Maricopa Matters | Spring 2015

MARICOPA Matters News for the Community From the Maricopa Community Colleges

Issue Highlights

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CHANCELLOR GLASPER ON FINANCING BIOTECH PROGRAMS OFFERED

STUDENTS WORK TO HELP OTHERS SLEEP GILA RIVER COMMUNITY PARTNERS

THEN AND NOW

Meet Kenney Pratt

Volunteer, community leader and graduate of a Maricopa Community College

Spring 2015

Maricopa’s MEN

Program Helps Men Work Toward Academic Completion In general, students of color – especially males – have a lower college completion rate than white students. At the Maricopa Community Colleges, however, there’s a program designed to change that.

In 2008, the Minority Male Initiative (MMI) was created to improve the retention and degree completion rates of minority male students attending the Maricopa Community Colleges. In 2013, the District Office of Student Affairs collaborated with the colleges to establish Male Empowerment Network (MEN) Chapters at each site. The Chapters have grown to a brotherhood of more than 250 members across all ten Maricopa Community Colleges.

The percentage of Maricopa Community Colleges’ students identifying as persons of color (i.e., Black, Hispanic, American Indian, or Asian/ Pacific Islander) has risen to 43%. That number represents significant growth. In 2005, less than one third of the Colleges’ students identified as persons of color. At the same time, the percentage of White students has decreased from 58% in 2005 to less than 48% today.

Kenney Pratt, a recent graduate of Paradise Valley Community College’s (PVCC) Administration of Justice Studies program, first came to the college in 2011. When looking for classes, he started by checking the professors’ names in the class listing. “I just needed something to

Cranston Forte with PVCC MEN chapter members

connect to,” says Pratt, who is Black. “Call it stereotyping, but when I saw there was a Professor Sharif…I wasn’t expecting that. I was looking to create some sort of comfort, and taking his Sociology class was the best thing I ever did.” Pratt soon became involved with the MEN group.

Cranston Forte, PVCC’s MEN Chapter Advisor, says the group provides a safe haven and support. “The MEN group offers a place where we can feel comfortable and safe, and no one is going to judge us. We have MEN continued on Page 7

Maricopa Community Colleges Adds $7.3 Billion to Local Economy Annually The Maricopa Community Colleges adds $7.3 billion in various kinds of income to the Arizona economy each year, according to a research report released in March 2015. The report, Demonstrating the Economic Value of Maricopa County Community College District, summarizes economic impact and return on investment of the Maricopa district in fiscal year 2013-14. The analysis was conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI), an organization that specializes in providing economic impact studies and labor market data to educational institutions.

Among the report’s findings, based on EMSI’s calculations: • The combination of spending by the Maricopa organization, its students and its alumni employed in the regional workforce amounted to $7.3 billion in added income.

• For every dollar contributed by taxpayers to the Maricopa Community Colleges, $4 in benefits are returned to taxpayers • Society as a whole benefits from Maricopa both because of increased earnings and because of savings generated by the improved lifestyles of students who attend and graduate from college. For every dollar that society spent on the Maricopa Community Colleges Economy continued on Page 8

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Leadership

Future Community College Financing Will Require Discussion, Innovation

by Dr. Rufus Glasper, Chancellor, Maricopa Community Colleges

The Arizona Legislature approved a budget that eliminates the remaining $8.8 million in state aid for the Maricopa Community Colleges.

This plan effectively ends state funding for an educational asset that contributes billions of dollars to the state’s economy every year.

Dr. Rufus Glasper

We regret that the state no longer wishes to invest in this vital enterprise. From an historic and education policy perspective, this withdrawal is also significant given the levels of state support to community colleges seen previously in Arizona. From a highpoint of 29% of our operating budget in 1981, the adopted budget for 2016 drops state funding to Maricopa Community Colleges to $0. From 2007 alone, the state has eliminated about $57 million in funding to the Maricopa Community Colleges’ operating budget and $11 million in capital budget.

It is ironic that in the same week that the budget plan was passed, a research organization released a report that found the Maricopa Community Colleges adds $7.3 billion in various kinds of income to the Arizona economy every year. [ See related story, page 1 ] You can find the report here: http://goo.gl/SNqy5f This withdrawal in state investment in community college education to Maricopa forces very difficult conversations about our ability to serve the growing education needs of our community and to contribute to the economic development goals of our state. The fact is that without adequate funding from the state, tuition, and property taxes, we will face decisions about how many students we can educate and prepare to fill quality jobs.

As we’ve implemented since 2007 and before, we will continue to apply entrepreneurial solutions to provide education and workforce opportunities in our region. These solutions include public-private partnerships and generating revenue through corporate enterprises.

However, our ability to do so at scale is limited by state regulation. We need relief from regulatory disincentives and more flexibility to generate revenues to replace state aid if we are to continue to be Arizona’s leading workforce trainers.

To capture the full benefit of our entrepreneurship, no time is better than now for the state to set the regulatory framework that encourages and incentivizes a new community college education funding model.

We look forward to future engagement with our internal and external community, business leaders, the Legislature, and the Governor in making these critical decisions.

Dr. Harper-Marinick Awarded Fellowships Maricopa Community Colleges Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost, Dr. Maria HarperMarinick, has been selected for two distinguished Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick fellowships. In March, she joined the 2015 class of Aspen Institute Ascend Fellows, which recognizes and invests in diverse leaders from a range of sectors who have breakthrough ideas to build economic security, educational success, and health and well-being for low-income families in the U.S. “Poverty and inequality are the central economic, political, and moral issues of our time,” said Walter Isaacson, CEO of the Aspen Institute. “The Ascend Fellowship is part of our commitment to advancing opportunity and equality in America.”

In November 2014, Dr. Harper-Marinick was named an ASU Morrison Institute Distinguished Fellow, which recognizes Arizona’s best and brightest in public policy.

