INDIANAPOLIS — The new St. Joseph's College of Marian University is still accepting applications for the first class of its two-year program.
According to a news release from Marian, the school that is referred to as St. Joe Indy is a collaboration between Marian and St. Joseph's College, which suspended operations at its Rensselaer campus in May 2017. More than 80 St. Joseph's students have transferred to Marian, and Marian has hired several former St. Joseph's staff and faculty members.
Calling it "earn and learn," Marian and St. Joe Indy will only require students to take classes two days a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students will pursue two-year degrees in business administration or liberal arts, and they will have the option to be granted automatic acceptance into Marian to pursue a Bachelor's degree.
“Earn and learn is a win-win for the students and the local business community,” Jeff Jourdan, Saint Joe Indy executive director, said. “For many students, the biggest barrier to pursing a college degree is the financial commitment.
"Saint Joe Indy students get the best of both worlds — relevant, paid work experience to build their resume while earning their degree. And it’s also a win for central Indiana employers, who will be able to tap into a diverse, committed group of students who are looking to better themselves.”
Students will have paid internship opportunities at Allison Transmission, Community Health Network, Infosys, Key Bank, One America, Shiel Sexton, SnapShyft, StatWax, The Heritage Group, Pondurance and the Brookfield Group.
Marian hosted a ribbon cutting Wednesday for St. Joe Indy, which is housed two blocks from Marian's main campus in St. Joseph Hall, a former church at the northeast corner of 30th Street and Kessler Boulevard. Marian acquired the property two years ago from an anonymous donor and spent more than $600,000 on renovations.
