Save the Date: Transfer conference presented in collaboration with university partners
February 14, 2023Events slated for Yuma and San Luis campuses
Yuma, AZ (February 14, 2023) – Mark your calendars for the 3rd Annual Desert Southwest Transfer Conference, which will be held March 13-16 in collaboration with Arizona Western College’s university partners.
The event is hosted in conjunction with AWC’s annual Transfer Week to prepare students for a successful transition to the university of their choice. Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University each have a day during the week to highlight their programs and student resources. A Transfer and Career Expo will also be held for students to discover what higher education options and job opportunities are available within their major.
“This conference will provide students with the valuable tools they need to succeed in their educational journey,” said Martha Cordova, AWC Director of Transfer Services.
Funding for the Desert Southwest Transfer Conference is being provided in part by the Arizona Innovation Alliance (AIA), a partnership between all three of Arizona’s public universities with the mission of increasing degree attainment in the state through enhanced collaboration. In Fall 2021, AIA and Arizona Western College announced a formal partnership to support student success and increase baccalaureate degree attainment in Yuma and surrounding communities. Support of the Transfer Conference provides a pivotal venue to expand awareness of the tools, resources, and educational opportunities available to the broader community. This year, the conference will be expanded to feature community events highlighting available university resources to support former AWC graduates who wish to continue their postsecondary education.
The Desert Southwest Transfer Conference is also funded through a $790,000 USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Conservation Collaboration Grant awarded to University of Arizona - Yuma and the Arizona Innovation Alliance. Grant partners include AWC, Imperial Valley College, and the University of Arizona’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, with the effort supported by Greater Yuma Economic Development, Yuma County Chamber of Commerce, and the Gadsden Elementary School District.
The conference is part of the ISEEME Project, which supports improved systems thinking between students, industry, mentors, and community stakeholders working together to affect change and address the lack of a diverse pipeline of STEM-educated and skilled local talent.
Featured speakers will provide students with motivational discourse during afternoon events available to students at the Yuma and San Luis Campuses.
Corey Ciocchetti will be a keynote speaker at the AWC Yuma Campus on Monday during conference segments that include “Under the Influence… of Stress” and “It’s a Big Deal… You’re a Big Deal.” Serving as the Bill Daniels Professor of Business Ethics and Legal Studies at the University of Denver, Ciocchetti is one of the university’s most popular and highest-rated professors. Ciocchetti is a talented speaker and teacher and has won multiple teaching and speaking awards including the Outstanding Professor of the Year Award and the Joel Goldman Award for most respected speaker on the CAMPUSPEAK roster. He currently teaches classes on business law and ethics in a department ranked by the Wall Street Journal and Business Week in the top ten nationwide for producing students with high ethical standards. Ciocchetti also speaks to tens of thousands of individuals each year about “authentic success” and living an ethical life and is the author of the book Inspire Integrity: Chase an Authentic Life. He has spoken to diverse audiences in over 300 cities and 47 states over the past eighteen years.
Frank Santiago will be a featured speaker on Tuesday during the University Awareness Family Night at the AWC San Luis Learning Center with a session titled “Education Transforms Lives: Your Goals are Bigger than your Fears.” Santiago was born in Salinas, CA to migrant farm workers. He grew up following the lettuce crop between the Yuma and Salinas areas. He attended the University of Arizona and taught in the Gila Bend, AZ school district before returning to the University of Arizona to earn his MS in Agricultural Education. Santiago was employed by the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences for 14 years and left his position as Director of Student Recruitment to join Dow Agrosciences in 2017 as a Territory Manager in the PNW. He recently assumed responsibilities for the Southwest Territory in May 2022 and has relocated back to Tucson, AZ.
Find the conference schedule of events, details, and registration links online here: azwestern.edu/TransferConference.
Contact:
Angela Amezaga
Transfer Services and Program Coordinator
Arizona Western College
Angela.Amezaga@azwestern.edu
(928) 344-7630