BUFFALO, N.Y. — SUNY Erie Community College has a new leader.
Dr. Adiam Tsegai, PhD has been selected as President of SUNY ECC by the Board of Trustees. The announcement was made Tuesday.
She replaces Dr. David K. Balkin’s, who resigned in December 2022.
Tsegai previously served as Officer in Charge at ECC and as the college's Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. She also served as the college’s Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs of Health Sciences, Engineering, and Technologies and was the Dean of Engineering and Technologies in 2018.
Before joining ECC, Dr. Tsegai worked at Bryant and Stratton College for 16 years.
“I congratulate Dr. Tsegai on her appointment as SUNY Erie President and look forward to continuing to work with her to move the institution forward. The role of SUNY Erie is critical to workforce development in Erie County, with numerous programs designed to help local students at all stages of life gain knowledge and skills to help them advance in good-paying careers, and as an alum Dr. Tsegai understands how important SUNY Erie is to the community,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz in a statement. “She is already a knowledgeable and experienced member of the SUNY Erie family and will be a tremendous asset in building the school’s future legacy.”
2 On Your Side was able to sit down with the chairman of the Board of Trustees back in April on plans for the future.
Back in early 2022, there were dire words of warning regarding Erie Community College and the problems it faced, which included a $9.5 million deficit and a projected 40 percent drop in enrollment. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said, "If they're not addressed properly... the college could go out of business."
By the spring of 2023, ECC had made significant progress during the past year but also emphasized that there was a need for a leader with a steady hand to find long-term sustainability.
As it turns out, a combination of COVID relief funding, state and county assistance, a tuition boost, and "difficult decisions" involving college faculty got them now to the point of a potential $21 million healthy fund balance surplus.
Tsegai begins her role as president effective immediately.