2016-2017 President's Report

A Year in Review Our Mission Statement at East Central Community College (ECCC) guides the operations of our institution by clearly defining the fundamental purposes of the college and why we exist. Serving and meeting the educational and training needs of our five-county district is at the core of that mission. Likewise, our Vision Statement clearly frames our long-term aspirations for the future. Being

recognized nationally and preferred locally is at the core of that vision, and we are recognized as one of the nation’s best in economic mobility of our graduates, workplace environment, graduation success, graduation rates of minorities, and many other areas, while continuing to be the starting point for a college education for the majority of public high school seniors in our district. We have just completed another outstanding academic year at ECCC. This 2016-2017 President’s Report gives you a brief glimpse of some of the many accomplishments at ECCC that demonstrate how we continue to fulfill our Mission and our Vision. While this past year has been a time of achievements and celebrations, it also has been a period of challenges associated with significant reductions in state appropriations. The college’s plan to address those reductions in the new fiscal year, which began July 1, 2017, was approved in May by the ECCC Board of Trustees. You can see an article on the budget plan at www.eccc.edu. The plan addresses several ways—both revenue increases and

expenditure reductions—ECCC will offset an estimated $1.3 million reduction in state appropriations for the 2017-18 fiscal year. ECCC experienced reductions of $642,103 during the just completed fiscal year, but good fiscal planning allowed us to withstand four separate cuts without having to further implement revenue increases or expenditure decreases. These are difficult financial times in the state of Mississippi, and all colleges and universities and other state agencies are experiencing substantial reductions in state funding as well. However, thanks to the sacrifice and hard work of our faculty, staff, administration, and Board of Trustees, we have a plan that will not only address the estimated $1.3 million budget

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