Thursday, April 28, 2016

Chandler-Gilbert Community College to Recognize Teal & Silver Recipients



Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) will honor the 13th Annual Teal & Silver award recipients on Tuesday, May 10 during a breakfast event in Agave Hall at the Pecos Campus. Nine winners will be recognized for their efforts and support of CGCC students, employees, programs, services and the college community. The 2016 Teal & Silver Award recipients are:


  • Donna Carrier, Highland High School
  • Gilbert Public Schools Special Education Teachers: Barb Acherman, Madeline Dana, Mary Fisk, Dawn Harvey, Jennifer Kjar, Olga Lange, Kathryne O’Hara, Diane Smith, Eileen Sotak,
  • Heather Patterson, Cindy Pino, Perry High School
  • Herb Zinn, Former member of Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force
  • Miguel Arciniega, Ph.D, Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University
  • Patrick DeLeon, Boys and Girls Club Chandler Compadre Branch
  • Rose Hartley, Goodmans Interior Structures
  • San Tan Historical Society Governing Board
  • Taylor Pineda, Si Se Puede Foundation
  • Tel Tech Networks

The Chandler-Gilbert Community College Teal & Silver Awards Program was created by former president, Dr. Maria Hesse, to recognize the contributions of individuals who support Chandler-Gilbert Community College through various efforts. This year's recipients positively impact the college by assisting with the program or service improvements, supporting creative and innovative ideas, improving the quality of the college experience, support the delivery of instruction, providing resources or assisting with cost-saving measures and advocating for the college in media, with elected officials and the in the community.

Monday, April 18, 2016

CGCC Lends HELPing Hand to Habitat for Humanity


On Saturday, April 2nd Habitat for Humanity dedicated a brand new 2-story, 4-bedroom Chandler home that was built by Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) students, advisors and other volunteers over the previous four months.  This enriching student experience was made possible by the CGCC HELP (Hands Enriching Lives Project) club and its partnership with the Southeast Valley Lutheran Coalition (SVLC) to provide student volunteers for their Habitat for Humanity house builds.  This most recent home, located in downtown Chandler, is the sixth one that HELP has assisted the SVLC and Habitat for Humanity build since 2010.
“We do one home per year,” explained Tom Pearson, CGCC faculty member and HELP club advisor.  “We start out with a cement slab and help build the house until it is complete.  This was the first two-story house we have ever built, it took 16 weeks to construct and we were four weeks ahead of schedule,” he boasted proudly.
   
The dedication ceremony celebrated not only the completion of the house but the much-deserving family who will call it their home.  Representing CGCC and the HELP club at the event were seven students: Tristian Garcia, Diamond Alvarado, Caleb McCance, Nadia Duckett, Rebecca Rivers, Rachel Torne, and Anthony Cicalese; three advisors: Diane Travers Shipman, Alexandra Cannell, and Tom Pearson. The chair of Business and Computing Studies Tom Foster and his wife also attended.


“The HELP club is very proud of its partnership with Southeast Valley Lutheran Coalition,” reflected Pearson. “It is a privilege to build houses for deserving families through Habitat for Humanity. This program is just one of many that the HELP club offers and we encourage students to get involved!” 
Students get involved in the project first by joining the CGCC HELP club, then by joining the house build.  For this build, 25 different CGCC students and three advisors participated on a weekly basis, following a construction schedule which assigns genuine house-building tasks from framing to roofing to drywall to paint. 

For students who would like more information on the HELP club, they can attend one of the HELP club meetings which are held on Mondays from 2:00-3:00PM in SC 103-113. We also have a Facebook page: CGCC HELP Club.

Link to the CGCC Clubs & Organizations web page that provides a little information on the HELP Club: http://www.cgc.maricopa.edu/Students/studentlife/clubs/Pages/HELP.aspx




Saturday, April 16, 2016

CGCC Computer Science Students Win 1st Place at Avnet Tech Games Competition

Two computer science students from Chandler-Gilbert Community College won first place at the 11th Annual Avnet Tech games on Saturday, April 2nd at the University of Advancing Technology in Tempe. Alec Everson and Lining Lin each received a $1,000 scholarship for their “Java Bliz” competition entry. Both students developed an IT application using Java code, the dominant software development language in the market.

“On behalf of all CGCC faculty, we couldn’t be more pleased to see our students work so hard on their applications and come home a winner,” shared Rameen Khaliqi, Computer Science Adjunct Faculty and Faculty Coach for winning team.  “Alec and Lin formed a focused and capable team which represented CGCC and our commitment to STEM education.”

Everson and Lin worked diligently to create an application code using Java 7 to successfully pass the competition with a perfect score. As far as our CGCC winners are concerned, it was all in a day’s work.  “Alec and I have a very effective partnership, the Java language and we solve problems well together,” answered Lin when asked to what they would credit their win.  “Also, we have an awesome coach in Professor Khaliqi.  He was always there for us, giving us the confidence and help that we needed to succeed,” beamed Iverson.  “It was a great experience!”

The Avnet Tech Games is an annual technology competition that provides college students with an opportunity to win scholarships by applying what they learn in school to real-world IT business scenarios. This year students competed for $34,000 in scholarships. Students also connected with IT professionals and learned more about what it takes to succeed in today’s highly competitive business market.

Careers in STEM fields are full of opportunities.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8.65 billion jobs will be needed in STEM-related fields in the U.S. by 2016.  In addition, STEM workers receive 26% higher earnings than their non-STEM counterparts.

“The statistics are compelling,” said Patricia Baker, Computer Science lead faculty member at CGCC. “This is why CGCC is committed to preparing students for a world that is in high demand for STEM skills. Our performance at this year’s Avnet Tech Games is a promising sign that we are making progress in the right direction.”

In total, 27 students from 12 Arizona colleges and universities were awarded scholarships and nine faculty advisors received $2,700 in honorariums for leading the winning teams to victory.  The participating schools included: Arizona State University, Chandler/Gilbert Community College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Estrella Mountain Community College, Glendale Community College, Grand Canyon University, ITT Technical Institute, Mesa Community College, Northern Arizona University, Scottsdale Community College, South Mountain Community College and The University of Advancing Technology.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Holocaust-era Rail Car Exhibit Uses Past to Promote Acceptance

Students and members of the community gathered at Chandler-Gilbert Community College's Pecos Campus on March 30 to commemorate the Holocaust and learn more about issues of tolerance, forgiveness and survival. Attendees were able to view a Holocaust-era rail car and listen to first-hand accounts of survivors in an exhibit provided by the East Valley Jewish Community Center and the City of Chandler.

The 11-ton, 33-foot-long rail car on display was the type and kind that Nazi Germany used to transport Holocaust victims to labor and death camps during World War II. Holocaust survivor George Kalman was also present at the event to share his personal story of survival with students and visitors. Mr. Kalman was only 9-years-old when his family received orders from the Nazis to leave their Hungarian village on a rail car in 1944.

The event drew hundreds of students, members of the community, city officials and many of the Valley's television stations who covered the event for their evening newscasts. Click a link below to view the television segments.