ERIE – Erie County Community College (EC3) recently accepted a $50,000 gift from Empower Erie. Funds will be earmarked for the EC3 Foundation to support student needs while reducing barriers.
Established in 2016, Empower Erie’s mission was to establish a community college to improve the overall educational attainment and household income of Erie County residents, meet employers’ current and future needs for skilled workers and make Erie a more attractive place for businesses while creating better-paying jobs. For over four years, a group of volunteers worked to assemble a coalition of prominent community stakeholders, government leaders and grassroots organizations to support that mission.
The efforts of Empower Erie included completing a feasibility study, preparing a community college plan, a financial impact study, and a communication strategy. In June 2017 Erie County Council voted to approve county sponsorship of a community college. Erie County submitted the college plan prepared by Empower Erie to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (DOE) on June 30, 2017.
Working with the county, Empower Erie efforts turned to lobbying Harrisburg and the DOE to approve the application. On July 8, 2020, the State Board of Education approved Erie County Community College. Classes began Sept. 1, 2021.
“Empower Erie was instrumental in bringing a Community College to Erie,” said Chris Gray, Ph.D., president of EC3. “We owe them a huge debt of gratitude, and truly appreciate their gift today.”
The EC3 Foundation provides support to students to alleviate any financial burdens or barriers to education for its students.For more information on how to support, contact Carolyn Dunn at cdunn2@ec3pa.org, or call 814-413-7028.