Ivy Tech President Thomas J. Snyder has received a three-year contract extension, to June 2017, the college has announced.

“We are pleased to extend the contract of President Snyder,” said Bruce Walkup, chairman of the Ivy Tech's board of trustees, in a statement. “Tom has been instrumental in the progress and growth of Ivy Tech, and his continued leadership is essential in this challenging period. Ivy Tech will play a critical role in improving Indiana’s position in college attainment, and Tom is the right leader for this challenge.”

Snyder was appointed president in 2007, and in August 2010 received a contract extension that would have taken him through June 2014.

“I want to thank the board for giving me the opportunity to continue being part of this team at Ivy Tech,” Snyder said in the statement.

“The role of the community college in Indiana is more critical now than it ever has been in its 50-year history.... The state of Indiana is in the forefront of the country’s educational change, and Ivy Tech is an important part of this change.”

During Snyder's tenure, the college’s enrollment has increased 47 percent and the number of degrees and certificates earned by students have nearly doubled, the statement said.

Ivy Tech, with campuses throughout Indiana, has more than 200,000 students enrolled annually.