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Edison State Remains Committed to Student Success
President Larson Provides State of the College Address
Edison State Community College President Dr. Doreen Larson provided the
fourth annual State of the College address online Tuesday morning to
update the community with an overview of the accomplishments, strategic
initiatives, and vision for the future of Edison State.
“Unique times call for the unique responses, and so I think this is the
first virtual State of the College address from Edison State,” said
Larson.
President Larson began her address by recognizing the 2020 Edison State graduating class.
“I want to begin my presentation today with a shout-out to our 2020
graduates. These are students who faced amazing challenges and
barriers, and yet they let nothing stop them. They have a bright future
ahead of themselves.”
As many institutions are facing an economic downturn, President Larson
recognized the staff and faculty of Edison State for their ongoing
commitment to success.
“At Edison State, we have had amazing student-centered staff. We have
had part-time and full-time faculty dedicated to students and dedicated
to innovation.”
“We’ve had a history of very strong financial strength and conservative
fiscal approaches, and we’ve always been a great partner with our
community. Within this critical environment, these strengths have come
to the forefront of Edison State. These approaches have sustained us as
an institution throughout all of the challenges while also enabling us
to grow and create even within some of the limitations that are being
provided by the current environment and certainly within the economy
and the health crisis.”
Larson went on to recite the mission statement of the college and how
it drives the institution. It is the mission of Edison State Community
College to provide the learning opportunities, support services, and
commitment that enables students to complete their educational goals
and realize their dreams.
“At Edison State, we have focused continually on the affordability of
our programs. I want to emphasize that a full-time student for a full
year at Edison State, the annual cost is less than $5,000 out the door.
I hope that everyone listening today remembers that number and
understands that those credits transfer to any university, and those
credits lead to great careers.”
“Along with that value for students, Edison State has implemented a
100-percent scholarship for every 2020 high school graduate from within
the region of Edison State.”
“We didn't want students or families to have that worry in front of
them about what's going to happen in the fall. We don't mind being your
fallback institution. We don't mind being your first choice. We just
want you to keep going with your college career and career goals.”
“I also want to emphasize how our faculty have stepped up during this
spring term and helped our students succeed. Students were challenged
with transitioning to online learning, and our faculty were as well in
midstream of the semester. They had to change their syllabi, they
changed methods of instruction, and it is a credit to the partnership
of the students and the faculty as to how successful our students were.
We had very few students needing to withdraw, we have very few students
not completing their degrees, and we are just so proud of that.”
President Larson also noted that The Edison Foundation, while having to
cancel events, has also continued to receive community support for
student scholarship opportunities.
“The Edison Foundation has continued to thrive. We had a very
successful Girls’ Night Out–Little Black Dress event which still raised
money for scholarships without holding a traditional event. We had a
successful Charger Athletics Reverse Raffle which was also held
remotely. And we've been able to continually fund student scholarship
opportunities, which is just an amazing tribute to our donors.”
“I would encourage everyone who listens today to please consider giving
to The Edison Foundation. These are dollars that go directly to
students. Students need your help, and they need to be in college,
working toward that career.”
President Larson noted additional areas of strength for the college,
including the leadership of the Board of Trustees, College Credit Plus
Partnerships, and co-curricular programs, which include internships and
apprenticeships, and community partnerships.
“Our Board of Trustees have the leadership experience, and they have
business experience. Throughout their term at Edison State, they have
kept us on track in terms of our reserves and in terms of how we
approach things fiscally as a business. They have really positioned us
well to weather this storm, and they continue to position us well,”
said Larson.
“Our college credit plus partnerships are still going strong, and we
are grateful for those because that is the future of our college. It's
very important to understand that Edison State courses transfer to any
four-year program that your student is interested in.”
“Edison State’s co-curricular programs have emphasized internships and
apprenticeships, and those continued to grow. So, students who are in
programs at Edison State can get the apprenticeship experience,
businesses can get that apprentice in and have the experience, and we
also have great success with our interns.”
“Edison State has built our growth on partnerships. Anytime we’ve
expanded either a program or a facility we have built that on a
partnership and so we have been able to give back to the community
through partnerships. One example is our EMT program with Troy
Firefighters. We know we need first responders, we know getting those
folks out is very important, and again we've been able to maintain that
partnership to achieve those goals.”
The State of the College address included a short video that
demonstrated student population growth from the college’s establishment
in 1973 to today, particularly noting the area of growth in online
learning beginning in 2015.
“This was when we made a business change and decided to start
emphasizing online learning and boy that has helped us now as we've
translated a lot of our learning online.”
President Larson concluded her speech by wishing well to all of those listening.
“I want to urge all of you to please put your health and the health of
your family in front of every other priority. We are a strong
community, we are a very strong country, and we can recover. Keep
yourself safe, healthy, and look forward to a brighter future.”
To watch the State of the College address or download the accompanying brochure, visit www.edisonohio.edu/sotc.
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