New Employees

A warm welcome to the following new GCC employees, approved by the Maricopa District Governing Board on Oct. 28: Barbara Dollar, Early Childhood Education; and Dale Murdock, Applied Technology/Automotives.

GCC United Way Campaign Exceeds Goal

I am delighted that this year's recently concluded United Way campaign at GCC set another record and exceeded our goal. Through your generosity, GCC raised $28,010, which is $3,009 more than last year's record-breaking total. The goal for this year was $27,500 and 134+ employee donors. I cannot say enough good things about the energy and creativity behind this year's campaign. Our United Way coordinators. Don Jensen-Bobadilla of Training and Employee Development and Jeanette Stewart of Career Services kept us motivated, on message and on track, and are cheerleaders second to none. At "press time" we were unable to verify how GCC rated among other Maricopa colleges for funds raised and goal fulfillment, but we have reason to believe we may have placed quite high. My next newsletter will specify those details. Again, many thanks and congratulations to Don and Jeanette, and all generous United Way donors at GCC.

Readfest Brings Thousands to Campus

Our eighth annual Readfest on Nov. 12--despite a lot of rain--was another great success, through the efforts of Alice Estrada of the Center for Learning and countless volunteers throughout GCC. I have an enjoyable "writer's cramp" from sending so many personalized thank you notes to the hard-working people who helped bring more than 4,000 elementary school students to campus to celebrate the power of literacy. More than 35 public schools from seven districts and four private schools sent children to receive a free book, hear stories read and play games. I was pleased also that $2,623 was raised at the book sale and that Channel 5 TV News covered the event. Again, many thanks to all involved.

NCA/HLC Presentation, Dec. 11

I hope many of you can attend a special presentation by Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Assistant Director for Accreditation Services and GCC's new contact person, Diane Nyhammer, on Thurs., Dec. 11, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m., in the Student Union Lounge. Diane will talk to us about HLC's perspectives and directions, as well as answer questions about levels of assessment and student academic achievement.

GCC Welcomes Dr. Glasper

A good turnout of faculty and staff greeted MCCD Chancellor Dr. Rufus Glasper in a special reception and kickoff to GCC's "Campus Conversation" series on Fri., Nov. 14. GCC was the first college in the Maricopa District to host a Collegewide event welcoming Dr. Glasper as Chancellor. He summarized his values and goals, and spoke about challenges for the future. I appreciate the many GCC personnel who attended and engaged Dr. Glasper in constructive dialog, and want to thank President's Advisory Committee (PAC) members for their leadership in creating this new forum for communication. We will be announcing soon the dates of Campus Conversations in Spring 2004.

Student Services Reorganization

A reorganization realigning some components of Student Services has been approved by my office. Dean of Student and Community Services Alberto Sanchez, as well as faculty, staff and managers in the Student Services area, have provided leadership for the following changes: Counseling now reports to the Dean of Student Services and is responsible for the areas of Academic Advising and Career Services/Adult Re-Entry Services; Testing Services now reports to the Center for Learning. Operationally, this reorganization leverages the complementary roles of the professionals in Student Services and is a positive response to the Higher Learning Commission/North Central Accreditation challenge to integrate student services to enhance student success.

Direct Mail Campaign Reaching 340,000

This month GCC launched a broad-based direct mail campaign promoting early registration for Spring 2004 to support student recruitment and retention. A total of 340,000 households in our service areas (encompassing GCC North) have received a colorful postcard, to be followed by an insert in the Arizona Republic and Buyers Edge promoting GCC, followed by mass mailing of the Spring 2004 schedule. Significantly, responses/inquiries generated by these items are driven to a new, specially designed GCC Website ( http://gcinfo.gc.maricopa.edu). Receiving three items with a strong, consistent message and graphics is modeled on what has worked well at other colleges locally and beyond. The project makes our outreach much more interactive and Web-focused, allowing us to measure results as never before. Another three-part direct mail campaign will occur next June promoting Fall 2004. My thanks to Trish Vogel in Advancement and Bobby Sample in the Innovation Center for their leadership with this project.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Neighborhood Meeting Eliminates Road Closure Option

As promised in previous newsletters, I have an update about neighborhood traffic issues affecting GCC. In a Nov. 17 meeting coordinated by City of Glendale Traffic Engineering, about 75 GCC neighbors met at Sahuaro Ranch Elementary School to discuss how to lessen and slow traffic in nearby residential areas. Much discussion focused on speeding and traffic volume on 63rd Avenue (GCC's western border). Eighty-three percent of the residents (61) voted to not close 63rd Avenue north of the college, even as a temporary test. We are pleased with this result. Difficult issues remain, yet there appears to be greater awareness among our neighbors about two key points: that traffic concerns are not caused exclusively by GCC; and that solving a problem on one street can create new problems on other streets. Notably, several residents spoke about the need to work cooperatively with GCC. My thanks to the GCC employees who attended to share their perspectives. This most recent meeting is part of a continuum of engagement with the City and our neighbors that my office initiated. We continue to explore options for improving campus traffic flow, to include the possibility of widening Via Gaucho and/or Vogel.

Holiday and Heritage Open House Dec. 5

You are invited to a Holiday Open House on Fri., Dec. 5, celebrating the start of the holiday season, as well as GCC's history and heritage. The informal event will be held in the newly remodeled Administration Building from 1:00-3:00 p.m. and 5:00-6:30 p.m. You can take an informal walking tour of departments throughout the building to see how they showcase their services and successes, and view our new historic photo montages that feature highlights of GCC history, leadership through the years, famous visitors, campus events, and many points of pride. These "mini-galleries" have been funded largely by the GCC Alumni Association and coordinated by Judy Blake, with very skillful support from Darlene Goto, Marsha Johnson, and others. If your schedule allows, please stop by and say hello.

Dr. Phil D. Randolph
President
Glendale Community College