Mission & Vision

Eastern Gateway Community College (EGCC) knows that its greatest strength is its people. We bring people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives together with one common goal: to provide quality, flexible, innovative, and affordable educational opportunities to serve our communities through helping students achieve success.

EGCC is committed to creating a respectful and inclusive educational and work environment, serving all individuals. We advance a multicultural environment and caring campus culture that includes respect, integrity, teamwork, transparency, and an overall goal of equity, inclusion, and excellence. This commitment to diversity is driven by the core values of EGCC and is supported by the administration and Board of Trustees as a priority to increase the potential for excellence for all faculty, staff, and students.

Our Commitment to Students

The Office of Institutional Diversity will:

Create programming that provides mentoring, support services, and resources for students facing discrimination or inequities based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, ability status, immigration status, age, military status, or socioeconomic status
Work with EGCC’s Vice President of Student Affairs to integrate equality and diversity best practices into student services.
Work to ensure courses and textbooks promote diversity, encourage inclusive conversations, and provide tools for addressing implicit bias and/or overt discrimination.

Work across the college’s administration to ensure equality, diversity, and inclusion best practices are trained and implemented.
Create engagement opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and the general public. around issues of social justice and equality.

How does the college distinguish between hate speech and free speech on campus?

EGCC recognizes that words and actions can compromise the mental health, emotional well-being, physical safety, and academic performance of our students, faculty, staff and community. We are also committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of students, staff, faculty, and community members.

As a public institution of higher education, we are tasked with balancing the safety and well-being of our community with its right to freely express ideas and viewpoints that may not reflect our stated values. EGCC is committed to continually reviewing our policies, procedures, and systems to ensure that we effectively address bias while upholding our legal obligation to free speech.

Hate speech does not reflect EGCC values nor does it align with our commitment to advancing equality and justice. Any signage or symbolism that promotes hate speech, including flyers and graffiti, are not tolerated and will be removed.