Encore on the Square
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – CCC’s dance company, Encore, is scheduled to perform at 6 p.m., Friday, May 30 on Heritage Square. The free performance is designed to welcome the crowd back to Movies on the Square and prepare the dancers for their trip to Italy where they will perform next month.
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Dispatcher Training, Sustainability, Security and the Student Loan Crisis
top Board Agenda
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – CCC’s new Basic Dispatch Academy may serve as a model for training the state’s dispatchers. Public Safety, Law and Allied Health Department Chair John Cardani informed the District Governing Board that Cochise Community College already has decided to adopt the curriculum designed by CCC to train dispatchers in the southern Arizona.
“We had 10 students graduate from the program this spring and we have ten more ready to go,” said Cardani.
In addition, the board heard from Construction Management Department Chair Joe Costion about the Green Collar Workforce. He reported that the Green Construction Technology Certification is a 2 + 2 agreement with the Flagstaff Unified School District and could become a 2 + 2 + 2 agreement with the participation of Northern Arizona University.
“We’ve had a lot of success this year in sustainability,” said Costion. “The CCC Sustainability Task Force was created, the college celebrated Earth Day with the installation of the new wind turbine and President Bornstein signed the Presidents Climate Agreement.”
“I’d like to thank Joe for his commitment and involvement in sustainability,” said Board Member Dr. Nat White. “This is ideal timing for CCC to take a lead in sustainable efforts. The college is in the perfect position to be focused on sustainability.”
The board voted to include Sustainability as one of the college’s core values.
The board also heard a report from the Security Department. Currently, CCC is among the state’s community college’s that does not have armed law enforcement officers on campus. Security Supervisor Paul Wilkins said future plans for the college include a surveillance system at the Fourth Street Campus, the ability to send immediate full-screen warnings on campus computers in emergency situations and the implementation of a Silent Witness Hotline. Wilkins says emergency email and text messaging will be in place this fall to notify students of emergencies.
On a related matter, it was reported that proposed legislation to allow concealed weapons on Arizona’s university and community college campuses is dead.
In other board news, Financial Aid Director Bob Voytek reported on the student loan crisis. Arizona Higher Education Loan Authority, Key Bank, Sallie Mae and Wells Fargo are the only lenders currently certifying loans for CCC students. Chase, Citibank and Bank of America are among those no longer offering loans to CCC students. Voytek said the Financial Aid Office is collecting loan applications and hoping to process them in July when the market is expected to stabilize.
“We have several preventative steps in place to ensure student loans are available to our students next year,” said Voytek.
And, Chief Information Systems Officer David Hakanson reported that the college’s efforts to Web stream video of the commencement ceremony were successful. “There were 106 viewers: 50 in Arizona; 15 in Missouri; seven in New Mexico; seven in Colorado; two in Washington D.C.; and, others in Michigan and Utah,” he said.
The board discussed conducting its next monthly meeting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, June 18 on the Lone Tree Campus.
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GED Ceremony Marks New Beginning
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – GED students from across the district will be honored at 6 p.m., Thursday, June 5 in the 16th Northern Arizona Community GED Recognition Ceremony on the Coconino Community College Lone Tree Campus.
CCC has been offering GED testing since 2004. Since then 803 students throughout the county have completed and passed the test, 177 just in the last year.
“For a lot of these students it is a huge stepping stone,” said CCC GED Chief Examiner and Testing Coordinator Eva Jones. “Many of them have struggled along the way and come back to complete their high school degree. Something happened – either they started families early, got bored with school or struggled with addiction to drugs or alcohol – and then they found that they needed to have this in order to go on.”
The college offers GED testing every month in Flagstaff and quarterly in Page. Preparation for the test is free; however, the test costs $75.
“We are so proud of all of these students. They realize this isn’t the end but the beginning of new opportunities,” said CCC Testing Specialist Cheryl Shirley. “Our biggest hope for these students is to continue their education.”
For more information about GED testing, log on to www.coconino.edu/adulted or call 928-226-4206.
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Golfers Swing into Support for College Students
PAGE, Ariz. – Golfers are getting ready to tee off in the 9th Annual Golfers & Scholars Golf Tournament that starts at 8 a.m., Saturday, May 31 on the Lake Powell National Golf Course.
Proceeds from the annual tournament will go to the Coconino Community College Foundation, the fundraising branch of the college that raises money primarily for student scholarships.
“Last year was our most successful tournament ever, “said Page/Lake Powell Executive Dean Lloyd Hammonds. “We anticipate that this year’s event will attract even more support. We are hoping to raise more than $10,000.”
The entry fee is $90 per person and includes lunch, greens fees and a cart. There will be a betting hole and a pay-the-pro hole. In addition, a new Ford vehicle will go to golfers who make a hole-in-one on the sixth hole!
Participants may register as individuals or as a team. For more information, call Page/Lake Powell Administrative Assistant to the Executive Dean Elaine Parker at 928/645-6682.
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Board Meeting to Start at 9 a.m. Tomorrow
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – The Coconino Community College District Governing Board is expected to hear a report from the college’s Security Department at its regular monthly meeting starting at 9 a.m., Wednesday, May 21 on the Fourth Street Campus.
Also on the agenda are reports about the Green Collar Work Force and the first graduating class of the Dispatcher Academy. In addition, the board will be asked to take action on a recommendation to add Sustainability to CCC’s core values, which are Community, Ethics, Learning & Growth, People, Quality and Respect.
The meeting is free and open to the public.
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FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – Our new community orchestra, Orchestra Northern Arizona, will be delivering a premier performance at 7 p.m., Monday, May 12 in the Coconino High School mini auditorium. The program, conducted by David Cripps, will include Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger Overture and Symphony No. 4 in G Major by Antonin Dvorak. All are invited to join the orchestra for a reception and refreshments following the performance.
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