Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month at CGCC

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) is a hosting a series of cultural events to celebrate authentic American Indian culture in Arizona. Festivities will kick off with the Native American Heritage Month Festival on Wednesday, November 2 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Student Pavilion at CGCC’s Pecos Campus. The event will feature a live performance from the Indigenous Enterprise and a mini fashion show coordinated by local Native American designer Lehi Thunder Voice Eagle. While in attendance, students can also enjoy authentic fry bread and visit with local Native American organizations.

The Native American events at CGCC are a way for our student community to recognize the rich and diverse cultures, tribes, traditions, and histories of the Native American population," said Katherine Haar, CGCC Student Life Program Specialist. "We encourage our community to attend the events and learn more about the unique Native American culture.”

Additional events include:

11/9/2016  Plants, Inspiring the People: Reflections on Hualapai Ethnobotany of the Grand Canyon presented by Carrie Cannon, 8:30 am to 9:45 am, AGA1240, Pecos Campus

11/16/2016 Dr. Andrew Needham, Author of “Power Lines: Phoenix and the Making of the Modern Southwest” presentation, 1:00 pm to 2:15 pm & 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, AGA1240, Pecos Campus

11/29/2016 Navajo Story Teller - Kyle Mitchell, 11:00 am to Noon, Bridget Hall, Williams Campus

The free events are open to the public and 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.

Monday, October 24, 2016

CGCC Educator and Staff of the Year Selected for 21st Annual Gilbert Excellence Awards

Iris Ishikawa and Jennifer Peterson have been selected as Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) Educator of the Year and CGCC Staff Employee of the Year respectively for the 21st Annual Gilbert Community Excellence Awards. The recipients will be publicly recognized and given their awards at the ceremony taking place on Thursday, November 3rd at The Fall Events Center in Gilbert.  The below snapshot of these impressive individuals gives just a glimpse of the reason why they are being honored.  Congratulations Iris and Jennifer!
Iris Ishikawa

Iris Ishikawa-Staff Employee of the Year
Iris Ishikawa is the Administrative Secretary for the Performing Arts Department at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, and she is the living proof of the power of positive thinking.  Regardless of the challenges she faces, her approach always begins with the phrase “we will figure it out”. 

And “figure it out” she has for 21 years at CGCC, and continues to do so each day by supporting four busy performance programs with scheduling, administration and communications not to mention being constantly available to students to answer questions and to offer guidance.  Ultimately, Iris is a professional problem solver, and she does so with excellence. 

As the Performing Arts Department programs grow at a faster pace than budgets, Iris has shown this excellence in her unrelenting ability to stretch resources, plug holes, build bridges and to ensure that the show goes on.  All of these qualities and much more make Iris a natural leader who embodies the qualities and spirit CGCC’s mission and values and as such could not be more deserving of this esteemed recognition.  Congratulations Iris!


Jennifer Peterson-Educator of the Year

Jennifer Peterson
Jennifer Peterson is an Early Childhood and Teacher Education faculty member at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and has built a successful career on being student-centric and a true champion of the art of teaching.  Her breadth and depth of experience and knowledge in the areas of adult learning and faculty professional growth and development afford her a vast array of resources when working to educate, inspire and improve students and faculty alike.  Furthermore, her commitment to personal and professional growth make her an effective leader, occasioning her to constantly improve and subsequently add more value to her programs and community. 

For example, Jennifer took the lead in developing and expanding the Day of Learning into a conference-like experience with 30 workshops and 40 presenters spring 2016 and then expanded to a full fledge conference experience of 35 workshops and over 50 presenters in fall 2016.  This leadership extends to every aspect of her work resulting in a remarkable trail of progress and advancement in her wake. 

In all that Jennifer does, she contributes to CGCC’s mission and values both as CTL Liaison by facilitating the implementation of instructional innovations; and as a teacher, preparing students to teach with energy, passion and commitment.  Jennifer is deserving of this Community Excellence Award and much more.  Thank you for your outstanding leadership Jennifer and congratulations!

Thursday, October 20, 2016

CGCC Hosts Annual Veteran Expo for Local Vets

Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s (CGCC) 8th Annual Veterans Resource Expo will be held Thursday, November 3rd from 1 to 4 p.m. at CGCC’s Pecos campus. The event features a resource fair with over 30 college and community groups serving veterans along with a guest speaker program.

This year's speaker is Sgt. Gerry Jones, an internationally-known architect and builder of more than 300 luxury homes (primarily in Arizona), as well as martial arts expert, co-founder of the town of Carefree and holder of the world’s largest private collection of contemporary Chinese art. Sgt. Jones will speak about his experiences as a Marine sniper/scout during World War II, and his additional service during the Korean War teaching self-defense skills to Marines.

“Sgt. Jones’ remarkable achievements are even more remarkable given that he is completely self-taught,” said Reda Chambers, Veterans Services Coordinator at CGCC. “Not only is he a master of some extremely diverse interests, he is also an example of just how far determination and drive can take a person.”

While at the event, veterans and their families can network with local businesses about job opportunities and learn about veteran resources and services offered by CGCC and community groups. The event is also an opportunity for non-veterans, in advance of Veterans Day, to honor those who have sacrificed to serve our country. 

"The Veterans Expo allows us to showcase college and community resources that may help our veteran students be more successful, and gives us an opportunity to offer our heartfelt thanks to CGCC's more than 500 student veterans in the week leading up to Veterans Day," said Chambers. 

Exhibitors from a variety of government and community groups as well as businesses and organizations looking to hire veterans will have tables at the Expo. Among these are the VA and VA Healthcare, VA Vet Centers, Arizona Department of Veterans Services, VFW, American Legion, Veterans Stand-Down and Department of Economic Security and employers such as Home Depot, Chandler Police Department and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University will also have their military outreach specialists in attendance to speak with students about transferring.

The 8th Annual Veterans Expo will be held inside the Agave Building Community Room at the Pecos Campus located at 2626 E. Pecos Rd. from 1 to 4 p.m. Sgt. Jones will address attendees at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, particularly student and local veterans. Complimentary refreshments will be served. 

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Empty Bowls Raises Thousands Of Dollars To Fight Local Hunger


Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) raised over $5,000 for the Chandler Christian Community Center (CCCC) to assist families in need of food at the 4th Annual Empty Bowls event on Tuesday, September 20th. 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 service-learning 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. “Our campus community has embraced this event over the past few years and continues to give back to those in need. Because of their efforts, over 260 families in need will receive meals!”

Event attendees were served a 300-calorie meal which included a cup of hot soup and a bread roll donated by Dilly's Deli, Fry’s, Liberty Market and Paradise Bakery. This small portion meal was meant to signify the average number 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.