BUFFALO, N.Y. — The past couple of years have presented a variety of challenges for the leaders and staff of SUNY Erie, which is also known as Erie Community College.
2 On Your Side was able to sit down with the chairman of the Board of Trustees to see where things stand and plans for the future with a new college president.
Back in early 2022, there were dire words of warning regarding Erie Community College and its "then" problems, which included a $9.5 million deficit and a projected 40 percent drop in enrollment. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz specifically said then, "If they're not addressed properly ... the college could go out of business."
So now in the spring of 2023, Poloncarz noted ECC's significant progress during the past year but also emphasized that there is 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.
Board of Trustees Chairman Jeff Stone explained they got "great partnership help from the County Executive, County Legislature, who said if you need to do an early retirement program and not resort strictly to layoffs, we're going to help you with that. And we did have to lay people off. We're actually down 210 people from our peak."
They have also adjusted some of the course offerings for the three campuses, which are the North Campus in Williamsville, Center City Campus, and the South Campus in Hamburg.
Stone discussed the situation with uncertainty over that South Campus, which is in the shadow of the new Bills stadium construction site.
"I think it's fair to say we will have a presence in the Southtowns," Stone said. "We have a great auto tech program there. We have other programs there. We do need an access point for people in Sardinia, and Orchard Park, and Hamburg, and the Southern part of our community. So how it will exactly look, we don't know.
"I think we have to get away from the days where we had three replicated campuses, each with a dean of every discipline. That can't happen. But we can intelligently figure out how we move people from campus to campus."
And with the new stadium, Stone says ECC has a deal to allow some of its construction management program students on South Campus to have contact with primary stadium contractors and pick up firsthand experience. He adds that ECC is even renting some South Campus building space to the stadium contractors to bring in some extra revenue.
Students have adjusted in the temporary Oak Street quarters as the college's main Post office building was damaged in the December blizzard. There is a greater emphasis on a successful nurse training partnership with ECMC, more outreach to local high school students and adults, along with focused job training for local employers.
But some of that came from former college president David Balkin, who resigned in December after an investigation of a confrontation with a staffer, and interim leader Dr. Adiam Tsegai, a candidate for ECC president, who published reports state was also investigated for an alleged confrontation.
She declined Channel 2's interview request.
We asked "Are you operating under a bit of a cloud with your leadership currently?"
Stone replied, "I think in a sense almost the entire community seems to be operating under that cloud."
Stone deflected and referred to other institution's leadership issues. But then he stressed their board of trustees has stepped in.
"Thoughtful, deliberative strong board unified. It will guide us through whatever problems present themselves," Stone said.
So can ECC overcome this question of a vacuum of leadership?
Stone replied, "100 percent confident about that. I can touch on that. We are very supportive of our officer in charge, Dr. Adiam Tsegai."
ECC's Trustee Board starts a formal search for a new president next week, and there may be an announcement in late summer or early fall.