EGCC has bigger Valley plans

By Denise Dick | October 2, 2016 at 12:06a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Eastern Gateway Community College students won’t notice much change, but college President Jimmie Bruce plans to change the status of its Valley Center in the city’s downtown.

“The substantive change is right now. EGCC has a main campus in Steubenville and what’s called additional locations in the Valley Center and the Warren Center,” Bruce said.

The Valley Center is more than that.

“It’s grown to more than 1,000 students,” he said. “It fits the definition of a branch campus rather than a different location.”

A branch campus has its own budget and a full range of programs, faculty and staff.

The college has filed a request to make the change with the Ohio Department of Higher Education, the president said.

Jeff Robinson, ODHE spokesman, said there is no specific time frame for a decision as such requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

“We are currently reviewing this request,” he said in an email. “The legal department is reviewing it and treating it similar to an academic center review, and academic affairs is reviewing it to ensure that the college meets the standard of a ‘branch campus.’”

ODHE’s standards align with those of the Higher Learning Commission. Those standards ensure “that adequate student services and resources are in place for student success,” Robinson said.

If the request is approved, the Warren Center would be considered a different location for the Valley Center.

EGCC continues to solidify its presence in Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley, Bruce said.

“I hope students will benefit from enhanced opportunities for different programs,” he said.

Bruce hopes to add more amenities at the Valley Center, too.

“I’d like to have a student center – to have food service on campus as well as a place for a student hangout,” he said. “The only place they really have now is the corridor, and that can get pretty crowded. I’d like more of a Starbucks feel on campus – somewhere students can go and work on their laptops.”

He pointed to the space inside the same Valley Center building for possible expansion. A Mexican restaurant, Los Gallos, operated briefly inside the center, and that space remains open.

“We’d like to have that space renovated and bring in on-site food service and make it a student lounge/student center,” Bruce said.