Wednesday, November 25, 2015

It's Game Time!


Support your men and women basketball teams this season by attending an upcoming home game.
Click here for game time information.  Go Coyotes!

Holiday Schedule

Just a friendly reminder, Chandler-Gilbert Community College campuses will be closed this Thursday and Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. Classes will resume on Monday, November 30. Enjoy your holiday weekend with family and friends.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

ASU Partnership Establishes Successful Pathways for Transferring Engineering Students

Like many young college students, Federica Interrante found herself unsure of her career path. After completing her first year of college, she decided to take a break from school until she could make a decision on her major. She knew one day she would return, and when she did, it would be to do something she felt passionate about. Seven years later at the age of 25, Interrante decided it was time to go back to school. She wanted to become an electrical engineer.

She enrolled at Chandler-Gilbert Community College where, in 2013 she earned an Associates in Applied Science Degree in Electrical Engineering. While at CGCC she learned about a new option through MAPP that would allow her to complete her bachelor's degree in a timely, affordable manner at Arizona State University's Ira A. Fulton School of Engineering.

Maricopa to ASU Pathways Program (MAPP), the well-known,  program which facilitates  students’ ‘pathway’ to a bachelor’s degree from community college to ASU, has engineered a new pathway specifically for engineering students. Interrante took advantage of this opportunity and today is just weeks away from graduating with her bachelor's degree from ASU's engineering school at age 29.

"I am so glad I chose to enroll in MAPP while at Chandler-Gilbert Community College," said Interrante. "When I decided to go back to school, I was sensitive to the amount of time it might take to complete my degree. I knew I wanted finish as quickly as possible so I could start working, and MAPP provided me with this option."

ASU’s Vice Provost of Academic Partnerships Maria Hesse says there are many advantages for CGCC engineering students through these established pathways. 

“Students are provided with a pathway document, specific to their engineering major, and a number of other tools that are very helpful,” she says. “MAPP provides the student with a cost-effective, time-efficient map or guidance system to eventually obtain their Bachelor of Science in Engineering.”

Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost of the Maricopa Community Colleges is very pleased with this addition to MAPP but would be remiss without acknowledging who made it happen. "A lot of credit goes to the faculty who drove this effort, which will ensure that our students have clear a pathway to competitive programs in increasingly in-demand STEM fields."


One particularly instrumental faculty member in this effort has been Mr. Bassam Matar, engineering professor at both CGCC and at ASU.  Teaching at both schools placed Matar in a unique position to be a driving force behind this partnership. 

"A bachelor’s degree is necessary for today's engineers. Our goal at CGCC is to ensure that every engineering student who participates in this program and transfers to the university is prepared with it takes to succeed," said Matar.

Properly preparing today’s engineers is a shared mission for CGCC’s engineering faculty who devote their time to educating students both in and out of the classroom.  In the classroom, the emphasis is on delivering the most up-to-date, relevant industry knowledge.  MAPP students follow a prescribed series of coursework that meets ASU’s lower-division course requirements so they are on track to earning their bachelor’s. Out of the classroom, faculty members use their relationships with leading industry businesses to secure valuable internship opportunities for students like Interrnate, who currently interns at Orbital Sciences in Chandler.

"Internship opportunities such as the one Federica has at Orbital, provide valuable on the job training that will help students inside the classroom and in their jobs as engineers,” shared Matar.

The engineering program at CGCC is a great foundation for students interested in an engineering career.  Not only are students given cutting edge curriculum and critical hands-on experience, but students have a distinct advantage with the MAPP ‘pathway’ to a bachelor’s degree. 


The ASU/CGCC engineering pathway is just one of many pathway options for students currently pursing two-year associate degrees at a Maricopa community college. For additional information about MAPP, www.transfer.asu.edu/maricopa.


Tuesday, November 10, 2015

A Busy Month Ahead For CGCC Performing Arts Students

Check out one of the student performances next month at the Arnette Scott Ward Performing Arts Center located on the Pecos Campus . Shows include:  Man of La Mancha (December 2-5), In Motion (December 11-12) and the Winter Sampler (December 14), among others. Click here for a complete list of the December performances. All  shows are open to the public.

