What’s Up With DEI: Eastern Gateway Community College

In July and August, we’re sharing some of the DEI state policy team and college accomplishments from the last year of work. We’re making our way (alphabetically!) through the six DEI states, profiling the DEI colleges in those states as we go. Yesterday, we introduced Ohio’s state policy work; now it’s time to learn a bit more about Eastern Gateway Community College in Steubenville, Ohio.

Eastern Gateway Community College (EGCC) serves students in Columbiana, Jefferson, Mahoning, and Trumbull Counties in Ohio. We’ve selected some highlights from their last year of DEI work in three main categories: scaling, institutional policy change, and academic and supportive service innovations.

Scaling

• EGCC has implemented their redesigned developmental math curriculum in all sections at the college’s main campus. After the first semester of implementation (fall 2010), students in the lowest level of developmental math had higher completion rates, pass rates, and grades.
• The redesigned developmental language courses will be implemented in all course sections on the main campus in fall 2011.
• EGCC’s service area is expanding from one to four counties. The college intends to implement the redesigned courses at satellite campuses.

Institutional Policy

• With the expansion of EGCC’s service area, a new board of trustees was appointed. The board has elevated student success as a strategic focus, due in part to the Ohio Board of Regents’ Success Points, outlined in the University System of Ohio community college system strategic plan. DEI interventions at EGCC directly support the plan.

Academic and Supportive Service Innovations

• Under the guidance of Rose Asera, DEI technical assistance provider, EGCC has launched a faculty inquiry group (FIG). Faculty are investigating interventions that could improve student attendance. The FIG conducted student and faculty interviews and data analysis regarding attendance in the redesigned developmental education math courses. In the fall, the FIG group will reconvene to build an action plan based on the analysis.