Wednesday, December 13, 2017

CGCC Annual Veteran Expo Serves Local Vets

Chandler-Gilbert Community College hosted its 9th Annual Veterans Resource Expo on Thursday, November 9 for student and local veterans.

The event featured a resource Expo with over 30 college and community groups serving veterans along with the display of the “In the Eye of the Soldier” World War II exhibit courtesy of CGCC, the City of Chandler, and the East Valley Jewish Community Center.

The extraordinary exhibit features scanned photos taken by World War II Army veterans Emmett Sturgill and Donald Ornitz in April of 1945. The photos display the heroism of U.S. soldiers as well as the realities and experiences they faced when U.S. forces liberated more than 20,000 individuals from the concentration camps near Linz, Austria.

Attendees had the opportunity to network with local businesses about job opportunities and learn about veteran resources and services offered by CGCC and community groups.

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

CGCC Alumni News

Chandler-Gilbert Community College alumni Derek Lull and Martine Garcia are making local headlines for their service to their communities and commitment to academics.

Derek Lull


Derek, a graduate of CGCC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy, currently works as a police officer in Coolidge serving the safety needs of his community.





Martine Garcia
Martine, a dual master’s degree graduate in management and legal studies from Arizona State University is passionate about people, community and education and has spent the past year and a half applying these passions by mentoring and advising student leaders at Arizona State University's Changemaker Central.




Read more about Derek and Martine’s journey after CGCC.

Power Paws Seeking Student Volunteers to Raise Service Dogs

Last week, Power Paws, a local service dog organization came to Chandler-Gilbert Community College to recruit student volunteers to serve as puppy raisers and trainers. The organization signed interested individuals up to participate in their puppy training programs in 2018. Power Paws trains Golden and Labrador Retriever service dogs to assist children and adults with a variety of disabilities including mobility impairments, Type I Diabetes, and people affected by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Mobility Dogs are skilled to do many tasks that are difficult for those with mobility impairment, including: turning light switches on and off, opening and closing doors or drawers, retrieving items that have been dropped, untying shoelaces, removing gloves and socks, providing love and companionship. Dogs trained to assist in cases of PTSD can calm their handler, help them deal with a stressful situation, or wake them from a night terror. Diabetic Alert Dogs are trained to alert diabetic adults and children to changes in their glucose levels.

For more information about Power Paws, visit their website today to learn more about their wonderful programs.

Monday, December 4, 2017

Dr. Scott Adamson Keynote Speaker at The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges Conference

Chandler-Gilbert Community College Mathematics Faculty encourages problem-solving in the classroom

Mathematics Professor Scott Adamson
Scott Adamson, mathematics faculty at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, was the keynote speaker at The American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) annual conference on Nov. 9-12, 2017 in San Diego. In his speech, Adamson encouraged making problem-solving central to the classroom experience.

Adamson’s presentation, “Is it 1957 or 2017?” challenged the nearly 1,500 mathematics professors in attendance to consider how mathematics is currently being taught. He argued that teaching students to solve problems by hand was necessary in 1957, but may not be as vital in 2017 due to accessible computing tools.

Adamson encouraged his fellow professors to consider the importance of helping students make sense of problems and creating mathematical models of real-world situations. He also encouraged professors to develop professional relationships with students and to support them in their efforts to become proficient problem solvers.

AMATYC is an organization devoted to providing a national forum for the improvement of mathematics instruction in the first two years of college. AMATYC provides professional development opportunities for educators through an annual conference, webinars, traveling workshops, publications, and projects.

Friday, December 1, 2017

Empty Bowls Raises Thousands of Dollars to Fight Local Hunger

Chandler-Gilbert Community College raised over $5,700 for AZCEND, formerly Chandler Christian Community Center, to assist families in need of food at the 5th Annual Empty Bowls event on Tuesday, October 24th. 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 AZCEND.

"We cannot thank our ceramics faculty and students enough for sharing their art in such a unique way,” said Alexandra Cannell-Wendt, Service-Leaning Coordinator at CGCC. “For every $20 raised, CGCC was to provide $100 worth of food to AZCEND. We are also thankful for nutrition students and faculty who helped serve soup and bread, our donors, and AZCEND for partnering to help end food insecurity in our community.”