Tickets can be purchased online or at the CGCC Box Office located on the Pecos Campus. The box office window opens one hour before show time. Attendees can purchase available tickets or pick up reserved tickets from Will Call. Student prices are offered to those with a valid student ID. Doors open a half hour prior to the performance. For additional information or further assistance, please call the box office at 480-732-7343. For a full overview of the 2015 Fall Performance Arts Schedule.

CGCC To Host Native American Heritage Festival

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) is hosting a festival to celebrate authentic American Indian culture in Arizona on Wednesday, November 18. The event will be held in the Student Pavilion from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. Attendees can enjoy authentic fry bread, live dance performances by Indigenous Worldwide, poetry readings by Roanna Shebala, music by DJ NDN, Master of ceremonies Lexie James, 1st attendant to Miss Indian Arizona, and a presentation about the Phoenix Indian School Legacy Project lead by Native American Connections. 

"The Native American Heritage Festival is a way for Chandler-Gilbert Community College to recognize the rich and diverse cultures, tribes, traditions, and histories of the Native American population," said Katherine Haar, CGCC Student Life Program Specialist. "This event is intended to make CGCC students aware of those cultures and traditions. We hope to see a large community turnout."

In addition to the entertainment, there will also be a variety of vendors on-site to provide information about local Native American partnerships and activities. Participants include: Arizona State University Student and Cultural Engagement, Partnership with Native Americans Organization, City of Chandler Diversity Office, Native Health and Native American Connections.

The free event is open to the public and is sponsored by the Vice President of Student Affairs, CGCC Student Life and Leadership, Co-Curricular Programs, International Education and Maricopa Community Colleges District American Indian Early Outreach Office.
November is national Native American Heritage Month, and is a time to celebrate rich and diverse cultures, traditions, and histories and to acknowledge the important contributions of Native people.

CGCC Receives Military Friendly School Designation

For the third consecutive year, Chandler-Gilbert Community College has been designated a Military Friendly® Schools by G.I. Jobs® Magazine for providing leading programs for veterans, members of the Armed Forces leaving military service and military spouses. 

This year’s lists highlight more than 1,400 Military Friendly® Schools and 220 Military Friendly® Employers exhibiting best practices in support of military students and employees, respectively. Institutions of higher learning competed for the title by completing an extensive survey covering ten indicators of success, including:
•    Support for student veterans on campus,
•    Graduation and employment outcomes, and
•    Military spouse policies.

"This is our third year on the military friendly list, and we are honored to be considered among the top 15 percent of colleges nationwide in terms of serving our veteran and military-connected students," said Reda Chambers, CGCC Veterans Service Coordinator.

For more information about the 2016 Military Friendly® Schools visit http://victorymedia.com/pr-category/military-friendly/.



Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Empty Bowls Event Raises Thousands To Fight Local Hunger

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) raised over $5,500 for the Chandler Christian Community Center (CCCC) to assist families in need of food at the 3rd Annual Empty Bowls event on Tuesday, October 20. The event was sponsored by members of Student Life and the Service Learning Office. Attendees purchased handmade ceramic bowls for $10 made by the CGCC ceramic students with 100 percent of the proceeds benefiting CCCC.

"We are extremely grateful for those who came out to support the Empty Bowls fundraiser and to help fight hunger in the local community," said Alexandra Cannell, Service Leaning Coordinator at CGCC. "The goal of Empty Bowls is to bring food to the table for families in need by bringing art to the community. Due to the dedication and participation from our students, we were able to achieve that goal."

Event attendees were served a 300-calorie meal which included a cup of hot soup and a bread roll donated by Dilly's Deli, Liberty Market and Whole Foods. This small portion meal was meant to signify the average amount of calories a food-insecure person eats in one day.

Empty Bowls at CGCC is part of a district wide fundraiser that raises funds for families in support of World Food Day (October 16), a day of action for people around the world to come together to declare their commitment to eradicate hunger.

CCCC's mission and vision is to change lives by nourishing minds and bodies to create a connected thriving community and to have a healthy and productive community built on a foundation of dignity and hope. Each year CCCC distributes over 15,000 food boxes locally with enough food to feed 50,000 adults and children. For more information about CCCC visit www.chandlerfoodbank.org.