Happy New Year from ESCC!
01/04/2021
Dr. Shaeffer Looks Back on the Last Year and Onward to 2021
A year ago, YOUR Eastern Shore Community College was a flurry of activity. Moving boxes were being emptied and construction workers hustled to get our new Academic Building ready for the first day of the Spring 2020 semester.
We recall fondly the look on the students faces as they entered the building for the first time that morning. As administrators, faculty, and staff welcomed everyone and introduced them to their new home for education on the Shore, there was no hiding the sense of pride, excitement, and hope for future successes.
Behind the scenes as classes began, building details were still being completed, and efforts to serve students even better were at fever pitch. Meetings were being held and plans were solidified, for ESCC to be the first community college in Virginia to offer their classes in the 8-week format.
What we didn’t realize was that the arrival of a worldwide health emergency would turn all plans for 2020 on end. ESCC doesn’t offer a class specifically aimed at handling adversity and overcoming challenges, but we do feel that 2020 may have provided the syllabus.
As we all look forward to returning to something “closer to normal”, we have embraced the lessons and challenges brought about by 2020. Though 8-week courses were already staged to begins, there was, and continues to be plenty of work-arounds and adjustments that have been synonymous with this past year. There are certainly instances where some of these new ways of doing things may have lasting benefits for both the students and college moving forward.
Einstein said “in the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity”. ESCC started 2020 as a “new day” in a new building, with a mission of better serving Eastern Shore students. By the end of this unprecedented year, our enrollment saw sustained growth, and faculty embraced new ways of delivering instruction while increasing student successes.
For the spring semester, Your Eastern Shore Community College will provide multiple options for students to take classes while reducing risk. We have some classes meeting on-campus. Our online classes are not just students working alone at home. Instead, most of our classes have Zoom sessions, and our faculty will have live contact with online students each week.
We especially invite to our spring semester four-year students who want to stay safe at home, stay enrolled in school, and save many thousands of dollars on tuition. Our classes and degrees transfer to Virginia colleges through Guaranteed Admissions Agreements. We invite recent high school graduates and displaced workers to restart your education and careers today.
And we invite influencers—ministers, parents, aunts, grandpas, teachers, and friends—to help someone you care about get off the sidelines and into the game at Your Eastern Shore Community College.
We invite all to come on campus to our Registration Rally on Tuesday, January 5, 11:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. for in person and individual assistance with enrolling in classes and paying for college.
Dr. Jim Shaeffer, President, ESCC