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Maria is a tireless proponent for better schools and brighter futures,” said Thom Reilly, director of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy. “Anyone who’s involved in education knows her.

She seemingly is everywhere – wherever and whenever she’s needed to push education forward, especially Latino education.

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Dr. Harper-Marinick serves on several boards and councils, including chair of the federal Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance by appointment of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Maricopa Welcomes New Governing Board The 2014 election marked the first time that candidates were chosen for two at-large Board seats, elected by voters across the entire county. Ms. Tracy Livingston won her seat for a four-year term. Another new Board member, Mr. John Heep, was elected to a two-year term.

A fourth new member, Ms. Jean McGrath, was elected from District 4, which encompasses northwest Maricopa County. Mr. Alfredo Gutierrez, who was chosen to fill the remaining term of a Board member, Ben Miranda (deceased), won election in District 5, southwest Maricopa County. Ms. Livingston, of Peoria, a newly-elected at-large member, was selected as Board President for 2015. Ms. Johanna Haver of Phoenix, elected from District 3, was elected Secretary.

Board members, back row: Ms. Tracy Livingston Mr. John Heep | Mr. Alfredo Gutierrez | Mr. Dana Saar Front row: Mr. Doyle Burke | Ms. Jean McGrath | Ms. Johanna Haver

The new members join Mr. Doyle Burke of Tempe and Mr. Dana Saar of Fountain Hills, both of whom were elected in 2012.

Trimble Honored for Long Career Preserving Arizona History

Focus on Faculty

Phoenix College’s Sousa Named Arizona Professor of the Year

by Jonathan Higuera After 37 years of teaching at Scottsdale Community College (SCC), Marshall Trimble is hanging up his spurs and putting on a new pair to mark another phase of life.

Senator John McCain, Marshall Trimble, and SCC President Jan Gehler

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Phoenix College (PC) mathematics professor James Sousa is the 2014 Arizona Professor

To commemorate the moment, SCC held a retirement celebration for Trimble.The longtime SCC instructor and Director of Southwest Studies listened to tributes from friends, a former student, colleagues, and even Sen. John McCain.

of the Year. The honor is awarded each year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE).

While Trimble is retiring, he still will maintain an office at SCC and carry on with appearances and projects. The difference will be that his salary will be drawn from his retirement pension. So it was a farewell celebration, but not really a good-bye.

The breakfast event was supposed to be a roast, but comments were kind, appreciative, and humorous, reflecting Trimble’s generous contributions to students and Arizona history. Jack Graham, a former student of Trimble’s at Coronado High School, where Trimble started his teaching career, said his former teacher encouraged him to pursue his dream of being an artist. Graham became a graphic artist and named his first son after Trimble. “He took the time to listen to the dreams of a skinny 16-year-old kid and always had an encouraging word,” Graham recalled.

Professor James Sousa

“James brings innovation and enthusiasm to

Senator McCain lauded Trimble’s books and writings on Arizona history. “What Marshall has done with his ability to write is make those characters come alive,” said Senator McCain.

our math department,” said Dr. Anna Solley, President of Phoenix College. “I am delighted for him to be recognized for his outstanding

Former SCC President Art DeCabooter recalled with a chuckle that on his first day on the job in 1970, he asked Trimble where the president’s office was located, and Trimble replied, “I don’t even know who the president is.” Trimble would end up having an adjacent office for 30 years.

commitment to student success, not only here at Phoenix College, but across the country and around the world.”

His efforts to preserve the history and culture of Arizona have made him an icon and earned him the designation as Arizona’s official historian, a gubernatorial appointment he first received in the late 1990s. At the tribute, two proclamations in his honor were issued – one from the City of Scottsdale Mayor’s Office, and another from Governor Jan Brewer. He also received a guitar from SCC with an SCC design on the body featuring SCC’s “Fighting Artichokes.”

Dr. Solley, who described Sousa to members of the Maricopa Governing Board as “a rock star,” noted that Sousa is known nationally and internationally for creating thousands of short math videos that are available free

Trimble said none of it would have occurred if he hadn’t pursued a career in the teaching profession and if he hadn’t landed at SCC. “Somebody asked me what I wanted on my headstone. I told them I only want it to say one thing. ‘He was a teacher.’ All I ever wanted when I was a little kid was to make a difference. As a teacher and educator, I got that opportunity.”

of charge on YouTube to students needing help with math concepts. Sousa said that altogether, those videos are viewed an average of 35,000 times a day.

Sousa, who has been at PC for 12 years, was chosen from 400 top professors nationwide.

“It is an honor to receive this award because

NISOD Honors Faculty Members

I know there are so many other dedicated instructors who work extremely hard to help students succeed,” said Sousa. “I enjoy

The Maricopa Community Colleges have eight faculty members, along with 12 non-faculty employees, who will be honored in May at the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development’s (NISOD) annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence. NISOD is part of the University of Texas at Austin; the program honors individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their institutions.

helping students reach their educational goals and it is an honor to provide students with resources that they can use whenever and wherever they need them at no cost.”

The 2015 conference will feature nearly 300 sessions facilitated by leading community and technical college practitioners covering everything from recruiting and retaining students for STEM-related programs to more effectively engaging students in instruction.

Faculty winners this year are: Estrella Mountain – Shannon Manuelito, (Biology), Stephanie Natividad (STEM), Peter Turner (Education); Phoenix College – Cristie Roe (English), Jeni Ussery (Reading), Lucia Kisiel (Mathematics); Scottsdale Community College – Susan Moore, (English), Matthew Bloom (English).

View math videos created by Sousa:

http://goo.gl/Ki78Kq

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Student Success

BILL GATES Blogs about Rio Visit

by Bill Gates, November 18, 2014

Student With Autism Finds Business Success Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) student John Dalen wants to bring joy to as many people as possible through home-baked energy bars. He created his own product and is using his baking talents and faith to grow a successful business, serving and connecting people.

