Friday, March 29, 2013

Sustainability Week features film, discussion and student projects



Chandler-Gilbert Community College is committed to responsible stewardship and strives to integrate environmental awareness and sustainability into college operations as well as the educational experience of all students.

As part of this effort, the Pecos campus celebrates Sustainability Week each spring to foster awareness of sustainability; encourage student action in their local and global communities; and inspire students and community members to make choices to live more sustainably.

The week’s events feature guest speakers, student-sponsored awareness events, and student-related projects and are the result of the efforts of the Center for Civic and Global Engagement, Humanitarian and Environmental Action Team (HEAT), and devoted faculty. The following week, HEAT will sponsor the spring Harvest Festival to celebrate the culmination of a successful school year.

Read the event descriptions below for more information. All events are open to the public.

Garbage: The Revolution Starts at Home
Tuesday, April 16
3 p.m., IRN 120
Garbage: The Revolution Starts at Home is a feature documentary about how the family household has become one of the most ferocious environmental predators of our time. By the end of this trashy odyssey, you are truly inspired to revolutionize your lifestyle for the sake of future generations.

Dumpster Dive
Wednesday, April 17
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., PAC lawn
This event raises awareness about campus waste and educates students on what constitutes recyclable waste vs. landfill waste.


Showcase at the Pavilion
Wednesday, April 17
9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Pavilion
The event will showcase student projects including posters on the triple bottom line of sustainability and a speakers corner where student present on their topics.


Thoughts on sustainability and where we go from here
Thursday, April 18
12:40 p.m., CHO 308
Join us for an engaging discussion on the local standard of sustainability and its future. Special guests include Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter, and Traci Conway, recycle specialist for the City of Chandler.

Earth Day Symposium
Friday, April 19
11:30 a.m. CHO Lecture Hall
Students engaged in experiential learning projects at CGCC’s Environmental Technology Center will present their projects to the general public and faculty, demonstrating and recording the learning that is occurring at the Environmental Technology Center.

The Harvest Festival
Wednesday, April 24
11 a.m., Environmental Technology Center
In addition to exhibiting the food grown in the Environmental Technology Center, the festival will include a presentation on food preservation, vendors from Chandler and Gilbert farmers markets, and a showcase of student artwork in various mediums: ceramics, paint, drawing, photography, spoken word, dance and music. Guests to the festival will have an opportunity to purchase student work, fresh produce and win door prizes as well as experience the breadth of experiential learning taking place on campus.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

CGCC Coyote Center will fill many campus needs



Students Briana Bricher and Kolton Orcutt alongwith CGCC
 and MCCCD representatives are the first to break ground on
 the new multi-use Coyote Center building.

It may take a village to raise a child, but it also takes a community to raise a building. This was the sentiment expressed by Linda Lujan, president of Chandler-Gilbert Community College, at the Coyote Center groundbreaking on the Pecos campus on March 22.
Lujan was referring not only to the many individuals and companies essential to the building’s design and construction but to the surrounding community’s backing of the construction of the building through their approval of the 2004 bond measure, which covers $28.6 million of the projected $30.8 million budget.
The new 74,859-square-foot facility is among only a few in the nation to blend athletics and academics with enrollment and student services, contributing to the success of every student attending the campus.
On the athletic side, the space will house the athletic offices, a gym with spectator seating, locker rooms, study rooms, storage facilities and a fitness center. Currently, student athletes of the nine sports programs at CGCC must travel 11 miles to the Williams campus to use the gym.
Briana Bricher, a sophomore guard on the women’s basketball team, spoke at the event. “As a college athlete, my teammates and I develop impeccable time-management skills, because our 13-hour day is booked back-to-back with practice, class and study hall. We get only 30 minutes to eat lunch and drive from the Pecos to the Williams campus for practice,” said Bricher. “The new gym will make it easier to be on time and will offer teams a chance to shower after practice, study together, and easily stop by the athletics office, when needed.”
Kolton Orcutt, president of the Associated Students of CGCC, spoke about the benefits the mixed-use facility will offer to students such as increased efficiency with all the student services such as recruitment, advising, enrollment, registration, financial aid and career services located in one building.
“The Coyote Center will be a one-stop shop for new students instead of the current multi-location registration experience,” said Orcutt. “It will also better represent our campus community for first-time visitors, modeling an open, welcoming atmosphere and a modern, integrated approach to education.”
Representatives of the three cities the college serves (Chandler, Gilbert and Queen Creek) attended the event as well as members of the governing board of the Maricopa County Community Colleges District (MCCCD) who approved the construction of the building.
Maria Harper-Marinick, vice chancellor and provost of MCCCD, thanked the governing board for their vote and the community for their trust in MCCCD to fill the educational needs of local residents.  She also spoke of the history of CGCC as a student-centered college when she first visited in 1991.
“This college knew then that our business is teaching and learning,” said Harper-Marinick. “The Coyote Center is evidence of this ongoing commitment to ensuring students succeed.”
The building is targeted for completion in June 2014. Learn more at cgc.edu/coyotecenter.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Chandler-Gilbert college breaks ground on $30m athletic complex

Read the article that appeared in the East Valley Tribune regarding the Coyote Center groundbreaking on March 22.

