Welcoming Reception for Dr. Glasper, Nov. 14

GCC will be the first of the Maricopa colleges to officially welcome our new Chancellor, Dr. Rufus Glasper, at a special forum in his honor, Fri., Nov. 14. The noontime gathering, for all GCC employees, will be in the Student Union Lounge. This event will be the first in a series of informal "Campus Conversations" that provide a forum for all employees to interact with me and others on a variety of timely topics affecting the College. This event will be a great opportunity to hear Dr. Glasper's vision for the District and ask questions of him. Topics likely to be covered will be managing our growth, a possible bond election in 2004, and master planning, among others. Please try to attend, as schedules allow.

Budget Development Update

The three budget development subcommittees--Instruction, Student Services and Collegewide Services--have met, analyzed many specific budget requests, and are now prioritizing requests for their budget proposals to the President's Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC), as planned. The PBAC will then meet throughout November to hear presentations and summaries from each of these planning areas. I am pleased that this process is on schedule, and I am looking forward to reviewing PBAC's budget recommendations by the end of November.

Neighborhood Meeting Nov. 17

A meeting with City of Glendale Traffic Engineering officials and GCC neighbors to the west of campus is scheduled for Mon., Nov. 17, 7:00 p.m., at Sahuaro Ranch Elementary School. All are invited. In my previous newsletter, I mentioned the City's previous plans to test a road closure in the neighborhood west of campus. In response to a variety of opinions from neighbors about this issue, an additional meeting was clearly warranted. GCC will be well represented at this meeting as we advocate for balancing the best interests of our students, employees and visitors with the needs of the neighborhood. As before, I'll keep you posted on any new developments.

"Fall Band Spectacular" Highlights

I had a great time at the "Fall Band Spectacular" concert on October 21. The Performing Arts Center was filled to capacity to hear our GCC Bands--the Community Band and the Symphonic Winds--under the very capable artistic direction of Bill Humbert. The Community Band now numbers about 60 members--very significant growth under Bill's leadership. I extend my thanks to Bill and all the hard-working community and student musicians. I encourage everyone to attend GCC performing arts concerts and productions whenever possible.

Tech Camp Named "Best in the West"

GCC received a high honor on Oct. 17 when Tech Camp won First Place in the highly competitive "Best of the West" Awards Program, beating entries from five other educational institutions. The annual program, coordinated by WESTMARC, is an increasingly high-visibility outreach that seeks the best examples of community service in various categories. Tech Camp is made possible through our partnership with Western Maricopa Tech Prep Consortium. Tech Camp provides on-campus experiences in technology for high school students, along with corporate site visits and other activities. The program has grown since its founding in 2000 and has become a major outreach for GCC. Many have worked hard to earn this award, notably faculty Carlos Nunez, Ui Luu and Paula Cheslik, supported by Randy Kimmens. Our special thanks to Jan Graham with Western Maricopa Tech Prep; we look forward to strengthening our partnership further.

Additional Parking Evaluated

The worst of the "parking crunch" is over for this semester, but we are nevertheless looking at ways of improving our parking and possibly adding more spaces. Specifically, efforts are underway to create more parking in both the north and south lots now--rather than waiting for a possible bond election next year. We are working with District Office staff to contract with Speedie & Associates regarding soil samples and estimating costs for possible additional parking. Updates will be forthcoming.

Special Thanks for a Source of Pride

I have to thank Al Gonzales and his crew for keeping our campus grounds looking so especially beautiful recently. I hope you share with me a genuine sense of pride in how good the campus looks: maintained, green, and litter-free. I have heard many comments recently from visitors about the meticulous appearance of the campus. By the way, overseeding with winter rye grass has been cut back by about a third this fall for water conservation.

New HLC/NCA Rep. to Visit GCC Dec. 11-12

Please mark your calendars for the afternoon of Thurs., Dec. 11 for a reception for Higher Learning Commission/North Central Assistant Director for Accreditation Services Diane Nyhammer. Final details are pending and will be communicated to you soon. Ms. Nyhammer is our new HLC/NCA liaison, replacing Cecilia Lopez. She will be on campus to inform us of some newly revised accreditation criteria and to review our ongoing efforts toward development of two progress reports and one monitoring report due to HLC/NCA next year and in 2005. She will be meeting with a variety of groups that are central to this process.

United Way Reminder; Deadline is Oct. 31

The end of this week, Fri., Oct. 31 at 5:00 p.m., is the deadline for submitting pledge forms to the annual United Way fund-raising drive. United Way provides hope to thousands of people--many of whom are our students and their families. Please consider giving this year. As of Oct. 28, GCC was about $6,000 short of reaching its $27,500 goal. From helping the homeless to enhancing child care services, plus much more, you can make a difference. If you have any questions about United Way, need more information, or want to give/pledge, please contact Don Jensen-Bobadilla at 5-3485 or Jeanette Stewart at 5-3282.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Advocating for GCC in the Community

My recent meetings with Glendale Mayor Elaine Scruggs, Glendale Star/Peoria Times Publisher Bill Toops, and others have been productive in communicating GCC priorities and needs. An important meeting was held Oct. 17 with Dr. Glasper, ASU West Provost Elaine Maimon and myself to discuss our ongoing partnerships and issues of mutual concern/interest. Also, several GCC employees were involved with a recent Glendale Chamber of Commerce Silent Auction: notably Randy Kimmens, Janet Reckmeyer, Richard Shortridge, and Chuck Jeffery. A special thanks to Dave Schmidt and students of the GCC Jazz Combo for providing entertainment at the event.

Rep. Linda Gray, Nancy Stein Visit GCC

Linda Gray, District 10 Representative and Chair of the House Education Committee, spent almost two hours with me and members of the President's Advisory Committee (PAC) in a regularly scheduled PAC meeting on Oct. 24. (GCC is in District 10.) Our discussion was very productive, covering topics ranging from mentoring to student transfer to campus safety. PAC members shared their thoughts about GCC's challenges, needs and special "points of pride." I am grateful to Rep. Gray for taking time from her incredibly busy schedule--during a Special Legislative Session--to meet with us and continue our dialog. We were fortunate to have a similar dialog with MCCD Board Member Nancy Stein on Oct. 2 with the GCC Administrative Group. Mrs. Stein spoke of her interest in strengthening the "columns of support" needed for GCC to advance its mission. My thanks to her for meeting with us as well.

Dr. Phil D. Randolph
President
Glendale Community College