Dalen’s form of autism makes him unable to communicate John Dalen and his home-baked energy bars verbally. He uses a cutout paper keyboard to type out letters into words that are then translated by his mother – a process known as facilitated communication (FC). When asked about his inspiration and goals, he says he wants to create a community center café to serve and help people.

He created the energy bars as a healthy alternative to store-bought snacks, and packages them in eco-friendly materials. Ingredients include a healthy mix of dates, almonds, pecans, and essential oils that provide multiple flavors. Their high fat content comes from nuts and the bars are approved for both vegan and Paleo diets.

The Rising Entrepreneurs ® program through the Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) provided Dalen the opportunity for creating a recipe for a satisfying energy bar. That effort went hand in hand with classes Dalen was taking at PVCC to develop a smallbusiness model. Currently, he attends college part-time and is working toward earning his Associate’s Degree in Business Marketing, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship.

Dr. Dina Preston-Ortiz, business/marketing faculty at PVCC, taught Dalen in one of her online marketing classes.

“In that class, students really learn about how to create business strategies,” said Dr. Ortiz. “John really embodies entrepreneurship and small business development. He took the concepts he learned and applied them to create his own product.”

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Bill Gates visited the Maricopa Community Colleges’ Rio Salado College in November 2014. He was so impressed with the college’s activities that he wrote this blog entry on the subject:

Dr. Jennifer McGrath, VP of Academic Affairs at Rio Salado; Bill Gates, Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Kishia Brock, VP of Strategy and Compliance, District Office; Due Desmond-Hellmann, CEO, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Maricopa Chancellor Dr. Rufus Glasper; Allan C. Golston, President, United States Program, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Photo credit: (c) Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation/Mark Makela

Online, All Students Sit in the Front Row I went to Arizona earlier this month to see what the college of the future might look like. What I found taking shape is an exciting new era of higher education that will help more students get a great, personalized education at an affordable price.

This future may not always include the lecture halls, dormitories, football teams and other features of the traditional college experience.

Instead, the colleges I visited are experimenting with ways for students to get their degrees online, allowing them to take courses anyplace and at any time.

These “colleges without walls,” as they are sometimes called, are at the forefront of the effort to broaden access to higher education, especially for low-income students juggling their studies with full-time jobs and families. During my visit, I heard inspiring stories of students who are taking advantage of these flexible learning models to pursue degrees that can put them on paths to new careers.

Tucked away in an industrial park in Tempe, Rio Salado doesn’t look much like a traditional institute of higher education. There were no students running to class. No ivy-covered walls. Just a couple of glass-faced office buildings.

As we walked inside for a tour, there was an even bigger surprise.

The college has just 22 full-time faculty serving 60,000 students, with more than half of them attending their classes online. (The full-time faculty depend on 1,400 part-time teachers who manage individual class sections, review/grade assignments, and consult with students.)

Students can start any of the school’s 1,000 courses almost any Monday of the year. Classes cost $84 per credit hour, far less than what other colleges charge.

John, hard at work in his kitchen

Outside of school and his business, Dalen works part time at the Arizona Centers for Comprehensive Education and Life Skills (ACCEL) as a part of their maintenance crew. Balancing work, school, and a business is no easy task, but Dalen feels blessed to have to the opportunity to reach others through baking.

“I’m a college student with goals for marketing,” said Dalen. “PVCC has helped me live my dream.”

See John Dalen’s story online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgzBeLbPzd0.

Rio Salado and other institutions are researching new approaches to student advising. Using the growing body of data available about online students’ learning habits—for example, are they completing assignments and logging onto their courses regularly?—the institution can intervene to help students at risk of falling behind or dropping out. “Students don’t get lost because no one can just sit in the back corner. Everyone is in the front row,” a Rio Salado faculty member told me.

I left Arizona feeling quite optimistic about what the future holds for higher education. It also reminded me how much work still needs to be done. What’s most exciting is that the institutions I visited are not standing still. They are taking risks and using their creative and intellectual powers to reinvent themselves for the future. In doing so, they will give many more students the opportunity to do the same with their own lives.

Biotechnology Programs Available at Two Maricopa Colleges Despite the fact that biotechnology is a growing field, community-college-based biotech programs are not common. But two Maricopa Community Colleges, Glendale (GCC) and Mesa (MCC), offer the cutting-edge subject.

It’s a timely subject because biotechnology is a buzzword when civic leaders talk about the advantages of their region to attract businesses. It’s also important, because biotechnology innovation can lead to major breakthroughs in healthcare.

Pilar Ramos, currently a postdoctoral fellow at Phoenix-based Transformational Genomics Research Institute (TGEN), was among the first group of students to take GCC’s two-year biotechnology track.

“I’ve always liked science,” says Dr. Ramos, who graduated from GCC in 2005 before transferring to ASU for her Dr. Pilar Ramos bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees.

“The university seemed a little bit overwhelming so, for me, community college was a perfect place to get started.” She entered an internship at TGEN in 2007 and hit the ground running.

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I noticed that most people in my laboratory classes had no lab experience. Coming from GCC, I knew how to do all of it. I felt very prepared, Dr. Ramos said.

”

In less than ten years after graduating from GCC, Dr. Ramos made an enormous contribution to medicine. In 2011, she began studying an aggressive type of ovarian cancer that mainly affects women in their twenties; less than 35% of women survive more than two years after diagnosis.

One day she and her team discovered something amazing: a genetic marker for this cancer.

“We sequenced the coding regions of several tumors and found one gene that mutated in the majority of the cases. It was an incredible moment when we put it all together.” Her research was published in Nature Genetics, the world’s leading genetic research journal.

