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Meeks to Retire Next Year as Eastern Gateway President
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio -- Laura Meeks, president of Eastern Gateway Community College, will retire next July 31 after her 16th year in the position.
Meeks has spent 33 years working at community colleges. Before arriving in 1999 at Eastern Gateway, then known as Jefferson Community College, she was president of Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, Kan., and vice president of instruction at Green River Community College in Auburn, Wash.
“What do people say when they retire? I haven't thought about it before,” she laughed. “I love what I do and I love community colleges but you just know [it's time to retire]. My feeling is it's time for me to find another passion.”
When Meeks first came to Eastern Gateway, the school was more of a technical school than a true community college, she said.
“When I first started at the college, we were then very focused on our technical [programs], things like engineering and health,” she explained. “The biggest change I saw was changing from a technical college to a full-service community college where we help people get jobs and four-year degrees.”
The college has seen tremendous growth over the past five years. In March, the American Association of Community Colleges named Eastern Gateway the 16th-fastest growing community college in the country.
Since coming to the college, Meeks has overseen the expansion of Eastern Gateway into the Mahoning Valley, including the opening of locations in the downtown areas of Youngstown and Warren.
“In the last five years, it's been our phenomenal growth that's driven our expansion,” Meeks said. “Nine years ago we started focusing on learning and we're known now, known nationally, for our learning agenda.”
Even with a retirement date set, Meeks says she plans on working harder than she has before.
“I've always made a personal commitment to work harder in my last year than I've ever worked before, to get as much done as I possibly can with the support of the people I work with. I'm going to go as fast and as furiously as I can,” she said.
She said there are three primary goals that the college should accomplish in her final year: creating a completion agenda aimed at improving success and retention for students, developing a stronger manufacturing presence in the Valley and offering online degrees.
“The Higher Learning Commission has just given approval for us to offer online degrees. We offer courses and a third of our students take those online courses. But as we're developing quality in those courses, we're continuing to monitor quality and expand into full-service degrees,” she said.
The board of trustees will conduct a national search to replace Meeks, but no timetable has been set yet, according to Ann Koon, EGCC director of public information. The American Association of Community Colleges will assist in the search.
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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