PIQUA – Edison State Community College President Dr. Doreen Larson and Edison State’s next president, Chris Spradlin, presented a State of the College presentation to Edison State board members, faculty, staff, students, and community members on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
They started their presentation with the college’s mission statement: “Edison State Community College provides the learning opportunities, support services, and commitment that enable students to complete their educational goals and realize their dreams.”
According to Larson, the “secret sauce” to a successful college includes “enrollment growth, student success, college life and quality facilities.”
To continue growing their enrollment, Larson mentioned Edison’s tuition affordability which has an annual tuition of $4,998.60 according to an informational packet provided at the event.
Larson discussed various programs that Edison has to increase student enrollment which includes the college credit plus program, the career readiness accreditation project, and the career tech programs.
Then, they discussed programs to support student success including the emergency assistance fund and employee mini grants through the Edison Foundation support.
Larson and Spradlin described the Guided Pathway model which involves connecting students with program faculty in their first semester and building upon those connections. The goal for the future is to expand this program to involve technology.
Then, they presented on college life at Edison State, including the Student Senate Leadership and their athletics programs.
In the athletic programs, there was “historic achievements across all teams in 2022,” according to Larson.
To expand college life, Edison State plans to develop the potential for new sports program and increase the Charger Music Society program. The goal is to put a “greater emphasis on engaging students through life events and activities,” said Spradlin.
The final discussion topic was over the facilities. They spoke about the addition of their own safety department and the implementation of the ionization climate system to help their fight against COVID-19.
In the future, Edison State plans to expand the nursing wing, renovate the engineering lab and the criminal justice and peace officer academy, adding two new locker rooms, and upgrading classrooms.
To end the presentation, Larson and Spradlin thanked the board and the community for their support.
