1202 W. Thomas Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85013
602–285–7500

Maricopa Community College District Governing Board to Gather Public Input at May 1st
Community Listening Session

by: Christy Skeen

Phoenix College and Rio Salado College will join together to host a community listening session on Thursday, May 1, to provide members of the Maricopa Community Colleges Governing Board an opportunity to hear from area citizens. The town-hall style event runs from 6:30 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. in the Bulpitt Auditorium on the Phoenix College campus.

The community event is one in a year-long series of gatherings which will be held
throughout the Valley to gather public comment. The publicly elected five member
board is soliciting public input on how well the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges are meeting the needs of the growing communities they serve. The program will include presentations, guest speakers, student participation and comments from the audience. The public is encouraged to attend and may address the board for up to three minutes.

In the past when the Maricopa Community Colleges asked citizens how they would like to see their colleges grow, the District listened and results included the addition (District wide) of 1.6 million square feet of classroom, learning and training facilities as well as new training programs and campus safety. Also new learning formats such as the Internet and the technologies to deliver these formats.

A complete list of the Community Listening Sessions is available on the Web at: http://www.dist.maricopa.edu/gvbd /community.htm. Procedures for offering written comments in the event that citizens cannot attend the event are also posted on the Web site.

Founded in 1920 with just 53 students, Phoenix College became the flagship college in the new Maricopa County Community College District in 1963. Today, more than 13,000 students attend each semester, studying in over 200 career training and university degree programs. The college’s student body reflects the diverse, multicultural central city community it serves.

In Fall 2002, 14.5 percent of its students – almost 1,900 – were immigrants, refugees or foreign visitors. With a reported Hispanic population of 29.5 percent, Phoenix College has been officially designated a Hispanic Serving Institution, gaining access to state and federal funding to further assist this growing segment. Dr. Corina Gardea is president.

Known as the "college without walls," Rio Salado maintains administrative headquarters in Tempe, Arizona. Rio serves 50,000 credit and non-credit students annually, using a combination of accelerated, customized partnerships, distance learning formats, dual enrollment and adult basic education. Last year more than 18,000 of its students took one or more distance learning courses, with the vast majority using the Internet format. Dr. Linda Thor is president.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community
college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges – Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves more than a quarter million students annually.

For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu.