Jefferson Community College

The Jefferson Community College was originally chartered as the Jefferson County Technical Institute in September 1966. In 1977, it became known as Jefferson Technical College; in 1995, it expanded beyond technical education to offer two-year associate degrees that would transfer to four-year higher education institutions. In October 2009, it expanded to become the Eastern Gateway Community College, and now serves students from the four career and technical centers within the Mahoning Valley, the original campus of the College, and the Valley Center at Forum Health Northside Medical Center in Youngstown.

The growth of the College in terms of full-time equivalent students and degree production indicate steady progress: the number of full-time  equivalent (FTE) students has increased 8 percent from 2007 to 2009 (Ohio Board of Regents, 2010), while the number of associate degrees awarded during the same time period increased 3.4 percent (Ohio Board of Regents, 2010b). Research conducted by the Ohio Board of Regents indicates that the College is one of the most efficient higher education institutions in its class when it comes to helping students get an associate’s degree in 2 years or less: 26 percent of Eastern Gateway students obtain their degrees in 2 years or less. Of the 23 community colleges in the University System of Ohio, only 1 has a better record than Eastern Gateway (Ohio Board of Regents, 2010c).