Eastern Gateway Recognized by Community College Group
STEUBENVILLE, Ohio – Eastern Gateway Community College received the Exemplary Board/CEO Award for 2015.
The award, the highest national honor presented by the American Association of Community Colleges, was presented to Eastern Gateway representatives at an April 20 awards gala in San Antonio.
The association recognized the challenges inherent in Eastern Gateway’s 2009 expansion from Jefferson County into Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties, including having to forge a new board of trustees representative of its larger geographic base, said Dr. Laura Meeks, Eastern Gateway president. Being recognized by AACC is “a testament to all of our efforts,” she remarked.
“This award is a credit to all of the people who’ve worked so hard to make Eastern Gateway a community resource,” she said. “It celebrates the culture of learning we’ve built here through cooperation and collaboration.
“Our faculty and staff are focused on making higher education accessible, equitable and affordable to residents throughout the four counties we serve,” she continued. “They’re committed to helping our students achieve success in the classroom and beyond, and to working with area employers to ensure our graduates leave Eastern Gateway with the knowledge and skill sets needed to help them grow and prosper in today’s economy.”
AACC also cited Eastern Gateway’s efforts to increase student retention while maintaining a balanced budget, its focus on building community partnerships and bringing shared services to campus to expand opportunities while reducing costs and the innovative scorecard system the board uses to track progress in the areas of student retention, enrollment and budget management.
Being named Exemplary Board/CEO is especially meaningful, given the caliber of the competition Eastern Gateway faced for the award, said John Gilmore, chairman of Eastern Gateway’s board of trustees. Also on the list of finalists were the Lee College (Texas) Board of Regents and President Dennis Brown; Northeast Community College (Nebraska) Board of Governors and President Michael Chipps; and Pasco-Hernando State College (Florida) and President Katherine Johnson.
“To have been selected for AACC’s Award of Excellence is truly an honor for all of us at Eastern Gateway,” Gilmore said. “As a board, we appreciate the determination and dedication to excellence our faculty and staff bring to Eastern Gateway. This award is a tribute to all of the hard work going on within our Eastern Gateway community.”
Pictured are, left to right, Dr. Laura Meeks, Eastern Gateway Community College president ; Melanie DiCarlo, secretary of the community college district and administrative assistant to the president; Molly Seals, trustee; Sister Patricia McNicholas, trustee vice chairwoman; Larry Long, former trustee; and John Gilmore, trustee chairman.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
