A PUBLICATION OF THECOCHISE COLLEGE FOUNDATION

SPRING 2012

LIFE OF VISIONARYFOUNDER CELEBRATED

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BOARD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

It’s hard to believe that another academic year is coming to a close. The Cochise CollegeFoundation is excited to be working actively to support the students of Cochise College.I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished this year. Here are some of the highlights.

Last fall, tours of the college’s campuses and centers re-familiarized us with the institutionand connected us with key people, as well as re-energized our commitment to the collegeand the students we have supported over the years. We’ve begun an effort to connect withcommunity organizations and service clubs. We ended the year on a high note with arecognition dinner for the students named to the All-Arizona academic teams; the stu-dents’ wonderful stories of how Cochise College changed their lives inspire us and reinforceour mission.

This year, the foundation has added several new board members who bring with themnew connections, as well as expertise and fresh perspectives on everything from the mili-

tary and the RFP process to policies and grant resources. The board also has activated a number of committees,including board development, outreach, policies and procedures, and property and accessions. The committeesare looking at ways to help the foundation expand its reach and position itself in preparation for the college’s50th anniversary celebration.

Currently, we are exploring plans for a campaign that we hope will serve to further demon-strate the meaningful ties that students, alumni, donors and others in our communitieshave made with Cochise College. This is a new frontier for us, which makes it all the moreinteresting, challenging and exciting. As we work to further develop efforts to meet ourmission, we hope you’ll share your stories with us.

Yolanda M. AndersonBoard PresidentCochise College Foundation

Cover:Documents provided by theSpikes family exhibit boththe excitement and thetremendous responsibilitythat went into creating anew college.

FROM THE COCHISE COLLEGE PRESIDENT

Cochise College recently celebrated its 47th graduating class.We hosted commencement on the Sierra Vista Campus forthe first time in school history, drawing more than 325 fromthe graduating class of nearly 1,000. Next year, graduationwill be back at Douglas, just two years shy of our goldenanniversary.

That 50-year milestone is quickly approaching, along withopportunities to celebrate. With that in mind, Cochise Collegeis polishing up on its strategic priorities: competitive advan-tages, excellence, everything speaks, and completion.

We have enhanced two of our flagship programs, nursing andaviation. The nursing program has expanded to accommo-date more students, and a respiratory therapy program will start this fall. Thecollege also will take advantage of a trend toward unmanned aircraft by launchinga UAS training program in a renovated aviation building on the Douglas Campus.

We anticipate beginning work to improve athletic facilities for the thousands ofstudents and visitors who use them each year, and healthy enrollments in theDouglas Campus art program are driving our plans to put on a better face forvisitors to that department by moving it into a new building. In addition, we nowoffer the Cochise Combo and Cochise Combo Plus housing rates so that morestudents can take advantage of the opportunities provided by living on campus.

Although our efforts to enhance completion, a national priority, are just gettingstarted, we believe we are already making progress in that area. Last fall, CochiseCollege and many other institutions experienced significant enrollment decreases.But what’s interesting to us is that fewer students have dropped classes than in thepast, meaning that those who enrolled have persevered. We believe this can beattributed in part to modifications in the handling of federal financial aid.

Preliminary end-of-semester enrollments show we may not have experienced a trueenrollment decline. This trend toward retention and completion will be interestingto watch in coming years as we work to identify and resolve challenges to studentgoal attainment.

Despite anticipating a $2.2 million reduction in state support, Cochise College ismoving forward by looking at ways to improve both efficiencies and service tostudents. We want you to know that we take pride in our programs and that, asour supporters, you should too. As always, we value your feedback and sincerelythank you for all that you do.

J.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D.PresidentCochise Collegejdr@cochise.edu

“Accolade” inspires charitable contributions insupport of Cochise College by raising awarenessabout competitive advantages of the college andthe activities of the Cochise College Foundation.

Board OfficersYolanda Anderson, PresidentJan Guy, Vice PresidentCindy Hayostek, SecretaryMark Battaglia, J.D., Treasurer

Board MembersChuck ChambersShirley GregoryKaren L. JusticeGene ManringDan Rehurek, Ph.D.Bob StrainRuben Teran, J.D.Gail Zamar

Board Member EmeritusLinda Staneart

Ex-Officio MembersJ.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D. (ex-officio)

Honorary MembersMarsha Arzberger

Cochise College Foundation StaffDenise Merkel, Executive DirectorSheila Selby, Foundation CoordinatorRose Berumen, Administrative AssistantCarmen Moreno, Student Aide

“Accolade” is published by the CochiseCollege Foundation, 4190 W. Highway 80,Douglas, AZ 85607. (520) 417-4100

Editorial ContributorsDenise MerkelLiz Manring

DesignRick Whipple

PhotographyLiz ManringDenise Merkel

Printing/MailingKeith RingeyCarol Riggs

The Cochise College Foundation promotes student success through scholarships, facilitiesdevelopment, and program support. By support-ing Cochise College, the Foundation endeavorsto increase the college's accessibility to our diverse and changing communities.

