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This web page is reserved for documenting special communications from the College.
April 2026 – 2026-27 Budget Statement
The Delaware County Community College (DCCC) leadership team, with support of the Board of Trustees, has closely monitored the fiscal health of our institution and how to reconcile it with national trends affecting the community. Enrollment declines further impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, flat state funding for several years, and the natural rate of inflation, has left the College with a structural deficit.
Upon assuming leadership of the College on July 1, 2023, one of Dr. Marta Yera Cronin’s priorities was to thoroughly assess the institution’s financial health with the guidance of financial advisors, auditors, the College’s leadership team and the Board of Trustees. The College community was kept apprised of assessment updates through bi-annual town hall meetings, a financial town hall in December 2025, and direct communication with department heads indicating that every area was being examined for operational efficiencies.
As a result of this prolonged financial examination, the challenging decision was made to adopt a reduced operating budget, which is nearing completion, for fiscal 2026-27, that will set a course for a more sustainable and secure fiscal future.
With this assessment of the national higher education landscape, the College’s finances, and the needs of Delaware and Chester Counties, the College determined it was best to consolidate our locations. DCCC closed two of its Delaware County centers (located in Sharon Hill and Upper Darby), to enhance the operations of that region’s new Southeast Center in Drexel Hill. Chester County’s Pennocks Bridge Center (West Grove) will close in June 2026. Additionally, rented teaching kitchen spaces in Phoenixville and Marple were closed in 2025. The DCCC community of students and employees were informed of these changes in 2024 and 2025 accordingly.
The newly opened Southeast Center in Drexel Hill provides the educational programs and facilities that are imperative to the economic impact of the region. The Southeast Center now houses leading-edge culinary arts classrooms and teaching kitchens, an entire wing devoted to workforce training and certification, a separate building for early childhood education classrooms and observation labs in partnership with the YMCA, and all the student services that have always set DCCC apart as the community’s college.
In Chester County we have maintained ownership of our thriving Downingtown Center, which houses a nursing SIM lab, STEM wing, and student support services for our Chester County students.
The College’s main campus in Marple Township, Delaware County, continues to be the anchor of our institution, with robust Learning Commons resources, a state-of-the-art STEM building and Advanced Technology Center, Art Gallery and Theatre productions for the surrounding community.
Additional cost-saving measures were deployed to address the projected deficit and remain fiscally responsible in the years to come. The most difficult component of these cost-saving measures was the decision to conduct an organizational restructure, eliminating 43 employee positions from all levels of the College. This decision reflects the current operational demands rather than maintaining staffing levels that do not mirror student enrollment trends.
All part-time counselor positions were eliminated to apply the costs of those resources to other student need-based areas. DCCC leadership is in the process of bargaining in good faith with union officials regarding the full-time counselors and, therefore, is unable to provide details at this time.
Despite this shift in resources, DCCC will continue to provide students with the support they need to be successful, including:
Robust academic advising and counseling services, providing support for their academic journeys:
–Communicating and assisting students in understanding degree requirements, policies, and procedures and assisting in selecting appropriate coursework and co-curricular activities.
–Providing a respectful and confidential space to ask questions, discuss interests, and academic concerns as they arise.
–Giving encouragement in developing realistic academic goals corresponding to personal, educational and career factors.
–Assisting students in identifying and connecting with appropriate College resources and services.
The Essential Student Resource Center – located at both Marple Campus and Southeast Center, assisted nearly 800 students this academic year, with over 50,000 lbs. of donated food. Additionally, the Essential Student Resource Center provides students with school supplies, transportation and computer assistance.
Regarding the adopted cost-saving measures and subsequent organization restructuring, President Cronin states, “It is my sincere hope that, though this moment is painful, it will ultimately mark a turning point in how we are able to confidently support our student population for decades to come – and that our College will emerge stronger, and reflective of the evolving higher education landscape so that we can meet the challenges ahead. Together, we will navigate this with compassion, integrity, and care for one another.”
March 2026 – The Southeast Center is Open
On Friday, March 27, Delaware County Community College officially unveiled its new Southeast Center in Drexel Hill, completing the transformation of the former Archbishop Prendergast High School into a multi-use facility that provides affordable, quality education, training and programs to the local community.
