Eastern Gateway – the Valley’s First Community College
The Mahoning Valley has several choices for continuing education – Youngstown State University and Kent State University regional campuses offer college access and there are also several technical colleges in the area. However, the rising cost of tuition can be a deterrent. Jefferson Community College of Steubenville saw the need for a more affordable college choice and now there is one; Eastern Gateway Community College With just one full semester in the books, Eastern Gateway Community College can already tout its success. Serving Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties, this expansion of Jefferson Community College is thriving.
Eastern Gateway serves a variety of students – those fresh out of high school who can’t afford the full college experience and older students looking to make a career change. Students enrolled full-time at other colleges are also taking Eastern Gateway Community College summer courses to pick up undergraduate credits during their summer break. Eastern Gateway academic programs include those in business, engineering, health, the humanities and social sciences.
And the best part? All classes taken at Eastern Gateway are transferable to many four year universities. Another plus – and this is a big one – the cost per credit hour at Eastern Gateway is approximately $100. According to the school’s website at www.egcc.edu
“Without the state of Ohio’s support, EGCC’s tuition and fees would be almost twice the current per credit hour rate. The state of Ohio provides 41 percent of the college’s operating revenue through two state subsidies — the State Share of Instruction and Access Challenge. The rest of the college’s operating revenue comes primarily from student tuition and fees as well as federal grants.”
Such an affordable price tag comes from the fact Eastern Gateway has no main campus, but instead classes are offered at satellite locations found in Mahoning , Trumbull and Columbiana counties. The Eastern Gateway Community College partnerships within the Mahoning Valley include the Trumbull Career and Technical Center in Warren, the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center in Canfield, the Choffin Career Center in Youngstown, the Columbiana County Career and Technical Center in Lisbon, Youngstown State University, and Kent State University. Many classes are also available on-line utilizing the learning system Blackboard 9 with classes in the sciences requiring lab work be done at the satellite locations.
In a statement made in August 2009 when the college’s first classes began, Governor Ted Strickland stated, “Eastern Gateway will make it easier for Ohioans in the Mahoning Valley to obtain a quality education and develop the skills they need for jobs in the modern economy.” He added, “Educating students in growing industries and new technologies will help position Ohio for growth and progress. I congratulate all the partners in this effort, and commend them on their visionary leadership and commitment to higher education.”
For more information about Eastern Gateway Community College, visit their website at www.egcc.edu or call 800-68-COLLEGE. Registration for summer classes begins March 1, 2010.
