Campus Conversation Reminder

On Fri., April 22 at 2:00 p.m. in the Student Union Cafeteria, Dr. Bruce Merrill will present the results of the campus climate survey conducted in February.

ACE-Plus Award

I recently had the pleasure of joining Dr. Ibrahim Naim and Linda Rosenthal in Boston for the annual conference of the American Association of Community Colleges. Among other things, we were there to accept an Exemplary Practice Award for GCC's ACE-Plus program, awarded by the National Council on Student Development--an affiliate of the AACC. Our ACE-Plus program richly deserved this award and I applaud the good work of Dr. Naim and his staff.

March-April Events

March and April have been laden with terrific events and some are yet to come. There is no way to name and thank the myriad people involved, but please accept my thanks if you were (or will be) involved in Engineering Day, Science Olympiad, Career Fair, the International Festival, the Scholarship Luncheon, the Children's Art Show, the Percussion Festival, the 40th Anniversary Photo and Kick-Off, the High School Forum, the Celebration of the Arts or the Student Art Show.

Successful Scholarship "Challenge"

I am most grateful to Dr. Carlos Nuñez and the others who responded to his challenge to drive his pledge to the 40th Anniversary Scholarship Drive up to the $10,000 mark. A total of 78 employees pledged $11,500 in ten days. With Dr. Nuñez' matching $10,000, the total reached $21,500. I also thank others of you who donate your time, your mentoring skills and your many talents to benefit GCC in ways that are just as important. Please watch for an upcoming letter from me that will discuss student needs and ways you can be a part of the 40th Anniversary Scholarship Drive.

Thanks to PSA Employees

In anticipation of National Administrative Professionals Day on April 27, I would like to congratulate and thank all PSA employees. Your incredibly important contributions to the smooth running of this campus are invaluable. In my opinion, you are "unsung heroes" and I know that the work of this campus could not proceed for a single day without you. On that note, my sincere thanks go to my own administrative assistant, Roxie Helbert.

ASRS Group Session, May 9

If you are thinking of retiring within the next year, I recommend you make a reservation to attend the ASRS Group Session on Mon., May 9, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. in the Student Union Council Chambers. So that the ASRS representatives can provide specific information for each attendee, reservations and registration are required and must be completed by noon on Mon., April 25. Call Karen Minnihan at 623.845.3406 for information about how to register.

Celebration of the Arts, April 23

I encourage you to attend a "Celebration of the Arts" on Sat., April 23, from 2:00-5:00 p.m. in the Student Union Lounge. A 38-year retrospective of The Traveler student arts magazine and an exhibit of approximately 450 juried student artworks in various media will be on display. Refreshments will be served. Thanks to Judy Sánchez and Dean Terasaki for coordinating this event.

Women of Distinction Luncheons

On April 5, I was honored to accompany Jill Suydam, GCC's Woman of Distinction for 2005, to the luncheon at CGCC honoring the 12 winners from all the Maricopa colleges. On April 13, I was pleased to host a luncheon here on campus for GCC's six nominees for the Woman of Distinction award and the people who wrote their nominations or participated in the selection process. The six nominees honored were Rosemary Acosta, Kristin Bennes, Denise Digianfilippo, Roxie Helbert, Pam Joraanstad and Jill Suydam.

Apprenticeship Awards Luncheon

On April 21 at SCC, I attended the MCCCD Apprenticeship Awards Luncheon. It honored all employees who have recently completed a rigorous four-year Apprentice Program in a craft area. They received a Certificate of Completion from the State of Arizona and one from the U.S. Department of Labor. This year's honorees included GCC's Richard Gonzales and Chuck Ford, a former GCC employee now at CGCC. Past GCC employees who have completed this demanding program include Gary Bond, Eric Carter and Jack Gallegos.

Death of Peggy Larkin

I was saddened to hear of the death of Peggy Larkin, former nursing faculty member at GCC. I offer my condolences to her many friends on campus.

CONGRATULATIONS TO…

…Stan Celestian who has had eight of his websites selected for inclusion in the Digital Library for Earth System Education at http://www.dlese.org. This online academic library includes links to his websites and a brief description of each one.

…Mary Blackwell on her new position as Director of Admissions, Records and Registration at Phoenix College.

…Duane Reeder for 35 years of service and exemplary teaching of psychology at GCC.

…GCC Institutional Advancement Director George Martinez, who co-presented "A Partnership Strategy for Effective Legislative Relations" at the Fourth Annual Maricopa Community College Marketing Conference in Tucson on April 15.

…Don Jensen-Bobadilla who has received an assignment as Administrative Assistant I to Dr. José Leyba at the downtown campus. We will miss Don but know that he will be invaluable to Dr. Leyba in the planning for and administering of this new campus.

…Kimberly Keck of Academic Advising, selected for a Professional Staff Internship for FY 05-06. She will work at district office to develop a standardized district-wide, advisor training program.

…Dave Schmidt and the GCC Jazz Band for providing rousing music at our April 12 Kick-Off of our 40th Anniversary Celebrations; and to Craig Wactor for taking the wonderful bird's-eye-view official photo that day.

…to GCC's Omicron Lambda chapter of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, recently named a "5-Star Chapter" at the recent Arizona Regional Convention. Kudos to all chapter members and to advisors Janet Brooks, Connie Greenwell, Pam Hall and Donna White.

Dr. Phil D. Randolph
President
Glendale Community College