Chris Gray, Ph.D.
Founding President, Erie County Community College of Pennsylvania
The fall semester is officially underway, and we're proud to be serving over 750 students. Readers, that number is still climbing! With our mid-fall classes starting soon, we expect that even more students will join our ranks. That's by design. We aren't like other colleges. At EC3, we do college differently.
Our academic calendar isn't built around old models and tradition; rather, it's built around people – the people we serve. We intentionally offer multiple start dates throughout the year because we understand that not everyone can pack up and move in August. Our students are high school graduates, working parents, retirees, and full-time employees seeking new skills; we are the people's college, and our students come from all walks of life. This is also by design. They're people with real lives and real responsibilities; they are also people with real dreams. We are in the business of helping them achieve those dreams.
But today, I want to share a brief story that captures the very essence of what we do.
We know our students face barriers. Sometimes these barriers are small, and sometimes they are significant, even monumental. One of those barriers that we see time and time again is access to consistent and reliable transportation. That's why we've partnered with EMTA to ensure our students can get to class. Like many local colleges, we offer bus access. We built a stop here on campus, in fact. But unlike most, our student IDs are digital; that's where things get interesting.
Recently, one of our students was denied a ride because we don't issue physical IDs. The bus driver, used to serving students from other institutions, didn't recognize our digital format and was just trying to comply with the rules. No malice was intended. It was a simple misunderstanding, but it mattered.
Our student affairs team, which I truly believe is the absolute best in the business, sprang into action swiftly. These professionals handle everything related to the student experience outside the classroom – from advising to registration to counseling to tutoring to library services – and they do it with a level of student-centered passion that's unmatched. Sometimes, their advocacy is so strong that it can be, well, intense. But it's always rooted in care.
When they heard about the bus issue, they didn't hesitate. Because for them, every student matters. They were determined to make this right no matter what, and of course, they did.
I reached out to EMTA, and to their credit, they responded immediately with apologies and a commitment to retrain their drivers and familiarize them with our system. I told them it was probably just one student and one driver, an isolated occurrence.
This story isn't just about a bus ride. It's about how we show up for our students. It's about designing systems that reflect their realities. It's about doing college differently, and it's about doing it with heart. That's who we are. Always.
Our community: your college.
