Eastern Celebrates Community College Month!

April is Community College Month. Eastern West Virginia Community and Technical College joined #CCMonth, a monthlong grassroots education and stigma-busting campaign coordinated by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) to improve awareness of the value and need to support community colleges. The primary goals of #CCmonth are to improve awareness of the economic, academic, and equity advantages of attending community colleges and to bust longtime stigmas wrongly associated with public two-year colleges.

“Community College Month is an opportunity to demonstrate not only that community colleges should be the first choice of many collegegoers, but why community colleges are first-class institutions that are vital to our local and state economies.”

Morgan Branson, Public Relations Manager

Public community colleges are a uniquely American educational model that was designed to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality higher education for all. They serve the most demographically and socioeconomically diverse students and guarantee fair admissions for all students. They offer supports for adult students who have to work to support their families. And without community colleges, many American students would not be able to access higher education at all.

Eastern has been committed to its mission of providing accessible and affordable educational opportunities for academic, technical, workforce training and life-long learning for the Potomac Highlands regional community for over 20 years. In this time, Eastern has served thousands in different capacities as an educational institution and community leader. Here are a few reasons why Eastern celebrates #CCMonth:

“The great thing about Eastern is that we welcome everyone! Some students are just beginning their college career and others are adults in the workforce who want to move up the career ladder. Developing partnerships with area community organizations and employers enables us to stay in tune with local needs and opportunities. It’s an honor to serve the Potomac Highlands.”

LeeAnn Shreve, AP220 Project Coordinator

“Eastern was a great choice for me as a non-traditional student. You are never too old to go back to college. My degree included all I would need to work in the Nursing Department at Eastern. It’s a great place to work!”

Barbara See, Administrative Secretary, Nursing

“Like many, I didn’t think I could work a full-time job, raise my boys, and attend college at the same time. Eastern made that possible. After earning additional degrees online, I am back at Eastern, teaching what I love: psychology. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it!” 

Debi Layton, TANF Instruction Specialist and Psychology Faculty

The friendly environment of Eastern made me apply for my current job immediately when it became open and I am so glad I did! I have intense anxiety. The small class sizes and the online course offerings have made learning a purely positive experience for me. The affordability is great too, especially with the availability of FAFSA. Without it, there was no way I was going to be able to further my education. The availability of online classes has made it possible for me to work the whole time I have been enrolled too! Don’t be intimidated if you don’t know anything about college, I knew nothing about college when I came here and the Student Services Department helped inform and guide me along my college journey.”

Jennifer Sunryder, Front Desk Worker/Accounting Clerk II

“I chose to go to Eastern as a non-traditional student because it’s never too late to further your education and to better yourself. Eastern was a perfect fit for me since I still had small children at home. Now, I’m an employee at Eastern and love working with my extended family!” 

Jaennae Snyder, Payroll/HR Representative

“I never thought I would make it in college, but my mentor told me that I could do anything I put my mind to. Attending a 2-year college allowed me to be exposed to all the opportunities that college had to offer me and allowed me to get all of the basic classes that I needed before transferring to WVU. I love helping students just like my mentor helped me.”

Ed Cole, Program Coordinator, Admissions/Financial Aid

“The best way to predict your future is to create it. It is never too late to attend Community College to support your passion for learning and pursuit of a prosperous future.” 

Megan Webb, Dean of Community Engagement and Partnerships

“Attending Eastern as a high school student allowed me to transfer one full year’s worth of credits to WVU, where I then had the extra time and flexibility to pursue a second Bachelor’s Degree and study abroad twice. Without Eastern, I know I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do so many things that allowed me to be where I am today, which is working at Eastern in the field I love, which is marketing!” 

Morgan Branson, Public Relations Manager

Eastern’s commitment to its mission goes beyond serving students and staff. Eastern’s is committed to going green with an aggressive renewable energy plan and offering innovative programs that focus on sustainability and green energy to preserve the beauty of the Potomac Highlands and beyond. These green energy efforts were featured on the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) 21st Century Blog for Earth Day. Read the article here: https://bit.ly/3t8F77q.

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