“Today we celebrate more than just a new building. We celebrate opportunity,” said Dr. David Grossman, Chair of the College’s Board of Trustees. “We are incredibly proud of what this center will offer our students—expanded access to education, workforce training and the tools they need to succeed.”Speakers at the event included U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer, State Senator Tim Kearney, State Representative Heather Boyd and Speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives Joanna McClinton.
“The Southeast Center represents an investment in Drexel Hill, an investment in Pennsylvania, and most importantly, an investment in the people we serve,” said DCCC President Dr. Marta Yera Cronin. “We are here today because our ‘why’ is clear: the workforce is changing. And to meet that demand, we have built a space that reflects the modern world and prepares our students to thrive within it.”
Centrally located, and transit-accessible, the Southeast Center expands DCCC’s capability to prepare students for high-priority careers and offers programs that align with workforce needs in healthcare, biotechnology, skilled trades, culinary arts and hospitality studies, early childhood education, and related fields. It is a state-of-the-art comprehensive facility that includes three centers supporting specialized career pathways: The Kelleher Annex for Workforce Development, The Center for Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies, and an Early Child Learning Center.
“This Southeast Center stands as a powerful symbol of equity, of opportunity, and of our commitment to all of you: if you have a dream, we are ready to walk beside you and help you bring that dream to life,” said Dr. Cronin.
January 2026 – The College has been awarded $8 Million Shipbuilding Grant
A public/private partnership—led by Delaware County Community College (DCCC) and shipbuilder Hanwha Philly Shipyard, Inc. (HPSI)—has been awarded an $8 million federal grant over four years to create an innovative, new model of education and training for U.S. shipbuilding that will include sending U.S. instructors and workers overseas to learn advanced shipbuilding techniques to be utilized in America by U.S.-based shipbuilders.
This U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grant will enable HPSI, in conjunction with the region’s community colleges and Drexel University, a partnership known as the Collegiate Consortium for Workforce & Economic Development (the Consortium), to establish an International Shipbuilding Fellowship program. In addition, the partners will create an internationally recognized curriculum for shipbuilding skilled trades to expand U.S.-based training and strengthen partnerships among U.S. educational institutions, trade unions and shipyards to improve critical workforce pipelines. Participants in the shipbuilding fellowship program are anticipated to include registered apprentices, journeymen, veterans and people with disabilities who will train in high-demand trades such as welding, steelwork, electrical systems, steam fitting and carpentry.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for DCCC, HPSI and the Consortium to capitalize on the Greater Philadelphia region’s strengths, in collaboration with our many partners in government, higher education, the skilled trades, and business and industry, to significantly increase the education and training the Consortium has successfully delivered for decades to business and industry,” said DCCC President Dr. Marta Yera Cronin, chair of the Consortium, a non-profit organization that dates back to 1994 with the closing of the Philadelphia Naval Base and Shipyard.
“HPSI is very excited to establish this partnership, which will accelerate the transfer of proven global shipbuilding practices to the U.S. and strengthen our workforce for the future,” said David Kim, CEO of HPSI. “We are committed to building U.S. ships in the U.S., with U.S. workers, and this investment gives us confidence in our ability to grow and meet national demand, while supporting our local communities.”
The DOL also awarded $5.8 million to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to advance the next generation of American shipbuilders through hands-on, cutting-edge training programs developed in conjunction with international partners.
“Restoring Americaʼs maritime dominance canʼt be accomplished without skilled American workers,” said Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer. “In line with President Trumpʼs executive orders, these projects will help train our next generation of shipbuilders and ensure the skills critical to revitalizing our shipbuilding industry are developed here at home.”
The “Revitalizing Domestic Manufacturing by Developing the Next Generation of America’s Shipbuilders through International Partnerships” grant will help HPSI, DCCC, and the Consortium develop a national curriculum for U.S. career and technical education programs, community colleges, registered apprenticeship programs, and shipyards that creates standardized pathways for training future workers.