Not everyone makes the path that Dr. Ramos carved out for herself, however. In fact, many students don’t even know the program exists or where it can lead.

“The problem is that the career progression is rather ill-defined,” says Dr. James Tuohy, who directs the Biotechnology program at GCC. “In my opinion, it’s the best pre-med curriculum available. And it’s really the best preparation for any STEM career. If people want to go to medical school, to pharmacy school … if they want to work in biofuels … ours is the perfect curriculum for them.”

You might think that people who choose the Biotechnology program need a science background.

In fact, that’s not necessarily the case, says Stanley Kikkert, MCC’s Biotechnology Director. “The program is designed so you can start with nothing,” he says. “We get students who are just starting college. We get students who are going for a bachelor’s degree and want to build up their lab skills. We get students who have finished their bachelor’s and are looking at medicine as a career. First, you learn about DNA. Then you learn how to work with DNA.” GCC’s Dr. Tuohy adds that being smart isn’t necessarily the most important trait for biotechnology students. “The right sort of person for this field is incurably curious, stubborn, motivated, inquisitive, persevering, and won’t be easily dissuaded from what they’re doing,” says Dr. Tuohy. “And they’re interested in doing something of worth – contributing to curing cancer or Alzheimer’s disease.”

Pilar Ramos certainly fits that bill. “We’ve made incredible advances in our understanding and treatment of cancer,” she says. “We’ve gotten better at extending people’s lives but not getting rid of the disease yet. So that’s the challenge.”

Innovations

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26 Maricopa Students Named Academic All-Americans At its 20th Annual All-Arizona Academic Awards Luncheon on Feb. 18, the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) organization honored academic all-stars from Arizona community colleges, including 26 students Dr. Anna Solley, Preside nt Phoenix from across the College and All-Americ an Recipient Gilberto Sosa ten Maricopa Community Colleges. To be eligible for the award, students must maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale, be in good academic standing, be working on an associate’s degree, demonstrate leadership, and interact with their community as a college ambassador.

PTK recognizes and encourages scholarship among two-year college students by providing opportunity for the development of leadership and service, for an intellectual climate in which to exchange ideas and ideals, for lively fellowship with scholars, and for stimulation of interest in continuing academic excellence. www.ptk.org

MCC Wins National Conservation Award Mesa Community College at Red Mountain was honored with the North American Native Plant Society’s (NANPS) 2014 Founders Conservation Award, which recognizes major contributions to the natural habitat.

When the Red Mountain campus was built, preserving as much of the desert as possible during construction was a goal.

Keeping the building footprint small and creating a culture of educational excellence and environmental preservation, MCC Red Mountain is home to roadrunners, quail, rattlesnakes, coyotes, desert tortoises, occasional bobcats, and most recently, endangered desert pupfish.

Harold Smith, a member of the NANPS Awards Committee commended MCC in its letter to MCC stating, “Our Awards Committee was very impressed with the work to maintain the natural heritage and native flora of the Sonoran Desert.”

View the acceptance video played during the conference at: http://youtu.be/3Pyh-X8h33A

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Community

Chancellor Receives East Valley Partnership Award

GWCC Students Work to Help Others Get a Good Night’s Sleep A GateWay Community College (GWCC) program is preparing students for careers helping others get a good night’s sleep. The Polysomnography Technologist program, which began at the college in 2010, graduates highly trained technologists with associate’s degrees, ready to take their place in sleep labs across Arizona.

It’s a necessary profession because many Americans suffer from undiagnosed sleep disorders, said Wendi Nugent, Director of the GWCC program. She said that the number has been estimated at more than 70 million. Some don’t recognize that they have a problem, while others cannot afford the tests, she said, adding, “With the Affordable Care Act, there are likely to be more people who want to get tested.”

Students who enroll in the program can finish it in about two years.

They must complete the general college education courses that qualify them for an associate’s degree and must also take courses in electroencephalography, or EEG, the recording of electrical activity along the scalp; neuroanatomy and physiology, to understand the brain and how it functions; biomedical engineering, to understand sleep study equipment; respiratory care, to learn respiratory anatomy and physiology; and sleep, to understand the various phases of sleep.

The average salary of board-certified respiratory technicians is about

Chancellor Glasper receives the East Valley Partnership’s Lifetime Achievement Award from John Wolfe, Senior Vice President and Southwest Region Manager of Cox Communications

Chancellor Rufus Glasper was given the Dwight Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award by the East Valley Partnership in December 2014. This award is given to a person who lives or works in the East Valley, is well respected, has made significant lifelong contributions to their community, and is a true leader.

“He’s taken the Maricopa Community Colleges, which involves hundreds of thousands of individuals and touches the lives of millions all at a very small expense, to a higher level of performance,” said ASU President Michael Crow. “He’s done that in a way that makes education available to any member of the community regardless of ethnicity, income, and age. I don’t think people realize how hard things like that are to accomplish.”

“In his 28 years of services, he has helped shape education policy throughout Arizona,” said U.S. Congressman Matt Salmon. “I thank you, the East Valley thanks you, and countless students thank you for your tireless dedication to education,” said Congressman Salmon in a video message prepared for the event.

$20 per hour.

Nugent, who started working in the area of sleep studies in 1985, said that growth in the industry is cyclical. Right now is a good time to be

See the short video from the awards ceremony online at: http://vimeo.com/119280343

entering the job market in Arizona. “All my students who graduated in the spring got job offers,” she said, “and I know of nine open positions and no one to fill them.” Longer-term prospects also look good because of aging Americans.

Still, students thinking about a career in sleep studies have to remember one important fact: This is nighttime work. “Working nights isn’t for everyone,” Nugent observed. The reward, she said, is in the reaction of patients who are diagnosed and are helped by treatment,

Sherman Alexie visits SCC for Inspiring Talk

by Jonathan Higuera

usually with a CPAP machine, which provides a continuous stream of air to the sleeping patient. “The treatment is so efficacious,” she reports. “People say, ‘I haven’t felt like this in 20 years.’”

