Butler University’s Path to a Two-Year College
Social justice is at the core of Butler University's educational mission. Founded by abolitionists in 1850, Butler holds the distinction of being the second school in Indiana and the third in the country to admit both men and women.
It was with this history of expanding educational access in mind that Brooke Barnett, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Butler University, and her team pursued bringing Come to Believe’s model to Butler’s campus. Barnett worked along with the school’s Transformation lab, which is devoted to finding new educational models and innovative partnerships that can advance the school into the future, to see if CTB would be a fit for Butler.
Stephanie Hinshaw, Executive Director of the Transformation Lab, notes that CTB's model left an immediate impression because it aligned with Butler’s goal of making education more affordable.
“At Butler, we’ve long had a goal of making our school more accessible by adding a ‘$10,000 degree’ or another affordable program,” added Hinshaw. “As soon as we were introduced to the CTB model, we thought we needed to learn more and see if it would be a fit for our school.”
Butler staff joined the inaugural CTB Design Grant cohort to evaluate the feasibility of establishing a two-year college in Indianapolis. Hinshaw assembled a diverse working group of faculty and staff—a design team—to ensure all perspectives were considered during the exploration process. CTB’s resources, guidance and support enabled Barnett, Hinshaw and the design team to thoroughly examine the model.
“We had great admiration for what Come to Believe was doing, but we weren’t sure if we could pull it off,” says Barnett. “I’m so delighted that we always found ways around barriers and impediments.”
The team rigorously examined the practicalities of introducing the CTB model to Butler, including assessing its financial feasibility and determining if Butler could provide the comprehensive wrap-around support services essential to the two-year college. They also surveyed Pell Grant-eligible high schoolers in the Indianapolis area, confirming a significant demand for the CTB model and indicating that local students would benefit greatly from a new two-year college option.
At every step of the way, the Butler team turned to CTB staff for guidance and to help evaluate Butler’s plan of action. After looking at the model from every angle and developing a five-year financial plan, the Butler staff realized a two-year college was not only feasible—it was the right thing to do for their community. The college—which is yet to be named—will be housed in Butler’s existing College of Education building. Following renovations to the space, Butler will welcome its first class in the Fall of 2025.
“Higher education is meant to be a great equalizer and to help reduce generational poverty, but with rising costs, it sometimes doesn’t fulfill this mission,” says Hinshaw. “At Butler, we’re changing that. We’re thrilled that students in the Indianapolis area will soon have an affordable, accessible path to a degree.”
