bAnd Leslie DeVos—
MUNCIE, Ind. – Difference Makers are those who support and sustain the community through their active participation in the community and in the community they serve.
The 2022 Ivy Tech Difference Makers are Pastor Andre Mitchell, Joseph Anderson, Wayne Johnson, Duane Clemens Sr. and Bright Afriye.
Pastor Andre Mitchell is the senior pastor, material supervisor and serves as the GM of Salvation Temple. Campus Member of the Board of Trustees for Ivy Tech Community College Muncie-Henry County. Born and raised in the Muncie community, his family instilled a sense of community in him from an early age.
“My great uncle, Roy C. Bulle, helped incorporate Toohey Pool, so growing up I was very aware of the impact my family had on the community I lived in,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell’s father, Bishop H. Mitchell has taken over the invocations and benedictions for campus commencement ceremonies since his father passed away. On June 30, 2021, Mitchell was appointed to the Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County Board of Trustees.
“As a member of the Muncie Henry County Campus Board of Trustees, my primary goal is to listen. Learning from teachers. Learning from the chancellor and other trustees made me feel that Ivy Tech serves me more than I serve myself. I was able to follow in my late father’s footsteps and continue his calling. So, I’m kind of humbled by what’s going on,” Mitchell said.
As a member of the community, Mitchell serves on many boards and committees while volunteering his time in the community. He has written and published three books on Haiti and South Africa. He has spoken and/or taught at middle schools in every city and country except two, and has spoken as a keynote speaker at Ivy Tech, Ball State, Purdue and Taylor.
“Being differentiating means trying to be unique and authentic to your own purpose, not following the crowd. Copies are worth less than originals, trying to be original and authentic where they are copies can make a difference. Be true to yourself,” Mitchell said.
Joseph Anderson is the CEO of the Muncie Housing Authority and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County Campus. He serves as the local chapter president and regional criminal justice chair for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Anderson is an Ivy Tech alumnus and served as director of enrollment management until December 2015.
Anderson has been a lifelong member of the Muncie community, and has seen the city change and change over the years. The city’s transition from a manufacturing giant to an information and technology focus is what he noticed more than anything else.
“The city is changing. Compared to when I was a kid, things are starting to come back to the city. We’re moving away from industrial technology, more into an information base. So I think this is a big change for the city,” Anderson said.
This change in direction will provide additional benefits for Muncie’s youth. Through its information technology initiative, the Muncie-Delaware County, Indiana Economic Development Alliance is striving to bring in more information technology companies. The county is currently home to FinV (formerly Ontario Systems Corp.) and AccuTech Systems Corp., as well as Fortune 500 companies Concentric and Navient.
Wayne Johnson, vice chancellor for enrollment services at Ivy Tech Mucci-Henry County, was committed to the Muncie community in 1995 by Ball State basketball coach Ray McCallum. As a student athlete, Johnson assisted with campus basketball and various community initiatives. The summer season. In the year He joined Ivy Tech in 2009 as Assistant Director of Academic Advising. He served until 2017 when he assumed his current position.
“Looking back on my career to this point, the common theme has always been people and making a positive impact through intentional connections. I see myself as a connector to the next steps to success. The work we do here at Ivy Tech allows for that impact every day,” Johnson said.
Johnson serves on several boards in the community, including the YMCA, Boys & Girls Club, CASA and TeenWorks. In his role with Ivy Tech, Johnson and his team interact with local middle and high schools, working to create connections between students, their college and future careers.
“I’m really proud of the partnerships we’ve been able to make through Southside Middle School, TeenWorks, Boys & Girls Clubs and other programs we do in community schools,” Johnson said.
Assistant Professor of Mathematics Bright Afriye arrived in the United States from Ghana, Africa, on August 5, 2016, to pursue a master’s degree in mathematics at Ball State University. In the year In the spring of 2018, he began teaching in an adjunct role at Ivy Tech’s Muncie-Henry County campus, which became the fall of the same year.
“Being a teacher was an adventure. “My love for teaching grew stronger when I worked as a graduate assistant for the math department in graduate school,” Afriye said.
As a new member of the community, Afriye serves as an international student in mathematics and in his own right. In the year In 2020, he founded Proton Academy LLC to teach math to children during the pandemic. He and his colleagues founded the Math Club in 2022 in the Ivy Tech math department. He and his wife, Lily, launched the “Help a Student” initiative in the fall of 2022. of life when they come to college in the United States. Served over 25 international students as of December 2022. They have created a scholarship in Ghana to support diversity in the world of mathematics. The scholarship is awarded to the highest achieving female students graduating with a degree in Mathematics. The scholarship provides a financial award of $200 to the student, which covers the costs of the application process to help the student gain admission to an accounting-related graduate program in the United States. Two of the awardees are attending graduate school at Ball State University and are pursuing master’s degrees in statistics.
“It takes a community to raise an individual. Our values and character traits are inherent characteristics of our society. Your community is your environment and the environmental impact on us is inseparable. This is what community means to me,” Afriye said.
Duane Clemens Sr., college communications coach, is a lifelong member of the Muncie community. He attended Muncie Community Schools, graduating from Muncie Southside High School before attending Ball State University on a basketball scholarship.
“I love my career. Ivy Tech has given me the opportunity to be a positive role model in my community. I want to give my students the many opportunities I have been given to help them reach their full potential and shape their futures,” said Clemens.
As a college relations coach, Clemens meets with prospective students, helping them determine the steps that will best serve them in the future. Currently, he is working with Southside Middle School students through a partnership between Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County and the school. He advises the students and helps them in planning their future studies.
“Giving back is important to me. There were a lot of positive role models growing up in Muncie and I think it’s important to continue the legacy of seeing someone who looks like them and can relate to doing positive things in the community. Clemens said.
Chancellor Jeffrey D. Scott said, “Each person has impacted the lives of many people in the Muncie community. Here at Ivy Tech and in Muncie, we are proud of their work, influence and leadership. They are all difference makers and we are blessed to have them as part of the Ivy Tech family and purpose.
Mitchell added, “It is a unity hidden in the word community. Lately, our lives and lands have been very divided. Therefore, community means bringing people together and finding commonality in human experience.
Watch the Ivy Tech Difference Makers video at https://youtu.be/-MUh2206Xwkto. Classes begin January 17, 2023. To learn more about Ivy Tech Muncie-Henry County, visit ivytech.edu/Muncie.
About Ivy Tech Community College
Ivy Tech Community College is Indiana’s largest public postsecondary institution and the nation’s largest single-accredited statewide community college system accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Ivy Tech has campuses throughout Indiana and serves thousands of students online each year. It serves as the state’s workforce development engine, offering associate degrees, short-term certificate programs, industry certifications, and training tailored to the needs of the community. The college offers the most affordable path to a bachelor’s degree at other colleges and universities in Indiana as well as out-of-state. Follow Ivy Tech on facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn For the most up-to-date information.