Author-poet-screenwriter Sherman Alexie kept the audience laughing while injecting poignant moments and observations from his childhood on an American Indian reservation and his transition into the person he is now during a one-hour presentation at Scottsdale Community College.

Addressing an audience of more than 300, the author of 25 books, including, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, shared stories and experiences from his childhood as a “poor rez boy” with a humorous take on his path to become a nationally acclaimed writer and social commentator.

Sherman Alexie

Sherman Alexie

Alexie compared his thoughts on today’s institutional barriers for people of color to his own people’s attitudes that hurt and limited him.

Wendi Nugent with student and patient in the sleep lab

He challenged the young people in the audience to “pile up the degrees” and end any debilitating addictions to alcohol or drugs.

“An Indian with a degree is a powerful person,” he commented.

Black Mountain Campus Plans Expansion Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) at Black Mountain celebrated its fifth anniversary December 4, 2014, with a groundbreaking for the new Aquila Hall.

The building, a $10 million project designed by Dick and Fritsche Design Group (DFDG), will add approximately 20,000 square feet of classroom and lab space to house Science Division courses.

The building will comprise three multiBreaking ground for the new Aquila Hall purpose classrooms, two science labs and one science classroom, a computer lab, a tutoring center, an astronomy high-powered telescope and a viewing deck, student study and collaboration areas, faculty offices, and classrooms.

Black Mountain Campus is a multigenerational facility providing lifelong learning opportunities, community services, and health and wellness programs. A partnership among PVCC, Desert Foothills YMCA, and Foothills Community Foundation, the campus is designed as a neighborhoodgathering place for people of all ages to exercise both their minds and bodies. It is located at the foot of the iconic Black Mountain at 60th Street, just south of Carefree Highway.

All of the facilities at Black Mountain are being named after constellations. The new building is named Aquila Hall after the constellation that is viewable in the clear night skies at Black Mountain.

Community

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CGCC, MCC Win Top Service Honors The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has recognized Chandler-Gilbert (CGCC) and Mesa (MCC) Community Colleges by awarding each a 2015 Community Engagement classification. This represents a significant and competitive recognition that highlights the institutions’ dedication to community service.

This is the first classification for MCC and a renewal of CGCC’s initial 2006 designation. The colleges represent two of only three Arizona schools and just 361 colleges and universities nationwide that currently hold the designation. Between MCC and CGCC, more than 5,000

MEN (continued from front page)

that sports team mentality; we’re here to win this battle of getting through higher education. Life happens, and that means lots of distractions. We want them to stay focused so they finish.”

The exact moment when Pratt actively connected with the MEN group was his recognizing the first and most difficult barrier for men of color to break when they want to succeed in school: asking for help.

“Some factors are most predictive of success,” says Dr. J. Luke Wood, an Hector Cedillos Associate Professor of Community College Leadership at San Diego State University. “First, help-seeking behavior – the willingness to ask for help – is a common challenge and a critical determinant of success for men of color.”

Dr. Wood is Co-Director of the national Minority Male Community College Collaborative (M2C3), which supports colleges in building capacity around men of color. To date, Dr. Wood and his Co-Director, Frank Harris III, have partnered with 45 community colleges in eight states.

“Maricopa’s program is unique because leaders were very thoughtful and use institutional effectiveness data, and to state goals and outcomes to inform strategic planning. The MEN program is a priority from the Chancellor’s office down to each college chapter. We don’t always see that level of leadership support,” says Dr. Wood.

Hector Cedillos is a graduate of Scottsdale Community College and was in its MEN program. “Men of color – we’re naturally standoffish and suspicious,” he says. “That’s one of the reasons it’s so hard to reach us on campus. I was ashamed of my past and couldn’t talk to many people about it. But just because I didn’t share personal information didn’t mean I don’t have anything to say. It wasn’t until I joined the MEN group that I was able to start letting go of a lot of stuff.”

students performed upward of 115,000 hours of community service last year.

“As guided by our Governing Board outcomes, we value student learning and development through community and civic engagement on and off campus,” said Dr. Shouan Pan, President, Mesa Community College.

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I want to express my deep appreciation to our faculty, students, and staff for their leadership and commitment to living out our value. Dr. Shouan Pan

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“Community engagement is part of our culture,” said Linda Lujan, CGCC President. “From its early years, nearly 30 years ago, until today, CGCC has held community engagement as an enduring core value through service-learning, global and civic engagement, curricular and cocurricular linkages, and community partnerships in our region.”

Both colleges were also named to the

“MEN provides the platform for any male student to commit to his educational path, to connect with our colleges, and to reach his goals,” says Felicia Ganther, Associate Vice Chancellor for Student Services, who oversees MEN. “All three steps are critical to their success.”

Cedillos, now pursuing a bachelor’s degree at ASU, and Pratt are both still involved with their friends from the MEN program. And they’re giving back to the community. Cedillos is working for Release the Fear, a Phoenix-based group that helps at-risk kids in juvenile facilities get on the right track. “I used to think that everyone who went to college graduated,” said Cedillos. “I had no idea there was such a gap with men of color. I want to change that and close up the gap.”

Pratt started his own non profit, U-Belong, to help men being released from prison get used to life again. “When they get out, they have nothing,” says Pratt. “They don’t have any education or life skills, or even know how to write a résumé. I want to make sure that when they get out, they stay out.

U-Belong is my way of giving back. It’s what keeps me motivated.”

2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll in December. The recognition highlights the role colleges and universities play in solving community challenges and helps students pursue a lifelong path of civic engagement.

