Achieve60AZ Alliance Formed to Boost College Degree and Certificate Attainment

Last week, a community-based alliance of business, philanthropic, and education organizations came together with AZ Governor, Doug Ducey, to announce a statewide goal to increase the educational attainment of all Arizonans. 

Today, only 42% of residents (ages 25-64) in the state currently hold a post-secondary certificate, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or higher – that is fewer than four out of every 10 working adults. Post-secondary completion must be top priority in Arizona in order to boost economic prosperity and national and global workforce competitiveness.

The goal - to ensure that 60% of Arizonans 25 and older have a certificate or college degree by 2030 - is the charge of the alliance. The partners that have joined Achieve60 believe in the value and power of education to change lives and positively influence society. 

Arizona community colleges are proud partners of Achieve60 and are perfectly positioned to address the achievement gap.  Statewide, community colleges serve more than 300,000 students each year, confer more than 43,000 certificates and degrees, and transfer nearly 11,000 students to in-state universities.

The Maricopa Community Colleges alone, offer programs in 95% of the highest demand occupations in the Greater Phoenix area. Each year, nearly half of our 27,000 graduates leave a Maricopa college with an Associate’s degree or a Certificate of Completion in an occupational area of study. 

Relevant workforce training is imperative, but student success goes far beyond the classroom.  The K-12 bridge programs, university transfer pathways, developmental education courses, tutoring, advising, mentoring, and career guidance that community colleges offer are crucial to the success of our students.  The collective effort of the community colleges and the entire Achieve60 alliance will result in greater awareness of the importance of post-secondary education, a knowledgeable and innovative workforce, a higher standard of living, and a thriving business community.

I encourage you to go to ACHIEVE60AZ.com to learn more. 

Maria Harper-Marinick, Ph.D.
Chancellor

CGCC and Maricopa Community Colleges Offer Support and Guidance to ITT Tech Students

In response to the recent closings of three ITT Tech campuses in Maricopa County, the Chandler Gilbert Community College and the Maricopa Community College District are offering support, advice, and academic counseling to the affected students who are in various stages of academic degree or certificate completion.

Chandler Gilbert Community College encourages former ITT Tech students to contact us or the Maricopa Community College nearest them to help them navigate their transition, or complete the online ITT Tech Student contact form. Doing so will ensure that each student will receive individual attention and academic advisement. In this process, enrollment specialists will help students navigate academic program selection, transcript review, and financial aid needs.

Students who complete the ITT Tech Student contact form will be contacted within approximately 7 business days. Access the form by clicking here.

We look forward to seeing you at Chandler Gilbert Community College or at any of the Maricopa Community Colleges.

CGCC Faculty Members Selected to International Program

Chandler-Gilbert Community College faculty members David Muñoz (Philosophy/Religious Studies) and Sue Steele (Math) are traveling to Mexico next month as part of the 2015 Global Engagement Faculty Development Program.  Both members were selected to represent CGCC, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) and the state of Arizona for a two week long (July 13-August 2) cultural and educational experience offered by the Office of International and Intercultural Education through the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction. This unique opportunity will provide professional growth and development, as well as a rich cultural experience to facilitate the internationalization of the MCCCD curriculum and colleges.

The University of Guanajuato, a long-time partner of MCCCD, will serve as the host institution for this program.  Both Muñoz and Steele will engage with the university in areas such as faculty/student exchanges, academic research, curriculum development and other means to establish beneficial relationships between the Maricopa Community Colleges and the University of Guanajuato.

While in Mexico, Muñoz and Steele will also be fully immersed in the study of our neighboring country and gain a first-hand understanding of its people and culture. They will have the opportunity to initiate or enhance Spanish language skills as part of this experience through a homestay with local families and a Spanish language component.  Muñoz and Steele will also visit key cultural, archaeological, religious, and historical sites,  and will engage in discussions about their observations related to the sites visited with academic experts in these areas.

¡Felicidades! (congratulations) on this once in a lifetime opportunity and we can't wait to hear all of the wonderful ideas you will  bring back to the CGCC community!

Three CGCC Adjunct Faculty Members Receive District Recognition

The Adjunct Faculty Association and the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction have recognized Chandler Gilbert Community College (CGCC) adjuncts Margie Gomez, Patricia Gail Haase and Yanci Murphy for their 2014-2015 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Awards. Each of the recipients was recognized at the Maricopa Community College District Recognition Ceremony event on April 23 at Rio Salado Community College for demonstrating excellence and dedication in teaching.

Margie Gomez
Margie Gomez, has worked as a faculty member at CGCC since 2007 in the Business & Computing Studies Division. She has extensive experience in business and industry as a mechanical engineer employed by Motorola for six years. Her industry experience, coupled with her passion for teaching and helping students succeed, makes her a valuable resource at CGCC. Students are Gomez's main priority. She goes out of her way to make sure her students get the help they need to be successful inside the classroom. She has served as a tutor of accounting at CGCC and recently was invited to tutor students in economic  and finance at Thunderbird Graduate School of International Business. Gomez actively seeks to incorporate civic engagement, service learning and assessment in all of her classes to provide students with meaningful real-life experiences. She has participated in collaborative learning training workshops, and has incorporated Canvas in all her classes. She has a Certificate of Completion for MOSAIC and Safe Space. Thank you Margie Gomez for your hard work and dedication to the CGCC community.

Patricia Gail Haase
Patricia Haase has been working as a CGCC adjunct faculty member since 2013 in the Religious Studies Department.  She currently serves as the adjunct faculty representative for the CGCC Adjunct Faculty Association where she represents and advocates for her colleagues on a variety of issues. Most recently, Haase has been instrumental in obtaining additional work space for adjuncts to prepare for class and a private space to meet with students. In addition, Haase has also collaborated with her peers to develop a charter document for adjunct faculty that has been incorporated into the Shared Governance structure at CGCC. Inside the classroom, Haase is committed to providing the best learning experience for her World Religion students. As noted by one of her students, Haase goes above and beyond to connect students to her classroom material. She encourages students to think open mindedly and to step outside the box when it comes to their views on religious issues. Her use of communication and creative interactivity inside the classroom have allowed her students to establish relevant connections with the coursework.  She is truly a leader in the field and a role model for her students and peers.

Yanci Murphy                                                                                                                                                           

Yanci Murphy is a Spanish adjunct faculty member at CGCC William's Campus where she has taught since 2012. She currently works as the co-advisor for the CGCC chapter of Sigma Delta Mu Spanish Honors Society, an organization that fosters friendly relations and mutual respect between Spanish-speaking and English-speaking people. She has given many hours of her own time to reinstate this organization, to increase membership and to plan special events focused on developing student leaders. She is an active member of One World, CGCC's diversity committee, and is a frequent participant in events promoting awareness of the many cultures represented at CGCC. She is also a regular attendee at many of CGCC's co-curricular, civic and global engagement, and community enrichment events. Murphy spearheaded the effort to offer Spanish classes at CGCC's Williams Campus and a concurrent enrollment Spanish class at a local high school last spring. She challenges students and makes learning fun, and exciting. She is known for consistently promoting student success and her uniqueness to connect students to the language and culture. ¡Felicidades Yanci!

Congrats to all of our recipients!