The Community College Solution

Thomas J. Snyder serves as president of Ivy Tech Community College, the largest institution of higher education in Indiana and the nation’s largest singly-accredited statewide community college system.

He is that rare breed among community college presidents in that he is not an academic. Snyder joined Ivy Tech in 2007, after a successful career as Chairman CEO/President of two manufacturing companies: Flagship Energy Systems Center and Delco Remy International, Inc. During his 11 years at the helm of Delco Remy, he established a new business model and diversified the former General Motors division from a $500 million automotive parts supplier to $1.3 billion in sales as a global leader in truck, off-road and aftermarket products with more than 6,000 employees worldwide.

Under Snyder’s leadership, Ivy Tech has raised more than $170 million, including a $2.5 million Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training grant for information technology and cyber security education. Other significant funding includes a $22.9 million Lilly Endowment Grant, the largest grant in the history of Ivy Tech. The grant was used to create a world-class training center.

Along with significantly growing Ivy Tech’s enrollment numbers, Snyder has launched student success pathways, added major new facilities and improved operational efficiencies. These initiatives have shown positive results, ranging from improved graduation rates to upgraded bond ratings from both Standard and Poor’s and Fitch.

Ivy Tech is first in the nation among two-year colleges for the number of associate degrees granted in the 2013-14 school year. President Barack Obama cited Ivy Tech in 2015 as “one of the best in the country” during an official campus visit to outline his proposal for two years of free community college for all Americans.

Snyder was selected in September, 2015, by President Obama to serve on the College Promise Advisory Board, which brings together luminaries and leaders to share best practices and ideas for models to make community college free for all students and to serve as a way for those leaders to recruit more of their peers to join the cause.

He was also chosen by President Obama to serve on a Roundtable on Affordability and Productivity in Higher Education at the White House in December 2011. The roundtable included Secretary of Education Arne Duncan as well as senior White House advisors in discussions to explore effective practices that promote affordability and productivity in higher education.

In October 2010, Snyder and Ivy Tech student Michael Rice were invited by Dr. Jill Biden to participate in the first-ever White House Summit on Community Colleges. President Obama asked Dr. Biden to convene the event to highlight the critical role community colleges play in developing America’s workforce. Ivy Tech subsequently hosted the largest regional U.S. Department of Education summit on community colleges in March 2011 as a follow up to the White House Summit on Community Colleges.

One of four college presidents invited to testify at a hearing on college affordability before the U.S. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Snyder noted that Ivy Tech costs less, adjusted for inflation, than it did four years ago. By capping the number of required textbooks, providing more online courses and reducing overhead costs, Ivy Tech is one of the most economical options available in higher education.

Snyder graduated from Kettering University, formerly General Motors Institute, with a degree in mechanical engineering. He also holds a master’s degree in business administration from Indiana University.

He currently serves on the boards of Conexus, Energy Systems Network, Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow, Community College Advisory Panel, Auto Community Network, The Manufacturing Institute, Midwestern Higher Education Compact, Rebuilding America’s Middle Class, Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, Indiana Career Council, Tocqueville Society of United Way, Academic Advisory Council, National Workforce Solutions Advisory Board, and the Paramount Theater.