“Our mission is to offer high quality, affordable, accessible and inclusive post secondary education and training,” said Dr. G. Edward Hughes, President and CEO of Gateway Community and Technical College. Dr. Hughes recently spoke to the Florence Rotary Club about the college, and the new Urban Center in downtown Covington.
Gateway was established through the Kentucky Community and Technical College system to provide public two year degree programs for Northern Kentucky. The college now includes four campuses in Florence, Covington, Edgewood and the new center on Scott Street, serving over 5,000 students.
“Our new urban metropolitan campus brings the college experience to where people live, “ said Dr. Hughes. “The Gateway Foundation has purchased nine properties in various areas of Northern Kentucky to create additional campuses to better serve our urban population.”
The college has three main objectives as its mission: workforce development, transfer education, and college & workforce readiness. Gateway offers degrees in advanced manufacturing, logistics, engineering, healthcare, and information technology.
The ability to transfer credits between secondary institutions helps reduce the cost of a bachelor’s degree by allowing students to start their education at a community college. Since the burden of student loan debt can have a negative impact on retail and businesses, keeping college costs manageable has a ripple effect in the economy.
“We are very fortunate to have two high quality community colleges, Cincinnati State and Gateway, to serve the student population in Greater Cincinnati,” concluded Dr. Hughes. “We are helping to meet local needs in a global marketplace.”