Committees:

In a continuous effort to strive toward educational excellence, the Commission has created community advisory committees to explore various partnership initiatives. The following are advisory committee summaries.

Alumni and Recognition: Marcy Snitzer, Coordinator, Alumni and Communications

The MCC Alumni Association concludes this year with myriad accomplishments. Plaques recognizing MCC's former Student Body presidents were placed in the Kirk Student Center and dedicated as part of our Homecoming celebration. The alumni board was instrumental in increasing MCC's Homecoming activities, boosting event attendance and hosting a silent auction that raised over $800 for student scholarships.

The Alumni Legacy scholarship campaign was launched, and in the first two months, 60 alumni who had never donated to the college before contributed over $3,000 in gifts. The Alumni and Friends scholarship was awarded to Jennifer Shotwell. The association piloted its first Job Shadow Day this spring, matching alumni and students for career explorations.

The year's activities culminated with the bestowal of the Alumni Achievement Award on Dr. Michael Ropacki and Mr. Anthony Occhiuzzi; the Honorable David Udall received the Distinguished Service to the MCC Alumni Association Award.

Awards and Recognition: Chuck Smith, Chair

The Awards and Recognition Committee is responsible for reviewing nominations and selecting the community members to be honored at MCC's annual Community Awards and Recognition Luncheon (see page 5). In this spring event, the college celebrates outstanding community members and recognizes their service to the college, to education, and to the community.

Development: Dr. Larry Christiansen, Chair

The Development Advisory Council (DAC) went through a membership turnover during 2004-2005. The committee consists of seven community members and six internal (college) members. Most members from the college community are employee group leaders and change on a yearly basis. The first two meetings of the year were spent updating new members on the DAC history and fund-raising initiatives in which the college was involved. Dr. Christiansen chaired this committee over the past year after Tim Baughman, the prior chairman, stepped down. Chuck Smith has agreed to replace Dr. Christiansen as chairman, starting with the July meeting. Fund-raising for scholarships will be the No. 1 priority for the college while also looking to leverage bond funds and recognize potential fourth revenue stream funding from private donations.

Rose Garden: Carol Poe, Outgoing Chair; Marylou Coffman, Incoming Chair

The Rose Garden Committee serves as a bridge between the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society and the college with a pinnacle interest in the full development and public use of the Rose Garden at MCC.

Pursuits this year included the following:

• Completion of the Rose Garden's third phase, dedicated to veterans—past, present, and future
  
  
• Construction of an artistic bus shelter, developed in partnership with the Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs and the City of Mesa
  
  
• Authorization from the American Rose Society Award of Excellence Committee to establish a miniature rose test bed (construction will begin in late 2005)
  
  
• Dedication of the Ruby Rose Bed in honor of MCC's 40th Anniversary, paying tribute to the District Governing Board, the Chancellor, the Rosarians, and the Commission on Excellence
  
  
• Dedication of a Blue Star Memorial marker in the veterans section of the rose garden, attended by more than 150 members of the National Federation of Garden Clubs MCC and the Rosarians also hosted the Pacific Southwest District Judges Seminar, several floral arrangement workshops, and a record number of tours for 2004-2005. In November, the Mesa-East Valley Rose Society organized its most successful rose show ever, with hundreds of people from around the world entering the competition. In December, student technicians created a spectacular laser light show in the rose garden.

Red Mountain: Don Evans, Chair

The Red Mountain Advisory Committee met three times this year. Hosted by Banner Baywood Medical Center, the first meeting focused on the upcoming bond election and capital planning efforts.

The regular fall meeting was held on October 16. Andrea Greene and Beth Larson provided an overview of the accreditation process and the upcoming visit by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. In addition, the Commission discussed the master planning efforts and provided input on Red Mountain campus needs for the next 10 years.

In place of the scheduled spring meeting, the Red Mountain Advisory Committee held a half-day retreat on April 20. The focus of the retreat was the next five-year plan for the Red Mountain campus. Information was provided to the committee regarding the organizational structure of both the Maricopa County Community College District and MCC, the role and function of the governing board, planning processes of the district and the college, and the recently completed East Valley environmental scan. A draft copy of the five-year plan was reviewed and discussed. The information obtained in the discussion will be used to move forward with the five-year plan and the planning for expansion of the Red Mountain campus.

Scholarship: Reece Bawden, Chair

The Scholarship Committee, which consists of six Commission members and two employees from the Development Office, met four times during the 2004-2005 academic year. Early meetings were held to reevaluate the scholarship criteria and the questions posed by the committee for the application. The committee agreed to conduct a personal interview of the final scholarship candidates as a part of the selection process.

In the October Executive Council meeting, Reece Bawden was introduced as the new Scholarship Committee chair. His first order of business was an attempt to increase the Commission on Excellence in Education scholarship endowment by offering to match any donations or pledges made within 15 minutes of the offer. The Scholarship Committee is happy to report that $20,000 was raised in that short span of time, so two awards can be made every year, rather than just one. The committee will be conducting a full fund-raising campaign from its members in Fall 2005.

Please contact Tanya Smith for comments or corrections email phone: 480-461-7345