It is envisioned that DCCC, HPSI and the Consortium will utilize high-tech equipment, such as virtual reality simulator training modules as well as online instruction to augment in-person training. Locally, the Consortium will join with workforce development boards, the one-stop career centers of Pennsylvania CareerLink®, and area high schools to develop curriculum and recruit and train the next generation of shipbuilding workers. The Consortium also will partner with South Korea-based Hanwha, HPSI’s parent company, to send faculty and workers to visit its shipyard in South Korea to learn the latest techniques in shipbuilding.
Proper, safe, industry accredited training is vital to today’s manufacturers, many of which use technological advances such as robotics, automation, advanced welding, artificial intelligence and digital design. Registered apprentices in shipbuilding and advanced manufacturing can quickly earn $60,000–$70,000 annually, with little or no student loan debt, and clear pathways for advancement. But only about 37 percent of U.S. high school students enroll in Career and Technical Education programs, and fewer than eight percent complete a concentrated program of study in fields like manufacturing, engineering or transportation, according to the U.S. Department of Education.
HPSI, DCCC and the Consortium hope to expand annual apprenticeship capacity from 120 to up to 500 by 2027.
Over the past two decades, DCCC has delivered related technical instruction to more than 600 apprentices in high-demand fields in collaboration with skilled trades unions, the Consortium, and business and industry partners. Since 2017, DCCC has been federally recognized as a Maritime Center of Excellence, underscoring its local, statewide and national role in advancing maritime workforce development.
HPSI’s location at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in South Philadelphia, contiguous or near three states—Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware—with direct access to the Atlantic Ocean via the Delaware River and Bay, reinforces their importance in this new DOL grant-funded initiative, which DCCC, HPSI and the Consortium call “Building the Future: U.S. Shipbuilding Workforce Expansion Through Global Collaboration.”
January 2024 – Student Resource Center Gift and Naming
The College has received a gift of $75,000 from Aqua Pennsylvania, an Essential Utilities company, to support the College’s Student Resource Center, which offers a wide range of services that reduce barriers to student success. This generous contribution, made through the company’s Essential Foundation, will support students at both the Marple Campus and the future Southeast Center in Drexel Hill. To mark the donation, the Center at each location will be renamed the “Essential Student Resource Center.”
The Student Resource Center is a critical campus hub, supporting students comprehensively from the initial day of enrollment through graduation and beyond. Administered by the College’s Office of Student Outreach and Support, the Student Resource Center serves as a welcoming, judgement-free space where students are met by a caring, compassionate team of college employees. The goal of the Center is to provide outreach, advocacy, and holistic support to cater to the unmet needs of students. In addition to a food pantry, students are provided with a variety of services, including textbook assistance, peer-to-peer mentoring, transportation assistance, emergency grants for students facing unexpected financial emergencies, and other academic and non-academic support.
“Our Student Resource Center is essential in helping to improve our students’ graduation, retention and completion rates,” said Marta Yera Cronin, Ed.D., president, Delaware County Community College. “We are grateful to Aqua Pennsylvania for their support in our mission to provide equitable access to higher education to students in Delaware and Chester Counties.”
The food pantry accounts for 70% of Student Resource Center visits, demonstrating the great need for its services. In addition to non-perishable food, the pantry provides students with access to toiletries, school supplies and gently worn professional attire. Since its opening in 2020, the Student Resource Center has seen an overall increase in student visits from 1,000 in its first year of operation to 2,500 student visits last year.
“This generous gift will help us to continue to provide vital resources that meet the diverse needs of our students,” said Kendrick Mickens, Ed.D., director of the College’s Student Outreach and Support.
“Aqua Pennsylvania is proud to help make such a positive impact on the lives of thousands of local college students and their families,” said Marc Lucca, president, Aqua Pennsylvania. “As a company founded in Delaware County in 1886, we’re honored to make this donation which will reinforce our commitment to bring positive change to this community,” Lucca added.
Among those attending the check presentation ceremony was former Essential Utilities’ Chief Administrative Officer, Sue Haindl. Haindl, who has since retired, has deep ties to the College as a distinguished alumna, professor, commencement speaker and scholarship supporter. Haindl was proud to celebrate the partnership focused on providing essential resources to improve student outcomes.