End in Sight for Construction
After months of work, the college-wide fire lane construction project is essentially complete, weeks ahead of schedule. All walkways should be open to foot traffic by the end of this week. New concrete will take several more weeks to cure fully. The final work includes things like asphalt patching, sprinkler adjustments, and clean-up. Overall, the campus is looking great. District Facilities Planning and Development, GCC Maintenance and Operations, and Archon Contractors literally built a freeway in our midst, while many of us slept. The result is a safer campus and compliance with fire safety mandates. Many thanks to Facilities Manager Al Gonzales, Construction Liaison/Associate Dean Chuck Jeffrey, and the many staff members too numerous to mention who worked hard to bring the project to closure.

Alumni Reception a Success
Our alumni relations efforts need to be a higher priority for the College than ever. Last Thursday night I was pleased to attend the first "alumni round-up" reception, designed to bring alumni back to campus and celebrate homecoming week with an Old West theme. About 70 attended, including founding faculty members, District Annual Fund Director Anne Halvorson, and others. Also, six people were recruited to chair alumni committees. This event is just the kind of activity that will build our alumni and development program as we integrate these important advancement functions. The Alumni Executive Council and Alumni/Community Relations Coordinator Judy Blake did a great job pulling together the details and getting the word out. I hope there will be many more events like this for our alumni.

Adjuncts Recruited at Faculty Fair
Also on November 7, GCC made strides in recruiting more part-time faculty, through an Adjunct Faculty Job Fair. Turnout was gratifying, with 140 to 150 applicants--about 50 percent more than at the previous adjunct faculty fair. Personnel Supervisor Karen Minnihan and crew did a great job of coordinating details. The participation of department chairs and faculty members made a positive impact as well. Early feedback indicates that attendees liked the ability to talk with faculty one-on-one, unlike other recruitment events that focus more on presentations. Plus, we had strong onsite support from Human Resources Analyst Barbara Collins of the District Office. Thanks all.

Another Winning Season for Gaucho Football
We should never overlook what a claim to fame we have in our Gaucho football team. Coach Joe Kersting, players and staff ended another winning season this past weekend, albeit with a loss to Dixie State. The record for this season is eight wins, two losses. Congratulations to Coach Kersting and an unusually fast team this year for continuing to be a source of pride for us.

United Way Exceeds Last Year's Totals
The GCC United Way campaign ended last week, raising a grand total of $24,516 from 121 donors. Last year, our campaign raised $21,441 from 120 donors. Many thanks to all who participated. Of special note this year was the participation of students as volunteers at the Westside Food Bank, where more than 40 people representing GCC gave of their time. I want to thank especially Don Jensen-Bobadilla and Jeanette Stewart for their strong leadership and for making the campaign highly creative. Who would have thought salsa tasting could raise money for a great cause?

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Biotechnology Group Meets at GCC
Last Friday I was privileged to greet the Biotechnology Advisory Board as it met to discuss issues surrounding biotechnology instruction and its implications for GCC. About 12 people attended, representing entities as diverse as Banner Health, Peoria Union High School District, ASU, and Barrow Neurological Institute. GCC wants to play a part in preparing skilled biotechnology employees, and the meeting was a step in that direction. I appreciate the leadership of Jim Tuohy, Stephen Williams and Karen Conzelman, plus others, with this important initiative.

See You at Readfest
Please join me in greeting about 4,000 grade school children on campus later today, Wednesday, November 13, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., as we "blast off to reading" at our annual Readfest, near the Physical Sciences Building.