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Jobs

Economy (continued from front page)

during 2013-14, society will receive a cumulative value of $12.10 in benefits for as long as the 2013-14 student population at Maricopa remains active in the state’s workforce.

• For every dollar that a student spends on a Maricopa Community College education, that student gets back $4.20 in higher future income. A student’s average annual return is 16.6 percent.

• The spending of students who relocated to the region to attend college in Maricopa County added approximately $240.6 million in income to the economy during the 2013-14 fiscal year.

• The Maricopa report was issued at the same time as Demonstrating the Economic Value of Arizona Community Colleges, EMSI’s study of the impact of community colleges located throughout Arizona on the statewide economy.

“This report confirms the fact that an education at the Maricopa Community Colleges is a great investment, both for students and taxpayers,” said Maricopa Community Colleges Chancellor Rufus Glasper.“A $4.20 return on every dollar spent means students’ money is being spent wisely. From the taxpayers’ point of view, a 10.3% rate of return is better than they can get almost anywhere else.”

Girl Power: EMCC Student Achieves First Nuclear Certificate This month, Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) is honoring recent Power Plant Technology (PPT) program graduate, Fadwa Sandoval, as the first Arizona student to receive an accredited and nationally recognized nuclear certification.

Launched at EMCC in the summer of 2012, the Nuclear Uniform Curriculum Program (NUCP) is a certification offered to degreeseeking students pursuing a career in the nuclear energy industry. The certification is a component of the College’s PPT degree pathway and is recognized by all U.S. nuclear power plants. EMCC is currently the only college in Arizona accredited to offer the NUCP to students and is proud to announce its first recipient of this distinction.

On February 12, Sandoval was formally recognized as the first EMCC completer of the NUCP, which required her to achieve a grade of at least 80 percent in each core class of her PPT degree pathway. She was a member of the charter, cohort class of NUCP-eligible students and graduated from the PPT program in fall of 2014.

PPT students Teresa Tipps (left) and Fadwa Sandoval (middle) practicing with radiation monitoring equipment with PPT faculty Gregory Haught (right). The equipment shown in the photo is used to determine if personnel have picked up any radioactive contamination

“We are thrilled to have Fadwa lead our program as the first NUCP graduate,” said Dr. Clay Goodman, Vice President of Occupational Education at EMCC. “She has demonstrated what it means to be a leader by serving as a model student in our program.”

Sandoval has always enjoyed math, science and hands-on learning, which motivated her to pursue a career in the nuclear energy industry. She is hopeful that her story can inspire other young women who may be intimidated by the thought of working in an industrial environment.

Grant Allows for Expansion, New Directions for Machining Programs When Larry Geczy learned that Maricopa Skill Center (MSC) would receive part of the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grant, he said he would have done a somersault if he were 20 years younger. Geczy, the lead instructor for Precision Machining at MSC, a division of GateWay Community College, is responsible for spending $2.1 million of the federal money to upgrade the Center’s Machining program. The money comes from the $10 million federal job-training grant given in late 2014 to a local consortium lead by Central Arizona College.

Geczy has big plans to expand the reach of his program, including a new lab space that will open in fall 2015. “There is a critical skills shortage today,” says Geczy. “We need to get more students in so we can train them as entry-level machinists and prepare them for the growing aerospace industry.”

Geczy is ordering upgraded mills, lathes, and a nine-color 3D printer, just to name a few items. The new lab space expects to accommodate three shifts of students, running 18 hours a day. The grant will allow Geczy to hire another instructor as well as a lab technician, and new hires that also will enhance the curriculum.

Larry Geczy and Reggie Williams

Students can attest to the program’s quality. “I guess I was made to be a machinist,” says Reggie Williams, a recent MSC graduate. “As a kid, I always took things apart and put them back together. This program gave me a chance to learn different types of math, which was a challenge that I liked. I was supported every step of the way.”

Geczy, who has been in the profession for more than 40 years, is passionate about his students’ success and is quick to turn the spotlight away from himself. “Reggie is one of the students I almost lost to lack of interest,” says Geczy. “I entered him into a team competition that they won, and that lit the fire under him. This career is going to set him up for a lifetime. Before he came to us, he was doing cold call telemarketing. I told him he could do something about it. He took off, and hasn’t stopped since.”

EMCC Receives Crescordia Award for Campus Landscape Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC) has been named recipient of the coveted Crescordia Award for Site Development and Landscape in the Public Sector category of the 2014 Arizona Forward Environmental Excellence Awards.

Sponsored by the environmental organization Arizona Forward, the highly competitive Crescordia Award sets standards for outstanding physical, technical, and social development of Arizona while maintaining a high level commitment to sustainability.

EMCC completed construction of the Estrella Hall and Conference Center in fall 2013.

News in the District

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GCC Earns Its First Volleyball National Title The Glendale Community College Volleyball team celebrated winning its first National title with fans, coaches, family, and fellow students.The team received national championship rings and ended what was the best, most memorable season in Glendale volleyball history.

Congratulations to Coach Lisa Stuck, the players, and her staff for a great season.

Crescordia is a Greek term that means “to grow in harmony.” The Arizona Forward awards spotlight distinguished projects throughout the state that demonstrate a high level of environmental commitment and contribute to the region’s overall sustainability. The Crescordia Award sets standards for Arizona’s exceptional physical, technical, and social development.

According to Arizona Forward, the low-maintenance landscape surrounding EMCC’s new structures appears complex and wild. However, it consists of all low-water-use, climate appropriate planting with drip irrigation. The success of the landscape reveals that even with an extremely modest budget, meaningful and engaging learning settings can be created if coupled with a critical understanding of microclimate, plants, materials, and detail.

Gila River Community, SMCC Partner to Promote Education In a historic Indian mission, some 35 miles southeast of downtown Phoenix, lives are being changed. South Mountain Community College (SMCC), partnering with the Gila River Tribal Education Department, has enrolled a group of community members in its Teacher Prep program.