Governing Board grants emeritus distinction for English faculty


The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District granted emeritus distinction to English faculty Pamela Davenport at their March meeting.

Pam has served with distinction as one of Chandler-Gilbert’s founding faculty members. Since her arrival at CGCC in 1987 as English faculty, Pam expanded her involvement to include learning communities, faculty professional development, student organizations, as well as serving several terms as chair of the Languages and Humanities division.

Pam cofounded a distinctive part of CGCC’s faculty development program called the Network of Excellence, a professional learning community that provides new and continuing residential faculty the opportunity to learn about the college and to improve the quality of learning and teaching.

For many years Pam was faculty liaison to CGCC’s Native American student organization, Eagle Feather.

Pam has facilitated many writing workshops for faculty and instituted MCCD’s Writing Reflection and Renewal Project.

In 2006, Pam co-founded the Reflection, Renewal, and Role initiative at CGCC, which supports integrity, respect, inclusion, communication, and cooperation, and helps employees incorporate these principles to achieve a renewed sense of vocation in the day-to-day workplace. Under Pam’s leadership R3 continues to flourish and grow.


Monday, March 18, 2013

Safety is focus at annual aviation event

Ricardo Martinez (seated at table in black) listens 
to one of the many safety presentations at the 16th 
annual Aviation Maintenance Symposium at the 
Chandler-Gilbert Community College Williams Campus.


Many employers in today’s work environment value highly skilled individuals who have an eye for quality and safety. Ricardo Martinez worked for several years in different environments before putting all these skills together as an airframe and powerplant technician.

Martinez is a 2005 graduate of Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s aviation maintenance program and is now working at Boeing in Mesa. “An emphasis on safety begins the moment you step into the classroom and continues throughout one’s career,” said Martinez. “There is a stronger emphasis on doing things right than on just getting it done fast, which resonates with me.”

Martinez was one of more than 1,200 aviation-interested individuals learning about the latest safety issues at the 16th annual Aircraft Maintenance Symposium sponsored by the college in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Scottsdale Flight Standards District Office on Mar. 8. The FAA develops the program and CGCC provides the facilities.

“It’s a natural fit for us to partner with the FAA and bring continuing education classes to the aviation community,” said Mike Hutto, CGCC aviation division chair. “It is also an opportunity to demonstrate to students entering the field that the aviation profession emphasizes ongoing education, and they need to stay informed to be an asset to their employers and the industry.”  

The two-day symposium offers aviation inspectors the chance to take the eight class-hours needed every year to renew their certificates for free. It also offers aviation professionals like Martinez a chance to hear the latest technology trends and safety issues from volunteer instructors who are leaders in the field. The topics, determined by the FAA, are wide ranging, but each has a focus on safety.

“As the educational outreach arm of the FAA, the FAA Safety Team is committed to serving the general aviation community, and making our skies even safer,” said Dominick Gallo, Jr., FAA Safety Team program manager.  “Our partnership with Chandler-Gilbert Community College is unique because it is the only community college in the state that hosts an event like this and they do it for free, which is a significant benefit to many in the industry.” 

The FAA also recognizes individuals like Ed Daror with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, which recognizes pilots who have demonstrated professionalism, skill and aviation expertise by maintaining safe operations for 50 or more years. Daror shared his story about escaping a concentration camp where his parents perished and his journey to the U.S. after serving the Office of Strategic Services, predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency, during WWII and then the Israeli Air Force.

“I have to admit I’m attached to the symposium,” said Martinez, who isn’t required to attend the event but comes every year. “The FAA brings in really cool speakers who talk about things that haven’t yet been talked about or published, and then I see them incorporated into practices later on.  That has a huge value.”

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

ASU offers new Transfer Achievement Award to community college students


ASU is expanding scholarship offerings to outstanding Maricopa Community College students beginning in fall 2013. Students who have demonstrated academic excellence may be eligible to receive the new Transfer Achievement Award. Students need to apply for fall 2013 admission by April 1 and complete a FAFSA by May 1. ASU will automatically review student files, and students will be notified if they are awarded. Award amounts will range from $1,000 to $4,000 for one academic year. Here's where to go: transfer.asu.edu/maricopa

CGCC student leaders appear before MCCCD Governing Board


Officers of CGCCs Associated Student Government appeared before the Governing Board at their February meeting to describe their organization’s many activities. President Kolton Orcutt said the newly-reconstituted organization has been involved in a number of activities, including family movie night, which drew 600 people to two events, fund-raising for the college’s Adopt-a-Family program and a series of game nights.

He said the group is involved in planning the college’s end-of-year banquet and new student orientation program, and is actively recruiting new officers for next year. Other officers who appeared at the meeting included Bianca Moncada, vice president; Miranda Leung, secretary; Joshua Terrell, public relations commissioner; Peyton Orcutt, campus events commissioner,  and Hayley Vellutini, publicity Commissioner.