Event attendees were served a 300-calorie meal which included a cup of hot soup and a bread roll donated by Dilly's Deli and Liberty Market. 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.

AZCEND’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 AZCEND distributes over 15,000 food boxes locally with enough food to feed 50,000 adults and children. For more information about AZCEND visit www.azcend.org.

CGCC Educator and Staff of the Year Selected for 22nd Annual Gilbert Excellence Awards

Dr. Scott Adamson and Sharon "Cookie" Potter
Dr. Scott Adamson and Sharon “Cookie” Potter have been selected as Chandler-Gilbert Community College’s Educator of the Year and Support Staff of the Year award recipients for the 22nd Annual Gilbert Community Excellence Awards. Both winners were honored at the awards ceremony this Thursday, November 30 at The Fall Events Center in Gilbert.
Sponsored by APS, the Gilbert Excellence Awards event is an evening filled with celebration as attendees honor those in the community who have excelled in the areas of business, education and community involvement.

Congratulations Dr. Adamson and Sharon!

Dr. Scott Adamson, CGCC Educator of the Year

Dr. Scott Adamson is a residential mathematics faculty member at Chandler-Gilbert Community College. With over 30 years of teaching experience, Dr. Adamson has become a master motivator and innovator in the field of mathematics. His commitment to helping students learn the subject matter through inquiry and conceptual understanding are one of the many characteristics that make Dr. Adamson an exemplary teacher.
Dr. Adamson focuses on teaching his students how to problem solve and apply mathematical concepts to real-life scenarios. He encourages students to be creative and “think outside the box” by accessing the tools they have learned to enhance their knowledge of the material. Many of his students go on to excel in the engineering programs at Arizona State University, University of Arizona and many other major college institutions.
Dr. Adamson possesses a wonderful sense of humor that helps students relate to him and feel at ease when learning difficult mathematical concepts. He is an exemplary leader both professionally and personally. He understands that teaching is not complete without serving and leading outside the classroom walls. He continually exhibits a passion for serving others by going above and beyond the standard.
Dr. Adamson has received many teaching accolades throughout his career including his recent selection to serve as keynote speaker for the 2017 American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges (AMATYC) national conference in San Diego. The AMATYC is the premier national professional organization for community college mathematics professors in the United States. CGCC is honored to recognize Dr. Scott Adamson as the 2017 Gilbert Community Excellence Award CGCC Educator of the Year. Congratulations on your achievement and thank you for your commitment to serving our students.  

Sharon “Cookie” Potter, CGCC Support Staff of the Year
Sharon “Cookie” Potter is the Fitness Center Manager at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and serves as a vital campus resource for students and staff looking to achieve their fitness goals. Cookie has devoted her life to maintaining her health as well as helping and motivating others to obtain and maintain theirs. She is a true leader on campus and a vital resource to the CGCC community.
As manager of the Pecos Campus fitness center, Cookie dedicates her time to ensuring students and staff have access to the most up-to-date fitness equipment in a cost effective and efficient way. She also serves as one of the many talented group instructors on campus where she teaches a variety of fitness classes including Yoga and Pilates where she is known for sharing wellness tips and resources about nutrition and lifestyle with her students. Her passion for helping others live a healthier life is evident in all aspects of her job. She goes above and beyond to make sure her students feel comfortable in their own skin by empowering them to achieve their fitness goals and to not feel discouraged by personal challenges or fears.

Cookie takes pride in helping students find confidence and setting new fitness goals. She is always willing to assist her fellow colleagues and contribute in any way that she can to make a situation better. She is always looking for innovative ways to provide new experiences for students by maximizing current campus resources. In addition to her managerial duties, Cookie is also a member of the Employee Fall Curriculum team at CGCC where she helps develop comprehensive wellness programs for employees to help her colleagues achieve an optimal work-life balance. She is an important member of the CGCC and we are so excited to recognize her as the 2017 Gilbert Community Excellence Award CGCC Employee of the Year. Cookie, congratulations on your achievement and thank you for your continued service.