Eastern Gateway sees high enrollment

Staff report

Youngstown

Eastern Gateway Community College again set an enrollment record with 2,591 students taking classes this spring.

The 3 percent growth in head count is the only reported increase among public two-year colleges in Ohio, Patty Sturch, dean of enrollment management, said. With the enrollment increase, the college has exceeded its strategic goal of enrolling 1,000 students annually at its sites in the Mahoning Valley.

“For fiscal year 2013, we have enrolled 1,532 unduplicated students throughout the year,” said Sturch.

In reviewing the students’ goals, the majority of the spring students (1,011) are seeking an associate degree for the job market. More than 400 students are pursuing an associate degree for transfer, while another 200 are taking select courses for transfer only. Nearly 600 students selected “unknown” as their goal, but 90 percent of this group are first-year students and may be undecided on a major in their first semester, Sturch said.

The majority of the college’s students reside in Jefferson County, followed by Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties.