Chris Gray, Ph.D.
Founding President, Erie County Community College of Pennsylvania
It's almost that time again! EC3's Quarterly Breakfast is just around the corner, and this is truly one of my favorite events that we host.
Even though I grumble about early morning meetings and am not what anyone would consider a morning person, the truth is that I have developed some affection for the quiet of early mornings as I've gotten older. My days are full to overflowing most of the time, so I've begun to appreciate the opportunity to savor these moments.
When we gather for breakfast with our community four times a year, that same feeling seems to envelop the entire room. We are savoring our time together. With coffee cups in hand, we catch up with a cadre of faces that have become familiar over the last few years and meet see new ones. Bit by bit, the space fills up, and we reconnect. In this space, we belong. On Tuesday, October 14th, at 7:30am, we will come together again at EC3 West for another Quarterly Breakfast, and I am already looking forward to it.
These breakfasts are not grand events, subject to rigorous agendas and rigid deadlines. Instead, they are simple opportunities for us to gather and chat. It's in this simplicity, however, that we have developed something serendipitous. Each time we convene, I get to share info about where EC3 is now, including new insights about our students and our milestones as an institution. I also get to talk about where we are headed: our progress toward accreditation and the ways in which we continue to evolve and become, more and more each day, the community's college. Those updates matter because this is our time and our space. The way people show up for us and with us matters, too. What we are doing here belongs to our entire community.
I've been moved by what unfolds once the speaking is done. Conversations that may seem small and insignificant help forge lasting connections. We are all part of something so much bigger. These are the moments that remind me why we do this, and why I leave every breakfast with a renewed sense of gratitude for all the supporters who recognize the good work that we have done and will continue to do.
On October 14th, the doors will open early, and the room will fill slowly. We will chat with and learn from one another. We will catch up and make new friends. If you've been with us before, you know the casual rhythm. If you are considering joining us for the first time, I sincerely hope you will. There is no script and no expectations other than showing up as you are.
If you would let us know that you are coming, we will save you a seat. But more than that, you will help us prepare to widen our circle of conversation once again.
I hope you will be there, and I look forward to meeting you and connecting with you. I hope you will find, as I have, that these mornings are not just about breakfast or reports. They are about so much more. They are about the persistent reminder that, when people gather with intentionality, something fantastic takes root and can be nurtured. Please, join us.
Our community: your college.
