Congratulations to all the members of the class of 2017, whether you are graduating from college or high school. This is an exciting time of year for our local education institutes as graduates make very big decisions in what they will do next.
One such institution is facing a big decision with regard to “what’s next?”, Erie Community College is nearing the end of its search for the college’s next president and I was honored to once again serve on the committee charged with this important task. After much discussion and vetting, the committee has narrowed the list down to four finalists, Dr. George Swan III, Dr. Matthew Reed, Dr. Dan Hocoy and Dr. Janine Janosky. Each finalist hosted a community forum at one of ECC’s three campuses, taking questions and providing information about their experience and vision for our community college. The final selection by the ECC Board of Trustees could happen within days , and possibly could have occurred by the time this column goes to print.
Whoever is named will be the 11th president in ECC’s history and will be coming in at a difficult time. ECC has seen a steady decline in enrollment during the past several years, and as such has faced a lot of financial difficulties. Unfortunately, this has led to tuition increases, with another hike proposed for next year. The Legislature meets regularly with ECC to discuss these concerns and hear what is being done to basically “save” the college. We have invested additional money into the college but the issues remain, with tuition increasing and the college’s fund balance dropping.
ECC is a valuable asset in our community. It is still a cheaper option for post high school education, providing students with a place to complete required course work at less cost than four-year schools. It has many excellent programs, including health information technology, mechatronics, corrections officer and others. In fact, ECC’s nursing program was recognized as one of the best in New York State in 2017. This year ECC marked the opening of the Center for Nanotechnology Studies, and started construction on the new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Building. There is plenty of good news at ECC and it continues to be an asset in meeting our community’s demand for a trained workforce. Recognizing that, and with a new president, we need to ensure ECC can continue to fulfill its mission.
In another type of graduation, I am extremely proud of all the D.A.R.E. graduates and the staff and police officers responsible for ensuring this program is available. There are many schools in my district that still provide the D.A.R.E program and I think this is very important as teaching children at a young age the dangers of drugs and alcohol is critical. I believe that through D.A.R.E. we start them on the right path and provide them with more tools to refrain from experimenting.
If you have any questions or comments, please contact me at 858-8850 or john.mills@erie.gov.