Chris Gray, Ph.D.
Founding President, Erie County Community College of Pennsylvania
Believe it or not, but the Fall 2024 semester is already in its final weeks. The holidays are right around the corner, and there are less than sixty days left in 2024. It may feel premature to reflect on the year already, but I've always been a big fan of data. And so, here we go.
As we look back on the way EC3 has grown and changed since our first semester back in Fall of 2021, one thing is crystal clear: our growth has been truly remarkable! In just three short years, we've shown consistent growth through our steadfast commitment to meeting the needs of our students and community; we've said that we are the community's college, and we mean it. From our first days, we've been driven by a student-centered mission to create accessible, high-quality education for all Erie County residents. And since that time, we see with stark clarity just how vital our mission is to the community we serve. With that, I give you EC3 by the numbers!
Our students form the core of who we are, and their diverse backgrounds enrich our classrooms and institution as a whole. By the numbers, 61% percent of them are enrolled part-time, and 64% are over the age of thirty. These returning adults have come to us with dreams of a brighter future and have entrusted us to help bring their dreams to fruition. Women comprise 54% of our student body, and 36% of our students come from underrepresented populations; these students are truly making EC3 a place where a multiplicity of voices, varied experiences, and differing aspirations come together seamlessly. Our classrooms are not just places of learning; rather, they are spaces where barriers are broken as dreams are brought to life.
The past three years have brought us exponential growth. In the fall of 2021, we started with 232 brand new students, a number that grew to 368 in 2022, to 457 in 2023, and to more than 700 in 2024. This increase – almost tripling our student population in three years, including 326 new students this year alone – is a testament to the need for EC3 in this community and the burgeoning demand for affordable, accessible higher education in Erie County.
We've seen growth in many of our program areas as well, and we continue to add more based on the needs that arise. Our most popular programs right now fall in three areas: 180 students are enrolled in General Studies; 128 students are pursuing Management and Entrepreneurial Thinking; and sixty are focusing on Criminal Justice. These top three programs highlight EC3's role in shaping community leaders, innovators, and public servants. The recent addition of programs in industrial technology, IT software development, and construction trades speaks to our commitment to workforce development by working to help meet the evolving needs of the community around us.
Of course, success at EC3 is measured not only by our enrollment numbers but also by the achievements of our students in the classroom. Since fall 2021, our course success rate has steadily climbed from 64.5% to 73.6% in 2022 and to 81.2% in 2023 - well above the national target rate of 75%. Our students' success speaks to their determination to succeed, to the dedication of our faculty, and to the support systems that we've installed to help our students when they struggle.
I would be remiss if I didn't talk about our two classes of graduates as well. We jumped from twenty-seven in our first graduating class of 2023 to seventy-three in 2024, our most recent group. Among this year's graduates, twenty completed programs in manufacturing, twelve in management, fifteen in general education, eight in IT, fourteen in health sciences, and four in criminal justice. All of our graduates left us with the knowledge and desire to change the world, and that's exactly what they are doing out there.
Over the last three years, EC3 has likewise expanded its campus footprint to five locations, making education accessible to more communities across Erie County. From EC3 West and EC3 Summit to EC3 Corry and our two new locations at EC3 Youth Leadership Erie and EC3 at North Coast Plaza, we're working to ensure that all students are no more than a thirty-minute drive away from access to a college education.
Every number and every story reflects our dedication to creating real pathways for students in Erie County. But of course, our story is about much more than just numbers; it's a story of promise and follow through. It's about living our mission and honoring our commitment to those that we serve. We are, and we remain, steadfast in our devotion to our students.
Here's to the path forward — to our students, their stories, and the future that EC3 continues to build here in Erie County.
Our community: your college.
