Join us 5th annual Veterans Resource Expo

Make it a point to head to the Williams Campus across from the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Mesa on Thursday, Nov. 7, to attend the 5th annual Veterans Resource Expo. The event, which features exhibit tables and a speaker program, will be held in the Higley Room in Bridget Hall from 1 to 4 p.m.

This free event offers a unique opportunity for veterans and their families to network and learn about resources and services offered by CGCC and the community. It is open to all CGCC students, as well as veterans from our surrounding communities. Free refreshments will be served.

The Expo is also an opportunity for non-veterans, in advance of Veterans Day, to honor those who have sacrificed so much in the service of this country.

The speaker program, beginning at 2 p.m., features John Sentz from the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame Society, and Casaundra Wallace, CGCC alum who is now attending ASU’s law school as a Tillman Military Scholar.

About 30 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, DAV, VFW, Fleet Reserve Association, Veterans Stand-Down, Department of Labor and employers such as Boeing, State Prison, Home Depot, Macayos and National Bank of Arizona. ASU and NAU will also have their military outreach specialists in attendance to speak with students intending to transfer.

For information about the event, contact Veterans Services at 480-726-4122.

Education for Sustainability Award presented to geology, history faculty

Roy Schiesser

Paul Petrequin

Geology faculty Roy Schiesser and history faculty Paul Petrequin received the Education for Sustainability Award from the North American Council for Staff, Program and Organizational Development (NCSPOD) for their Unnatural Disaster Day. The award, presented Oct. 24 at the NCSPOD conference, recognizes the innovations and successes of those who integrate sustainable development (environmental, economic, social and cultural) into education and learning.

Since its inception in fall 2007, Unnatural Disaster Day has used a single environmental disaster to call to attention how a lack of human planning intensified “natural” disasters and guides students to begin developing the knowledge essential to preparedness.

Each year, a cohort of instructors from different disciplines—including geology, biology, history, English, and economics—selects an environmental disaster to study, such as the BP oil spill, the Fukushima nuclear disaster or the depletion of the Ogallala aquifer. Each faculty member devotes 1-2 weeks of class time studying that disaster from their disciplinary perspective. On Unnatural Disaster Day, all classes meet for a two-and-a-half hour event. At tables organized to seat one student from each discipline, students share their understanding of the disaster from their disciplinary perspectives. 

On one sheet of butcher paper, students note commonalities between disciplines. On another, they categorize their knowledge as political, social, economic, or environmental. Like citizens coming together with specialized knowledge to create public policy, students then brainstorm to create an action plan for preventing or mitigating the effects of future similar disasters. After posting their action plans on the walls, students conduct a gallery walk. They discuss the commonalities and differences in their action plans and engage in a ten-minute written reflection about what they have learned. 

The event models a participatory democracy as participants practice informed public dialogue while forming a more complete understanding of the disaster. Many instructors ask students to write a letter to a national or local leader proposing their plan of action to address the issue in question. Ultimately, the project aims to equip students to make better decisions about the future of the world.

Last semester, Chandler-Gilbert Community College held three Unnatural Disaster Days, involving nearly 100 students in each event.

300 calories a day

Many of the poor around the world survive on 300 calories each day. This fact was unacceptable to the students in Greg Trone's Health Education class and Sam Hodges and Al Paces ceramics classes.

Many community members agreed with these students and showed up at the Pecos Campus on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at the Empty Bowls event to buy hand-crafted bowls on World Hunger Day.

The ceramics students had been making the bowls since September. The day of the event, Health Education service-learning students helped set up, wrap up the unique bowls and serve the small bowl of soup that represented the minimal 300 calories the poor across the globe survive upon each day.

Southwestern corn chowder was provided by Chef Brian Dragos who works for Minor’s, a division of Nestle, and an autumn bisque was donated by Chef Wallis Berry from the Chandler Christian Community Center (CCCC).

Empty Bowls was a huge success, selling 480 handmade bowls and raising $5,170 to benefit the CCCC. The center partners with the college each semester through service-learning projects and will use the proceeds to fund their local food bank which provides 16,800 food boxes to those in need in Chandler and Gilbert, to support their Family Resource Center, and to prevent homelessness and help those who are homeless through programs like I-Help.

The CGCC Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by Marcus Denton provided some of the musical  entertainment for the day along with several other CGCC student solo and duo performances.

Service learning employee Alex Cannell was essential in bringing the need to CGCC faculty and students. The successful event was an example of authentic teaching and learning that makes a difference in the community.

Written by Carrie Braaten and Michael Greene.

Educator and Staff Employee of the year selected for Gilbert Excellence Awards

Anthony Braaten and Greg Wojtovich were selected as the Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) Educator of the Year and CGCC Staff Employee of the Year for the 2013 Gilbert Community Excellence Awards. The awards will be presented during an awards ceremony on Friday, Nov. 8.

