Why don't you use a mailing list?

•  The unit mailing cost would rise to around $1.00, instead of 13 cents.
•  We'd have to hire staff to take phone calls and maintain the list database.
•  We'd have to spend much more on media advertising to remind people what we offer and how to get a schedule.

Why don't you just let people look up classes on the Web?

We're working toward that goal. In fact, a project is underway to make big improvements in the online schedule, with an eye toward phasing out the mass mailing over the next few years. Stay tuned for these exciting developments!

Reaching out to the community is part of our mission.

Community colleges are for everyone. The very heart of our mission is to make education accessible, whatever the potential student's background. For our outreach to be effective, people need to know the details and great variety of our offerings. Just knowing that we exist, but not what we offer, isn't enough.

Education is good for Arizona.

As Arizonians work to compete in the changing global and national economies, we should encourage all citizens to reach their full potential. Many are discouraged and unaware that job skills and a better life can be within their grasp. To reach out to them, we provide this reminder that they can achieve their goals. We've been told, "Keep sending it to me. Every time it arrives it reminds me that I need to get started back in school. And one of these days I will!"

It's our report card to the community.

Nearly 30,000 residents a year use the schedule to locate and register for our classes, and learn how community colleges fit into Arizona's educational system. Knowing the breadth of our offerings and the range of people we serve helps citizens understand how their tax dollars are being used.

Other things to remember.

We care about our environment. The schedule is printed (except for the cover) on recycled paper with non-petroleum inks, and is recyclable with your newspapers. Although we do use paper, we don't use as much per year as the amount used for advertising alone in one issue of a large metropolitan Sunday newspaper.