AWC staff seek professional development on Strategic Planning work

AWC staff seek professional development on Strategic Planning work

October 9, 2019

Summer work set to impact 19 strategic objectives

Yuma, AZ (October 9, 2019) – To help bring the Arizona Western College Strategic Plan 2025 to fruition, several cross-functional teams made up of faculty and staff attended training in Yuma and around the region in the past few months.

  • To help our faculty design no- and low-cost course materials for the Open Education Resources objective(OER), Dr. Joann Chang, Professor of Biology and Excellence Director traveled to Tempe for the Arizona Regional OER Conference. Chang also hosted Matthew Bloom from Maricopa Community College District for an OER bootcamp on the Yuma Campus.
     
  • Several AWC employees attended the first Arizona Center for Student Success convening in support of the college’s Guided Pathways objective on June 10, at the Rio Salado College Conference Center in Phoenix to help develop the program’s priorities for the upcoming year. Those in attendance included Marco Diaz, Academic Advisor; Jim Hutchison, Director of Career and Advisement Services; Monica Ketchum, Social Sciences Chair; Martha Martinez, Modern Languages Chair, Dubia Zaragoza, Academic Advisor, Dr. Ellen Riek, Professor of English; Vanessa Natseway, Student Success Center Coordinator; Cristina Gonzales, Academic Advisor; Dr. Joann Chang, Professor of Biology and Center for Instructional Excellence Director; Martha Cordova, Transfer Services Director.
     
  • In support of the Guided Pathways objective, a number of AWC employees attended the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) for Higher Education Summer Institute in Denver in July. Those in attendance included; Vanessa Natseway, Student Success Center Coordinator and Jennifer Thimell, Professor of English. Also attending, in support of Instinct2 grant work were Luis Martinez, Professor of Mathematics; Brett Peterson, Professor of Mathematics; Miguel Sanchez, Professor of Mathematics; Dr. Aman Ghebremicael, Professor of Mathematics; Salil Dhawan, Amanda Smith, Professor of Computer Science; and Julia Howe, Student Support Coordinator.
     
  • Susanna Zambrano, Associate Dean for South Yuma County Services, along with Laura Sandigo, Director of Diversity, Inclusion and AccessABILITY, Christine Rouff, Health and Wellness Coordinator, and Jose Lizarraga, Student Services Specialist – La Paz attended a National Behavioral Intervention Team Association (NaBITA) Case Management and Intervention Certification Course in Salt Lake City in June. The two-day course offered attendees guidance and skills to put into practice when it comes to intervening with at-risk students. This training also supports the Wrap-Around Services objective.
     
  • Laura Shepherd, Academic Success Advisor – KEYS and Julia Howe, Student Support Coordinator attended the League for Innovation’s Community College Learning Summit to present on and plan ongoing work for the Shared Governance objective.
     
  • A team of five AWC faculty and staff attended “Academic Impressions: Developing a Comprehensive System of Support for First-Generation Students” in support of the Guided Pathways objective and the Wrap-Around Services objective. The team included Jennie Buoy, Professor of English as a Second Language; Cristina Gonzales, Academic and Career Advisor; Julissa Fitts, Assessment and Program Review Specialist; Vanessa Natseway, Student Success Center Coordinator; and Kathy Ocampo, Associate Dean for La Paz County Services.
     
  • Reetika Dhawan, Dean of Career and Technical Education took a team of CTE faculty to Yavapai College to understand how those programs partner with the regional economy in support of the Economic Growth objective and the Interdisciplinary Programs objective. Accompanying Dhawan were Professor of Welding Bobby Alvarado,  Professor of Automotive Michael Murphy, Professor of Geology and Geospatial Coordinator Fred Croxen, Director of Emergency Medical Services Joseph Waterford, Director of Fire Sciences Chris Flores, Paralegal Studies Coordinator Brenda Doak,  grant specialist Karyn Van Why,  Professors of Homeland Security Tim Smith and Bertha Avila, Professor of Electrical and Solar Technologies Herman Carroll and Agriculture Science Manager Leigh Loughead.
     
  • Dr. Daniel Corr, President of AWC, led a team to Alliance for Innovation and Transformation (AFIT) for Higher Education to focus on transformative leadership, creating productive culture, and emerging technology trends for education, in support of the larger AWC Strategic Plan 2025.  The team included Reetika Dhawan, Dean of Career and Technical Education, Dr. Linda Elliott-Nelson, Vice President for Learning Services, Lori Stofft, Vice President for Advancement, Bryan Doak, Vice President for Student Services, Shahrooz Roohparvar, Vice President for Finance and Administrative Services, Ashley Herrington, Chief of Staff, and Bob Walker, Vice President of Technology.

Contact:
Lori Stofft
Vice President for Advancement
Arizona Western College
Lori.Stofft@azwestern.edu
(928) 314-9595

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