The program teaches Gila River Community members the basics of teaching, but means a great deal more then that to the community, said Matthew Molina of the Tribal Education Department. “This program is not just responsible for teaching kids in the classroom, but is responsible for teaching the whole community-wide base,” he observed.

Gila River Community and SMCC cohort “The partnership has allowed us to educate our own people to start teaching ourselves, and it’s going to be growing in the future.”

The program started in 2011, according to Dr. Shari Olson, President of SMCC. “It’s really taken off.

We have a beautiful partnership.”

The first cadre of students graduated with certificates in Instructional Assistance last spring. Many of those students have continued their education at Arizona State University.

Students from the first graduating group were enthusiastic about the experience, some for deeply personal reasons. “Doing this really made me feel like I am worth something, and I really want my students to know they can do it,” said graduate Sharon Shelde. Her classmate Marcella Hoover added: “What I value is to see a lot of our people continue their education, get a master’s, get a bachelor’s, or even an associate’s. There is a limited number of us who have a degree, and I just want our numbers increased.”

New cohorts are currently underway in Culinary Arts and Phlebotomy, with future cohorts being planned for Medical Assistants and Early Childhood Education.

GCC Women’s Volleyball Champs

Mesa, Glendale Community Colleges Celebrate 50 Years

Two Maricopa Community Colleges are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year. Mesa and Glendale Community Colleges held separate celebrations throughout the school year.

Mesa Community College (MCC) began in 1963 as an extension of Phoenix College, with classes in what is now known as The Landmark Restaurant. Over the years, MCC has grown from 330 students to more than 40,000 learners annually. The college opened its 160-acre campus at Southern and Dobson Roads in 1966.

Glendale Community College (GCC) began classes in 1965, also as an extension of Phoenix College. That same year, ground was broken for the college’s 147-acre campus at 59th and Olive Avenues. Classes began at the new facility the following year. On its first day of classes at the new campus, 4,082 students were enrolled and taught by a faculty of more than 100.

Both colleges have expanded over the years to meet the growing needs of students in their regions. MCC opened its Red Mountain campus in 2001, while GCC opened the North Campus in 2000.

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Foundation

Foundation Spotlight:

Foundation Board Member Attends State of the Union Event at White House A Phoenix attorney and member of the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation was chosen to attend President Obama’s State of the Union address this year.

Ashley Kasarjian said that attending the event in Washington presented a unique opportunity. “I wanted to attend the event as a result of the President’s current community college initiative,” she said. “I was intrigued by his proposal to make two years of community college free for qualifying students.”

For the past four years, the White House has invited various industry and social media leaders to watch the President’s State of the Union address at the White House, participate in the interviews following the State of the Union, and speak with administration officials.

Ashley Kasarjian

After the White House viewing, Kasarjian took part in the post-State of the Union White House discussion with senior-level White House officials, including Dan Pfeiffer, Senior Advisor to President Obama, and Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez. “Secretary Perez stated that ‘community colleges are the secret sauce to success in America,’” Kasarjian recalled.

Community colleges are, as Secretary Perez alluded, the most important ingredient in that recipe for success.”

At the event, social media was encouraged to further promote engagement with those watching the State of the Union. Accordingly, Kasarjian live-tweeted the event on Twitter and posted about the event on her employment law blog.

“To view Ashley Kasarjian’s play-by-play Tweets during the State of the Union Social, follow her on Twitter: @Employment_Atty

You can subscribe to Kasarjian’s blog at: http://employmentandthelaw.com.20946052

Our Quest for Student Success T H E

C A M PA I G N

F O R

STUDENT SUCCESS F O R T H E M A R I C O PA C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S

Endcating our Community, Ensuring our Future

The Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation is embarking on a comprehensive campaign to ensure that students have the resources they need to succeed. The Foundation’s goal is to raise $50 million over four years to support student success in these three thematic areas:

• $25 million to fund scholarships that will directly support student success; • $15 million in support for faculty and staff innovation, creativity, and excellence to develop new programs, initiatives, and methodologies to enhance student success; and • $10 million to support community partnerships that expand opportunity for students.

The Foundation distributes over $2 million in scholarship funds annually to an average of 2,000 students, and your gift can really make a difference to a student.

By contributing to the Maricopa Community Colleges and Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, you will: • Expand the access to – and quality of – a college education, as well as increase the opportunity to graduate; • Increase the number of educated, productive, employed and engaged citizens, and taxpayers; • Maintain a highly prepared and skilled workforce; and • Ensure a robust economy and community where people want to live and work.

Won’t you join us? Visit us at mcccdf.org and become acquainted with the college campaign projects and how you can partner with the Foundation.

Dominique Hunter Dominique Hunter is a young woman determined to succeed. After her plan to attend the University of Saskatchewan fell through because of unforeseen Dominique Hunter and unfortunate circumstances, she quickly formulated a second option.

Mesa Community College (MCC) became her second chance to achieve a higher education; an opportunity made possible through scholarships. She is just one of many Maricopa students who are helped every year by scholarships offered through the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation.

Dominique is now one semester away from finishing her associate’s degree and transferring to Arizona State University, where she will study Therapeutic Recreation and American Indian Studies. Her ultimate goal is to begin helping Native American families through counseling and other therapeutic methods.

“With the help provided by scholarships from many generous donors, and delineated through the Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, my dreams are an active and present reality,” she said. “As my goals are already beginning to be achieved even during my education at MCC, I’m now able to participate in and co-coordinate community events such as social- and human-rights-themed art shows that directly help Native American people right here in Maricopa County.”

2014-15 Women’s Philanthropy Circle Recipient My name is Autumn Barber, and I am the delighted recipient of the Women’s Philanthropy Circle Scholarship for 2014-15.

