On Tuesday, Erie County Community College held its first quarterly breakfast to celebrate its successes in its first year. America’s newest community college accomplishments include expanded programs, more than double enrollment, and considerable progress towards accreditation.
Board of Trustees Chair Cheryl Rush Dix welcomed the fifty members in attendance recognizing the how far the college has come, “What began as a simple idea that Erie County deserves its own community college years ago is now well on path to serve the needs of our students as a fully accredited institution.”
President Chris Gray shared enrollment data showing that over 350 students from across Erie County are enrolled. “Our enrollment mirrors the population density of the county showing how we are serving students from throughout our great county.” Gray also shared that over 11 new programs have been added in manufacturing, public service, and allied health.
Vice President of Academic and Student Services, Guy Goodman, highlighted the Surgical Technology program “UPMC came to the college sharing how they needed surg techs to keep their operating suites at capacity.” The Surg Tech program is a unique collaboration that enabled the college to begin offering training in this high demand field by utilizing the hospital’s surgical suites so students can learn in real life settings.
The next quarterly breakfast will occur in December and EC3 Vice Chairperson Christina Vogel encouraged attendees to spread the word. “We hope to use these meetings to give you an inside look into what’s happening at EC3 and to share where we are going.” Vogel encouraged visitors to bring a friend. Those interested in detail on the next quarterly meeting should email president@ec3pa.org or call 814.413.7000 for more information.
