The College
Eastern Shore Community College is a member of the Virginia Community College System. The College serves the residents of Accomack County and Northampton County as a two-year institution of higher learning.
Operating under policies established by the State Board for Community Colleges and the Eastern Shore Community College Board, the college is financed primarily through tuition and other state funds, supplemented by contributions from the two counties and the ESCC Foundation.
The ESCC Organizational Chart [PDF]shows all college divisions and departments and positions within each.
The Campus
ESCC occupies a 115-acre site on U.S. Route 13, south of Melfa, on the southern end of the Delmarva Peninsula. The facilities include:
- Classrooms
- Laboratories
- Lecture Space
- Administrative Offices
- Occupational Trade Areas
- Student Lounge
- Business Development and Workforce Training Center
- Library
The Academic and Administration building includes classrooms, laboratories, a double classroom which can serve as a larger lecture hall, administrative offices, occupational trade areas, a student lounge, and a library. The Workforce Development Center includes classrooms, computer labs, administrative offices, and a Great Hall. Most college facilities are available for public use (facilities usage information). The college is open during the entire year on a semester system. Classes are held on campus from early morning through late evening and also online.
The Eastern Shore Region
ESCC occupies a 115-acre site on U.S. Route 13 in Melfa, Virginia. Campus buildings are surrounded by woods that are home to various forms of wildlife including deer, foxes, geese, ducks and many species of birds. Melfa is part of Accomack County, the larger of two counties comprising the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
Virginia’s Eastern Shore is a narrow peninsula between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean with hundreds of miles of shoreline, farmland, forests, and very small historic towns. The 70-mile long region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is connected to the mainland of Virginia by the 17-mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. The terrain is very flat throughout, ranging from sea level to 50 feet above sea level. The area includes barrier islands. At the northern end of the Atlantic side is the beach community of Chincoteague, famous for its annual wild pony roundup. “Saltwater Cowboys” swim the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague to keep the herd healthy, thin the herd, and raise money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department. Wallops Flight Facility, a NASA space launch base, is located at Chicoteague. Tangier Island, off the western shore in the Chesapeake Bay, is another day-tourist destination.
ESCC’s Eagle
The ESCC eagle arrived on campus in late 2009. After the opening of the Workforce Development Building, Dr. Cheryl Thompson-Stacy, ESCC President at that time, and Dr. Barbara Johnsen, ESCC Foundation Board President at that time, determined there was a need for a “centerpiece”. Dr. Johnsen contacted local sculptor David Turner to create the bronze eagle. The base for the eagle is pure granite and weighs approximately 17,000 pounds.