Friday, March 15, 2013STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- Eastern Gateway Community College set another enrollment record with 2,591 students taking classes this spring. The 3% growth in headcount is the only reported increase among public two-year colleges in Ohio, Patty Sturch, dean of enrollment management, told the college trustees at their regular meeting.
With the increase in enrollment, the trustees learned the college has surpassed its strategic goal of enrolling 1,000 students annually at its sites in the Mahoning Valley. The majority of the college’s students reside in Jefferson County followed by Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. "For fiscal year 2013, we have enrolled 1,532 unduplicated students throughout the year," Sturch noted.
Also at the meeting, higher education funding plans were reviewed for the trustees. Pending the outcome of budget legislation from the Ohio General Assembly, a tuition increase in the fall is anticipated.
In reviewing the students’ goals, the majority of the spring students (1,011) are seeking an associate degree for the job market. More than 400 are pursuing an associate degree for transfer to a four-year college, while another 200 are taking select courses for transfer only. Nearly 600 selected "unknown" as their goal, but 90% of this group are first-year students and may be unsettled on a major in their first semester, Sturch said.
In other business, oaths of office were administered to trustees Christopher Jaskiewicz of Trumbull County and Derek Ferguson and John Gilmore (reappointment), both of Jefferson County. They join Angela Mastros of Jefferson, Donald Crane and Larry Long of Columbiana, William Mulane of Trumbull, and Marilyn Montes, Sister Patricia McNicholas and Molly Seals of Mahoning. One vacancy remains on the board.
The board also approved salary and wage increases for professional and support staff bargaining units as well as its contract staff for fiscal year. These increases average 2%.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.