For Angie Hannahs, walking into the ECO Center on the grounds of Ohio University Eastern brings her career full circle. Nearly four decades after she began her college education at OHIO Eastern, Hannahs — now director of operations for the East Central Ohio Educational Service Center — helps oversee a facility that has turned a familiar campus landmark into a regional destination for education, health care, wellness and community events, Ohio University reported in a story published Monday on news.ohio.edu.
“My OHIO story started at Ohio University Eastern, where I studied from 1987 to 1989,” Hannahs told Ohio University. “Starting at a regional campus gave me a close-knit, supportive place to build a foundation.” She transferred to the Athens campus and earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1991, then built a career that ran from high school English teacher to school superintendent before she retired from education in 2023 and joined the Educational Service Center, according to Ohio University.
The building she now helps run was once Ohio University Eastern’s Health and Physical Education Center. The East Central Ohio Educational Service Center acquired it and, supported by a $3 million grant from the Appalachian Community Grant Program, put it through a yearlong renovation that improved existing facilities and created new space for community organizations, businesses and service providers, Ohio University reported. The St. Clairsville School District leases space in the center for its athletic and arts programs.
Today the ECO Center mixes campus life with community services: its café serves Starbucks coffee, the recently opened Giovanni’s West offers breakfast and lunch, Ohio Hills Health Centers provides medical, dental and behavioral health services, and Edwards Absolute Kinetics offers physical therapy and wellness services, according to Ohio University. The center also hosts professional development conferences, banquets and commencement ceremonies for OHIO Eastern, Belmont Career Center and St. Clairsville High School, plus events like the Belmont County Spelling Bee.
“The ECO Center is an excellent example of how community partnerships can create new opportunities while building on the resources already available in our region,” Jennifer Kellner-Muscar, dean of campus and community engagement at Ohio University Eastern, told Ohio University. Dr. Lewatis McNeal, the university’s vice provost of regional higher education and partnerships, told Ohio University that regional campuses play an important role in connecting higher education with the needs of the communities they serve.
Future priorities include expanding programming and partnerships, and one long-term goal is a natatorium that would give Ohio Valley residents aquatic services closer to home, Ohio University reported. “I’d like the community to know that the ECO Center is here to serve them,” Hannahs told Ohio University. “We want everyone in the Ohio Valley to feel welcome.”
Photo: Bwsmith84, CC BY