Commencement 2004

Friday will mark the 39th Commencement Program for Glendale Community College. Though the numbers are not final, 304 students are scheduled to receive their degrees and certificates. Commencement brings a new beginning to these proud students and their families. The College looks forward to celebrating their success this Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. Our keynote speaker for the evening will be Dennis Green, Head Coach for the Arizona Cardinals. Weather for the event is predicted to be sunny, with temperatures in the low-mid 90s.

Higher Learning Commission Updates

In 2002, GCC received continued accreditation for the next ten years. As part of the accreditation process, GCC was requested to submit four reports. To date, two reports have been submitted. The first of these was an Institutional Change Document, as GCC North now offers over 50 percent of the curriculum required for an Associate degree. The second report concerns strategic planning. The College's Strategic Plan 2004-2007 has evolved over the last two years, and incorporates the results of numerous parallel planning activities, to include: a 20-year Master Plan, prioritized construction and renovation project lists for the GCC Main and GCC North campuses in anticipation of a 2004 Bond initiative, the redesign of the College's Budget Process, review of all occupational programs, continued progress in academic assessment, and work to improve communications and college climate. Many thanks to all department chairs, unit managers, faculty and staff, for their efforts and contributions to GCC's future. The Progress Report on Strategic Planning and the Strategic Plan 2004-2007 will be placed on the College Research Services web site. Paper copies also will be available in the John F. Prince Library.

I will keep you informed on feedback from the Higher Learning Commission as it reviews both reports. Two additional reports, on College Climate and Assessment, are due June 1 and December 1, 2005, respectively.

College-Wide Academic Achievement

My sincere appreciation to the College-Wide Academic Achievement Committee (CWAAC) and the faculty for their continued work on assessing our students' learning outcomes. This year, CWAAC conducted the assessment of 210 students, nearly twice that of previous years. The committee will prepare a Report to the Faculty for distribution in the Fall, and continue to work on procedures and an instrument for assessing information and technology literacy.

Bond 2004

A final decision regarding a possible November bond initiative will be made by the Governing Board on June 8. If the District and the voters approve a capital bond, GCC will immediately begin pre-design activities on two projects: renovation of the Student Union and construction of a Life Sciences, Psychology and Nursing Building in the North parking lot. We eagerly await both decisions and the opportunity to prepare GCC to support community growth and the College's many instructional programs.

Construction Updates - Summer 2004

The College will continue to improve both facilities and the grounds during the summer. You may have noticed that the exterior signage project is complete and work on the marquee at the corner of 59th and Olive Avenues is progressing steadily. Cabling is complete and the site wall is curing. Marquee installation and landscaping will begin next week. The project will clearly add to campus identity and information/promotional opportunities, and should be complete by the end of the month. Beyond these advantages, the marquee area will be a new site of campus beauty and pride.

GCC has also submitted 20+ projects to District, to utilize remaining major maintenance funds. Once decisions are known, Construction Update #14 will be prepared and made available on the College web site. Please stay tuned.

Budget Process Review

On May 11, members of the President's Budget Advisory Committee (PBAC) and Administrative Team met to review the processes used to develop the 2004-2005 budget. Expanding on the plus/delta sessions conducted by each of the budget subcommittees, this meeting continues work begun in 2003 to simplify and refine existing procedures. The College will have several opportunities early in the Fall to validate any refinements to the existing process, in time for development of the 2005-2006 budget.

The College Plan

I recently received the revised College Plan from the Faculty Senate. I look forward to reviewing this plan and thank the faculty leadership for their hard work on this important document.

Personnel Changes

As the College reflects on the many activities completed this past year, and the challenges ahead, I have made several adjustments to positions and responsibilities within the Administration:

Director, College Advancement Services: As the possible bond initiative nears decision, George Martinez will become much more active in working with community and business leaders, the District office, and our sister colleges in a special, short-term reassignment devoted to a GCC Community Awareness Campaign. Trish Vogel will assume several of George's responsibilities, to include overall supervision of the CAS office through mid November.

Director, College Research Services: With the departure of Linda Hawbaker, the Director of CRS has been filled on an interim basis by Nancy Osborne. The position for a permanent Director has been advertised nationally for several weeks and will close May 14. The College hopes to select a new Director in June. Other vacancies within this office will be filled once the new Director is on board.

College Institutional Planner: As most of you are aware, I have challenged Chuck Jeffery with several projects this past year. Chuck has worked with many of you to coordinate Master Planning for the College, develop Prioritized Project Lists for GCC Main and GCC North, communicate construction plans to the campus, serve as a member of the Facilities Subcommittee for the 2004-2005 budget, work with CWAAC on College-wide assessment initiatives, crystallize findings from the climate listening sessions conducted with constituency groups, develop a Strategic Plan for the next three years, and recently, to coordinate the development of the GCC North Institutional Change document and the Strategic Planning Progress Report, required by the Higher Learning Commission. Chuck will continue to work in all of these areas, which will place increasing demands on his time. For that reason, I have asked Chuck to accept a One Year Only (OYO) position as the College's Institutional Planner. Chuck will work closely with Dean Connie Sherman and the Director of College Research Services, to guide new construction and renovation projects, continue ongoing initiatives with College-wide assessment, refine the College's Strategic Plan, and coordinate the remaining reports due to the Higher Learning Commission in 2005.

Sr. Associate Dean of Instruction: As Chuck Jeffery assumes new responsibilities in planning, it will be necessary to back fill his position in instruction. I will announce a second One Year Only (OYO) position for a Sr. Associate Dean of Instruction later this week, and encourage all interested to apply.

Dr. Phillip Randolph
President
Glendale Community College