its support, including construction of a state-funded, $23 million campus that opened in August. He said it will set the campus apart from other institutions and could serve as a model for Ivy Tech's 13 other regions across the state.

Bloomington Mayor Mark Kruzan was among those lending support to the idea.

"Ivy Tech-Bloomington is one of the fastest-growing campuses in the state, and with initiatives like the O'Bannon Institute, the college continues to provide leading information, education and opportunities to the community as a whole," Kruzan said in a prepared statement.

Speaking to faculty, staff and students in the atrium of the 1 1/2-year-old Ivy Tech facility, Whikehart said 95 percent of students who earn associate's degrees or work-force certificates from Ivy Tech-Bloomington become part of the regional work force, getting jobs in Monroe or surrounding counties.

"Imagine the day that Ivy Tech Bloomington is known for the fact that 95 percent of its graduates leave here with a commitment to community service," he said.

O'Bannon Institute for Community Service.

• WHEN: April 30.

• WHERE: Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington, 200 Daniel's Way off West Ind. 48.

• WHAT: Panel and roundtable discussions with former Indiana first lady Judy O'Bannon, Ivy Tech Chancellor John Whikehart, former Bloomington Mayor John Fernandez, Monroe County commissioner Joyce Poling, city councilman David Sabbagh, state Senate President Pro Tem Robert Garton and others.

Reporter Steve Hinnefeld can be reached at 331-4374 or by e-mail at shinnefeld@heraldt.com.