New Employees

Please help me welcome new employees approved at the Jan. 25, 2005 Governing Board Meeting: Clark Burns, Applied Technology; Sagarika Dash, Biology; Christina Eide, Performing Arts; Jennifer Koslo, Technology/Consumer Services; Karl Krout, Biology; James Lake, Business and Information Technology; Mike Osborn, Applied Technology; Christina Pennington, Nursing; Clarence Ray, Applied Technology; and Marcus Wherry, Center for Learning.

Changes to Computing Resource Standards

On Dec. 15, 2004, Chancellor Glasper announced changes to Maricopa's computing resource standards, dealing with e-mail and web sites. Official implementation began Jan. 18, 2005, and compliance must be completed by Mar. 31, 2005. In a Jan. 14, 2005 memo, Vice Chancellor of Information Technologies Ron Bleed said, "Compliance should be viewed as a priority for all web site authors." To assist employees in matters of compliance and other issues, the current Web Steering Committee will be expanded to include additional members from all employee groups. View these new Computing Resource Standards at http://www.dist.maricopa.edu/gvpolicy/adminregs/auxiliary/4_4.htm

Legislative Reception

On Tues., Jan. 25, GCC hosted a reception and breakfast for state legislators from Districts 4, 9 and 10. Approximately 35 administrators, faculty, staff and students from GCC and other colleges welcomed the three legislators who attended: Sen. Linda Gray, Rep. Rick Murphy and Rep. Doug Quelland. Sen. Gray spoke about education issues and the well-known excellence of GCC academics; Rep. Quelland spoke about state health issues as they relate to the nursing shortage and the importance of GCC's nursing program. It was good to meet newly-elected Rep. Murphy for the first time. Thanks to College Advancement Services for coordinating the event and to all who attended.

John Deere Returns

"Big Green" is back on campus for its 18th annual training event. Please welcome representatives of the John Deere Corporation as we celebrate the continuation of this mutually beneficial program.

Mentoring Luncheon

The Mentoring Luncheon on Jan. 14 was a big success. It was good to see so many of you who have participated in the program. My thanks to you for your good work. My thanks also to Gaucho Mentoring Program Coordinator Trini Sandoval and the Counseling Department for hosting this event. Again, I encourage anyone interested in being a mentor to call Trini Sandoval at 5-3069. Speaking as a mentor myself, I can attest that mentoring truly enriches both the student and the mentor.

Performing Arts Center will be Ready for Kennedy Center Festival

Many of you know that GCC and PC are co-hosting the Kennedy Center American College Regional Theater Festival, Feb. 7-12. More than 1,200 students from Region VIII will attend six days of performances, workshops and competitions. Many complex upgrades and repairs have been made to the PAC and its grounds to properly showcase these events. Thanks to Al Gonzales, Jim Tharp and the staff of M&O and Grounds for the terrific job they've done.

Building Repairs and Cleanup

A Dec. 23, 2004 chemical spill in the Center for Learning has been abated; the building has been occupied since Jan. 3. Office Building 02, also affected, has required a major clean-up, new carpeting, new ceiling tiles and more; it is anticipated that its occupants should be back in their offices by Mon., Jan. 31. The offices of M&O, damaged by fire on Jan. 3, 2005, should be ready for occupation in approximately two to three weeks.

More Members Needed for Readfest Committee

Alice Estrada and the Readfest Committee have been stretched thin as this signature GCC event has grown enormously. Not only has the number of attending children grown to more than 5,000, the number of games, booths and activities offered has grown as well. Alice is in great need of more members for the committee—people who really want to work on this wonderful event, which takes a full year to plan and execute. Faculty may choose it as their committee assignment; I encourage folks from other employee groups to volunteer. I hope to see this committee grow; planning begins soon for this annual November event. E-mail Alice or call her at 5-3810 if you desire more information.

Phenomenal West Valley Growth to Continue

On Jan. 26, along with several members of the GCC Futures Committee and Economic/Political Subcommittee, I attended the Western Maricopa Coalition (WESTMARC) Annual Meeting and West Valley Economic Forecast at the Glendale Civic Center. Elliott D. Pollack gave a very interesting and strongly positive report on the economic outlook for the West Valley. He is recognized for his expertise in discerning the relationship between real estate trends and land value, usage and timing for improvements and development. His consulting company specializes in the economy and real estate market of Arizona and the Southwest. The next few years should be a time of continued and exciting growth, and I feel confident that GCC will respond very capably to the demands which will be placed on it.

Congratulations…

…to the GCC Multiple Intelligences/Learning for Understanding (MI/LfU) team. For the second year in a row, the team has been selected as one of ten finalists in the Bellwether Awards competition sponsored by the 2005 Community College Futures Assembly at the University of Florida. René Díaz-Lefebvre, Darlene Goto, Linda Rosenthal, Alberto Sanchez and Steve Williams will present "Learning for Understanding: A Faculty-Driven Paradigm Shift in Learning, Imaginative Teaching, and Creative Assessment." They leave for Florida this Saturday, Jan. 29 and present on Monday, Jan. 31. Good luck to all!

Dr. Phillp Randolph
President
Glendale Community College