I am a non-traditional student returning to finish Autumn Barber my degree after the death of my late husband. My husband, Detective Tim Barber, died of prostate cancer three years ago. At the time I was pregnant with our twins, who are now thriving two-and-a-half year olds.

Returning to school full time is emotional for me, but I know that Tim would be excited for my being granted this scholarship. Kind gestures like this are what make it possible for me to pursue my degree and help others in the future. I am deeply grateful for your generosity.

—Autumn Barber

Maricopa Memories: Waltrip, Burke Recall History of Glendale and Mesa

Then and Now

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This is the 50th anniversary year for Mesa (MCC) and Glendale (GCC) Community Colleges [see related story page 9]. In honor of the event, we are publishing portions of interviews from two people who were important to the formation of these institutions.

Maricopa Memory

The late Dr. John Waltrip was President of GCC for more that 20 years. He passed away in 2013 but recorded an interview a year before his death. Doyle Burke was one in the first group of faculty members hired at MCC and taught there for more than 38 years. Today he serves on the Governing Board of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

Long-time faculty member discusses joining Estrella Mountain Community College at its inception.

Pearl Williams

Dr. John Waltrip

Dr. John Waltrip

I started in ’66 as a history instructor at Glendale Community College and I was in that position, oh—I don’t know how long.

Anyhow, I managed to get elected as the district faculty leader, President of the Faculty Association, or whatever we called it in those days. And after that I became a Dean of Instruction for three years, and then I became President of Glendale Community College, in which position I served for 20 years. And then I officially retired, and in retirement, I taught at Estrella Mountain, a college which was founded originally as part of Glendale Community College. I actually taught there roughly half time for ten years in retirement. And when I hit 80, I retired completely.

Glendale Community College was an instructor’s dream. Everything was brand new. We were lucky in that our college had been chosen to get most of its original buildings as permanent construction, whereas poor old Mesa only got part of their buildings as permanent, and I think all of their classes were taught in temporary facilities built on campus, and it took them a few years to get those replaced by real buildings. We all had offices, something that certainly not all of us had before we got the jobs at Glendale.

We had one of the finest men that’s ever served in education in this country as our president, Dr. (John) Prince, who had quite a background in establishing the community college system in Arizona. Then he became the first president of Glendale Community College, and after serving one year there, he became the president of the District.

Doyle Burke

Doyle Burke

We were on the new campus when I started at Mesa in ’68. In 1962, they started in storefronts in Mesa and in ’65 or so they started building at Southern and Dobson. So when I started, they had three or four large buildings. We had lots of trailers on the south side and surrounding us for a mile at least were fields. I think there was one service station across the street on the corner of Southern and Dobson, but nothing else around there – just sheep and the fields. We used to joke about that.

During the first decade there was a great deal of construction and the campus was growing. From 1962, and for the next ten years we grew into about 8,000-8,500 students. So it was a place of growth, lots of activity amongst students and we could see the campus growing during that period. There was a lot of vitality at the college.

One of the really fascinating experiences I had when I was a teacher was the growth of technology. I learned to do word processing on a DEC computer.

It was a huge machine. It cost probably $7,500, and I had to go to the library to use it because faculty didn’t have those in their offices. But I learned to do word processing on that DEC computer. Shortly thereafter the Apple II came out and the IBM desktop, and when those machines came out there was just a sea change in education. One of the things that I’m really proud about in the English department at Mesa Community College is that our faculty were dedicated to developing online courses.

Pearl Williams

When did your Maricopa career begin?

I joined Maricopa in 1987 as a one-year-only at Mesa Community College. I taught English and Reading. At the end of the year I was told that Mesa did not have a position. Then Dr. Homero Lopez called from Glendale and asked me if I would be interested in joining the faculty there. I was in Mississippi visiting my parents when he called, and we did the interview from my parents’ bedroom. My niece was on the outside of the door during the entire interview trying to get in.

What was it like being chosen to work on creating Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC)?

We didn’t have a campus yet – we held our classes in three local high schools: West View High School, Agua Fria High School, and Tolleson High School. We did many planning meetings with people in the community. They welcomed us and really wanted us there. We worked with a number of architects as to what the campus would look like and what buildings would be there.

EMCC has progressed greatly over the years, hasn’t it?

We’ve made a long journey in 20 years. We always wanted a diverse college with people who look like the community there, and today, I must say that we have that.

What kind of work are you doing now?

I am teaching online courses now, and I miss the face-to-face. I miss hearing about their hopes and dreams. I miss seeing the enthusiasm on their faces as they talk about books that they’ve read. I’m currently teaching children’s literature. I love the idea that students have so many choices.

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Meet Anh Huynh-Nguyen

fashion designer and student of a Maricopa Community College

When did you come to the U.S.?

I was originally from Saigon, Vietnam and I’ve been in the U.S. for two and a half years.

What are you studying?

Fashion Merchandising at Mesa Community College.

What is your dream job?

I want to move to New York and become a visual designer for a large department store like Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, or Neiman Marcus.

You recently won a contest?

Yes, I won the Phoenix Fashion Week “Inspire Fashion” T-shirt design contest. My inspiration was derived from seeing a tattoo that said, “Free As A Bird.” To me, fashion isn’t only the dress styles or trends, but also the colors and the spirit.

Are there any sayings or quotes you love?

Be positive, keep going, and don’t give up – there’s always an opened door out there waiting for you.

Welcome to Maricopa Matters!

News For the Community From the Maricopa Community Colleges Rufus Glasper, Chancellor Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board Mr. Doyle Burke | Mr. Alfredo Gutierrez | Ms. Johanna Haver Mr. John Heep | Ms. Tracy Livingston | Ms. Jean McGrath Mr. Dana Saar

Maricopa Matters is published twice a year by the Marketing and Communications Department of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

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