CGCC named Veteran Supportive Campus by state agency

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) was recently named a Veteran Supportive Campus by the Arizona Department of Veteran Services (AZDVS).

The Veteran Supportive Campus program was established by the Arizona state legislature in 2012 as a means of establishing measurable, meaningful criteria for determining if a school is indeed “veteran-friendly.” Among the eight criteria are requirements to provide resource and study centers, to conduct training for faculty and staff, to survey veteran students annually, and to offer veteran-specific orientation sessions.

The Veteran Supportive Campus application was forwarded by CGCC’s Veterans Steering Committee, composed of faculty, staff and student veterans who meet regularly to assess the veteran experience at CGCC and seek ways to improve that experience. The group, chaired by Veterans Services Coordinator Reda Chambers, includes faculty members Miguel Fernandez, Tom Foster and Zoila Tovar-Blank; staff members Cindy Barnes Pharr, Dave Fosburgh and Brenna Peck; and student veterans Matt DePaul, Antonio Felix, Alexis Gregg and Jamie Jenkins.

Yearly reporting of veteran enrollment, retention and graduation rates is required to maintain Veteran Supportive Campus designation. AZDVS will be supplying a plaque and certificate which will be placed on display in both the Pecos Campus and Williams Campus Veterans Centers.

CGCC joins the three Arizona universities and sister colleges Scottsdale Community College, Glendale Community College, and Rio Salado as well as six other Arizona post-secondary schools in having been awarded this honor.