EGCC closes the book with final graduation
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STEUBENVILLE -- Eastern Gateway Community College closed the book on its 56-year history in education Saturday, awarding degrees and certificates to the last 144 students who will ever graduate from the school.
Twenty-four members of EGCC's summer term Class of 2024 walked during the school's final commencement exercise, traveling from as far away as California, Nevada, Colorado, Tennessee, Illinois, Florida, New York and Maryland to celebrate their achievements with family and friends. Others watched a livestream of the ceremony online.
The ceremony, a rite of passage for the graduates, marks the end of the road for the financially distressed college, currently under the control of a state-appointed conservator. Two weeks from now, a governance authority will assume responsibility for the dissolution and closure process.
Signs of the looming shutdown abounded, including an "out of service" sign on the elevator and several long tables outside the auditorium loaded with T-shirts, lanyards, folders and other memorabilia giveaways for the graduates and their guests to sort through.
The commencement speaker, longtime EGCC administrator and community volunteer Jim Baber, touched on the significance of the day, for the graduates as well as the college.
"This day marks the end of one chapter and the beginning of another," Baber said. "As you prepare to embark on your new and exciting adventures ... remember the lessons that you have learned online or in the classroom, at a clinic site or in facilities here at Eastern Gateway Community College. Do not forget the friendships that you have developed, the staff members who guided you, the instructors who inspired you to reach to a higher goal, and the experience that have shaped you. You are a different, new, wiser, skilled, experienced person for having attended Eastern Gateway Community College. You have to let your light shine in this world."
He reflected on the college's evolution from Jefferson Technical Institute (1968) to Jefferson Technical College (1977), Jefferson Community College (1995) to EGCC (2009) and how it impacted "thousands and thousands of students and citizens here in Jefferson County and, really, in reality, across this entire nation."
"I'm sad to say you are the last graduating class from Eastern Gateway Community College," he said. "For many reasons, this last year has been a difficult one for everyone associated with the college, but you do not graduate under a (cloud). You join over 60,000 persons who have proudly received their degrees from this college since its beginning in 1968, so, while the college doors are closing, its legacy will live on and will continue to live on, and you will forever be a part of it. So go forth and make us proud -- proud of you as we are of those who have come before us. This is not the end of your journey. It's just the beginning."
Senior Executive Vice President Art Daly ignored the college's looming dissolution, instead focusing on Saturday as "a day of joy, reflection and anticipation as we honor the hard work and dedication that has brought us all to this momentous occasion."
"Graduation is just not a ceremony," he said. "It's a celebration of perseverance, growth and transformation. Each of our graduates has a unique story filled with challenges overcome, lessons learned and triumphs achieved."
Clarence Mack Zander, an Ohio resident, said he was "happy to come and just be able to be part of the ceremony, the last ceremony."
"I feel blessed," said Zander, who earned a degree in business management and plans a career in labor relations. "First and foremost, I'm very grateful that I was able to finish my degree fully here because it's where I started, so that's where I wanted to be. There was a lot of uncertainty, so I was really grateful that they, they were able to still bring us in (to finish) because I was only one class away when they made the announcements."
Zander called the turmoil of the past few years "very unfortunate, because I really enjoyed Eastern Gateway Community College. I enjoyed the classes, I enjoyed my professors I had, I learned a lot from my courses and, you know, I am sad to see that it's not going to go on. It's unfortunate."
Graduate Kiona Clark, also an Ohio resident, said she's happy it's behind her. "I started with the mindset of I'm gonna finish and I'm gonna' finish here. I mean, through all the obstacles, everything you know, classes dropping off slowly, but surely, I still was like, 'I'm gonna finish healthcare, I'll find a way.'"
After the ceremony, Baber said while he was honored to deliver the commencement address, he's "sad, just really sad."
"This was a great school, it impacted so many people so positively across the years," he said. "All the differences we made in people's lives across the years, for it to come to this state of affairs just doesn't make sense to me."