The La Porte Community School Corporation, Microsoft Corporation, and Ivy Tech Community College signed a Memorandum of Understanding affirming their shared commitment to launch the Microsoft Datacenter Academy at LPCSC's Slicer Career and Technical Education Program.

Signed by Microsoft President Brad Smith, Ivy Tech Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer Sejal Vaishnav, and LPCSC Superintendent Dr. Sandra Wood, the agreement formalizes a three-way partnership designed to prepare La Porte students for high-skill careers in data center operations and IT infrastructure, one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.

The Datacenter Academy will bring together five pillars of collaboration: an industry-recognized curriculum developed with local education partners, a hands-on datacenter lab featuring real industry equipment, mentorship and support from Microsoft's local datacenter teams, scholarship and financial grant opportunities for participating students, and the opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience at a Microsoft datacenter.

"This changes what is possible, not just for the students sitting in our classrooms today, but for every student who comes after them," said Dr. Wood at the signing ceremony. "Careers that, until very recently, did not exist in this community will now be within reach of La Porte students. This opportunity opens new doors for our students and for the families who are choosing to build their lives in La Porte."

The Microsoft Datacenter Academy at LPCSC is planned to open to students in the 2027-2028 school year. Today's signing follows the March 2026 partnership agreement between LPCSC, the City of La Porte, and Microsoft, under which Microsoft pays full property taxes on its La Porte data center development, with 15 percent of that revenue allocated to LPCSC for 20 years, the maximum amount permitted under Indiana law for educational programming.

LPCSC expressed gratitude to Mayor Tom Dermody, Bert Cook, and the La Porte Economic Advancement Partnership, Ivy Tech Community College, and Microsoft for their continued investment in La Porte students and families.

Left to right: Bo Wallace, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft; Patti Shields, Vice Chancellor  Ivy+ Careers, Ivy Tech Community College; Brad Smith, President, Microsoft Corporation; Sejal Vaishnav, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Ivy Tech Community College; Dr. Sandra Wood, Superintendent, La Porte Community School Corporation. Photo credit: Gary Riggs Photography