April 24, 2008
Contacts:Suzanne Higgins suzanne.higgins@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3808
Patricia Vogel pr.vogel@gcmail.maricopa.edu 623.845.3014
Public Invited to Honor African-American Students, May 4
The Maricopa Council on Black American Affairs (MCBAA) will honor graduating African-American students from all 10 Maricopa Community Colleges at the 2008 Annual Student Convocation. It will be held at Glendale Community College on Sunday, May 4, at 4 p.m., in the Palm Court Room of the GCC Student Union. A reception, dinner, and music will begin at 4 p.m. The program at 5 p.m. will recognize African American student graduates and scholarship recipients. This year's theme is "Unlock Your Potential: The Power is Within." There is no charge for attendees or visitors at this event. All honorees and visitors will receive an authentic kente cloth to be draped over the shoulders. Kente is a fabric made of interwoven cloth strips and is native to the country of Ghana. Kente was the cloth of kings and is a royal and sacred cloth worn only in times of extreme importance. It is mandatory to RSVP for this event at 480.731.8511, as seating is limited. GCC is located at 6000 W. Olive Avenue in Glendale. Parking is free.
GCC Sociology Students Shine at Conference
Five GCC Sociology majors were the only community college students who had their "photographic essays of a social problem important to them" accepted for presentation and competition at the Southwestern Sociological Association (SSA) annual meeting March 12-15 in Las Vegas. They competed against undergraduate and graduate students from R-1 research universities. Awards were given in two categories: the SSA Society Award of Excellence (voted on by faculty representatives of the Society) and a People's Choice Award (voted on by all who viewed the projects showcased.) Two of the GCC Students won three top awards in these categories. The five students, their awards and projects are:
SSA Awards
•First prize: Julie Snyder: "Choosing to Challenge the Impact of Adult Obesity"
•Third prize: Mark Smith: "The Vanishing Middle Class"
People's Choice Awards
•Third prize: Julie Snyder: "Choosing to challenge the Impact of Adult Obesity"
The Other GCC Entries
Rochelle Helton: "Watch Out for the Kids" (Speeding in family neighborhoods)
Julie Nevarez: "Poverty—A Global Issue"
Chelsea Pilon: "Global Warming"
"I am so incredibly proud of these students," says their instructor, Dr. Carol Jenkins. "For them to compete against university and graduate students and walk away with three of the top prizes might seem almost unbelievable, but all year I've seen what they can do. They have brought honor to themselves and to GCC."
GCC's Jenkins is First CC Professor to Win National Award
Glendale Community College sociology professor Dr. Carol Jenkins recently received the "American Sociological Association's Distinguished Contributions to Teaching Award." This is the highest national academic (teaching and learning) award given by the ASA and the first ever given to a community college faculty member. Jenkins' contributions to teaching about rural communities have been profound, and she has been a champion of including issues of diversity in the curriculum. She is a leader of course articulation across institutional settings, an expert on student assessment and undergraduate curriculum transformation, has contributed to the scholarship on teaching and learning, and has provided extensive organization leadership across institutional settings. Jenkins will address the ASA's annual convention in Boston and receive the award in August. GCC is located at 6000 W. Olive Avenue in Glendale. Visit www.gccaz.edu for more information about GCC and its programs.
