Eastern Gateway Community College enrollment increase leads Ohio schools

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Eastern Gateway Community College’s record fall-enrollment increase leads all public university main and regional campuses and community colleges, according to the Ohio Board of Regents fall 2013 preliminary headcount enrollment report.

Of the 61 institutions reporting figures, Eastern Gateway’s 15 percent increase from 2012 figures is the only double-digit percentage increase among institutions. The college’s reported headcount is 2,885.

Since the data were reported to the regents Sept. 20, Eastern Gateway’s headcount reached 2,904, according to Patty Sturch, dean of enrollment management.

Eastern Gateway attributes its growth to the recent expansion of its service district to include three new counties and the steady enrollment on the Jefferson County campus. Enrollment in the Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull County service district is now 1,345, a 48 percent increase from fall 2012.

Only half of the 14 university main campuses reported any increase, but campuses show a 0.17 percent increase overall. Five of 24 regional campuses showed student growth, but the overall report shows the count down by 4 percent. The 23 community colleges in the state had an enrollment dip of 4.74 percent with only seven reporting any increase.

Another factor in Eastern Gateway’s enrollment report is student retention.

“This is a major goal at the college,” said Dorothy Collins, dean of TRiO programs, academic advising and student support. “Student success means passing courses, continuing from one semester to the next and ultimately reaching their higher education goals,”

Eastern Gateway’s fall-to-fall retention rate stands at 49 percent for all students with the exception of high school students taking college courses. This compares with 43 percent in fall 2013. The retention rate for students returning to the college from spring 2013 to this fall rose to 56 percent for the same group of students. This also compares with 43 percent in spring to fall 2012.

“I am excited about the new student-retention efforts we will implement for the coming spring semester for our students so we can improve retention further,” Collins said. “We are an open-admissions institution, and it is very important for us to be able to serve all those students we accept, offering them resources and support so that they can reach their educational endeavors.”