Anthony Braaten, CGCC Educator of the Year
CGCC communication faculty Anthony Braaten frequently talks about CGCC as a whole working for the benefit of students. He models this vision by passionately and consistently addressing the needs of students in and out of the classroom.

In the classroom, Anthony encourages innovation and excellence through his teaching style and active-learning instructional methods. One example is the Tunnel of Oppression, where students experience the hardships of racism in a very personal, dramatic way. “Anthony observes where students are struggling and creates activities around that,” said Kolton Orcutt, 2012-2013 student body president.

Out of the classroom, Anthony serves as a faculty advisor to students, facilitates orientation sessions and volunteers to assist students the first week of each semester. He participates in many college committees including faculty senate and the president’s executive council, and, as lead faculty for the communication department, hires and mentors adjunct faculty and schedules courses.

Anthony’s deep and meaningful engagement with the community also is connected back to the campus. Hundreds of students have participated in service-learning projects with the Chandler Gilbert YMCA, where Anthony is a long-term volunteer, most notably as a vibrant member of the YMCA board.

A door is opened for all students to be successful when they are exposed to Anthony's empathic, energetic and supportive teaching and personality.

Greg Wojtovich, CGCC Staff Employee of the Year
Greg Wojtovich is a program advisor in CGCC’s Career and Placement Services. In his role, Greg develops the future workforce by helping students determine their career goals and connecting them with college, university, industry or professional resources to help them realize their dreams.

However, Greg extends his responsibility much further. He stays informed about programs within the college and the Maricopa Country Community College District as well as workplace trends and employment community developments, willingly sharing the information with both employees and students. Greg serves as a club advisor, frequently volunteers for college initiatives and assists in making presentations to college and high school classes. If he sees a need or can help a student, he does not question whether or not it is his job but takes initiative to ensure the student gets what is needed to be successful.

Greg leads by example of hard work, dedication and a passion for students and the opportunities he can make available to them. He is a mentor, colleague and friend to many and, as he walks across campus, he hears numerous calls in greeting from staff, faculty and students. Truly Greg has the coyote spirit of CGCC.

NAACP presents CGCC's Crawford with Education Award

The East Valley chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will present William H. Crawford, III with the Education Award at this year's East Valley NAACP annual Freedom Fund Gala on Oct. 4. Crawford is vice president of student affairs at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC) and was selected for his commitment to educational leadership and the academic success of his students inside and outside the classroom.

"Dr. Crawford exemplifies leadership in the educational community and beyond through his support, encouragement, and participation in activities and programs that promote educational equity which aligns with the mission and goals of the MCCCD and NAACP," said said Erica Alexander, representative of the East Valley NAACP.

Crawford began his employment at CGCC in July 2003 as an associate dean and was subsequently appointed to vice president of student affairs where he enhances the quality of campus life for students and extends the learning environment beyond the classroom. Prior to his career at CGCC, Crawford served as acting vice president for academic affairs and chair of Mesa Community College's (MCC) Administration of Justice Studies Department. He also served 10 years as a residential faculty member and seven years as adjunct faculty.

"Bill is an invaluable leader both at Chandler-Gilbert Community College and in the community. He is a consummate professional and a mentor to many at the college, ensuring that every action and activity taken at the college contributes to student success. The college is appreciative that he will be recognized with this honor,” said Linda Lujan, president of CGCC.

Before transitioning into education, Crawford was employed with the Phoenix Police Department for more than 23 years where he held numerous leadership positions and served with distinction. Currently, he serves as the president of the National Council on Black American Affairs’ (NCBAA) board of directors and is a member of the trustee board for the Greater Bethel A.M.E. Church.

Crawford holds both doctorate and master’s degrees in education from Northern Arizona University and a bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University.

Psychology faculty published in industry-leading handbook

Psychology faculty Zoila G. Tovar-Blank, Ph.D. and Patricia Arredondo, president of the Chicago campus of the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, wrote a book chapter in the second edition of the Handbook of Multicultural Psychology published this summer by the American Psychological Association.

The chapter titled, “Multicultural competencies: A dynamic paradigm for the 21st century,” appears in volume two of the two-volume set, which presents the best science and best practice within the cross-cutting perspective of psychology. (Volume one focuses on theory and research and volume two on applications and training.)

Arredondo, a highly respected Latina psychologist well-known for her work in multicultural counseling, was invited to write the chapter for the handbook which is updated only every 10 years. She subsequently invited Tovar-Blank to co-author the chapter. They have co-authored many articles after meeting at ASU where Tovar-Blank was studying and Arredondo was a faculty member.

Arizona Horizons features Jazzoperetry, a unique art form created by CGCC vocal faculty

Arizona Horizons on PBS station Channel 8 aired a segment on Sept. 25 featuring the work of two Arizona-based opera singers who have created a unique new art form. CGCC vocal instructor Alexis Davis and her husband Earl Hazell have melded jazz, opera and poetry to form "Jazzoperetry." View the segment for a demonstration of their invention or visit their website to hear more at jazzoperetry.com.