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The Cochise College Foundation has awarded scholarshipsto four students named to the 2012 All-Arizona AcademicTeam. The students also were recognized, along with 65 oftheir peers from other community colleges, at a luncheonin Mesa.

The All-Arizona program aims to point the best and bright-est community college students toward enrollment at Ari-zona State University, Northern Arizona University and theUniversity of Arizona. The students receive tuition waiversto complete their bachelor’s degrees at one of the state’spublic universities.

All-Arizona students are evaluated for academic perform-ance and service to the college and the community. Theyare ranked and placed accordingly on first, second andthird academic teams. Cochise College’s All-Arizona nomi-nees were named to the second team. The recognition andscholarships will go a long way toward helping the follow-ing students take a significant step toward achieving theiracademic and career goals.

Michelle Cardenas studied finearts at the Douglas Campus withplans to transfer to the University ofArizona, where she’ll complete herfine arts degree, then attend gradu-ate school for art therapy. Cardenasgraduated from high school in SanDiego in 1985 and returned to theclassroom in her early 40s.

“After 20-plus years away from aca-demia, I was very nervous aboutreturning to school,” she said. “As itturned out, I fell in love with learn-

ing again and being around others with the same passion.”

At Cochise, Cardenas was active in Phi Theta Kappa, the honorsociety of two-year colleges, which she served as co-presidentand secretary. She also was the president, vice president andtreasurer of the Social Concerns Club. In addition, she led anAlternative Spring Break project at the Jewish Cemetery inDouglas.

Carmen Moreno is a first-genera-tion college student and DouglasHigh School graduate who willcontinue her studies at the Univer-sity of Arizona. In addition toacceptance to the university’s Col-lege of Science as a psychologymajor, Moreno was admitted to theHonors College.

“Being named one of the top com-munity college students in Arizonahas been an amazing honor, espe-

cially since I am the first in my family to attend college,”Moreno said. “Being able to continue my education at a higherlevel has always been a dream of mine, and it’s finally comingtrue.”

Moreno remained heavily involved in student activities at theDouglas Campus while also working to help financially sup-port her family. She was co-president and vice president ofscholarship of the Alpha Beta Zeta chapter of Phi Theta Kappaand assisted in fundraising for Relay for Life. An advocate formental health awareness, she coordinated with the NationalAlliance for Mental Illness to bring the presentation “MindStorm” to campus, and she was the college’s team captain forarea NAMI Walks, which are held across the nation to raisemoney and awareness for people with mental illness.

Moreno’s college honors include Douglas Campus PsychologyStudent of the Year and the Douglas Campus Phi Theta KappaLeadership Award, both for the 2010-11 academic year, as wellas TRiO Student Support Services Academic Achiever in 2010and 2011.

Moreno credits her success to, simply, hard work.

“I have been blessed with a powerful mind that seeks informa-tion and new things to learn,” she said. “My desire to learnevery day is what keeps me thriving in my education.”

Emily Moxley graduated fromCochise College in December and ison her way to completing her stud-ies in history and humanities atNorthern Arizona University. TheBuena High School alumna washighly involved in Sierra Vista Cam-pus activities during her time at

Scholarships help students finish degrees

Story and photos by Liz Manring

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Cochise College. She was a communications officer and histo-rian for Phi Theta Kappa, as well as an aide for the summercamp Write Now! She also worked as an elementary schoolclassroom volunteer for special needs students on FortHuachuca.

“Attending my local community college has gifted me withnumerous positive experiences and growing opportunities,”Moxley said. “Though I was a good student in high school, Iknow because of my time at Cochise College I will be a betterasset to Northern Arizona University.”

Moxley’s Cochise College honors include earning honorscertificates of recognition in four courses and being elected to“Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities andColleges.”

Tonya Pikemajored in journalismand media arts at the Sierra VistaCampus and will transfer to theUniversity of Arizona, where she isplanning to major in marketing andentrepreneurship, to complete herbachelor’s degree at the Eller Col-lege of Management. She is also setto minor in communications andhas been accepted into the UAHonors College.

After graduating from Buena HighSchool and enrolling at Cochise

College, Pike became deeply involved in student activities oncampus. She was the president of the campus Student Govern-ment Association, secretary of Phi Theta Kappa, and past vicepresident of the Literary Guild club for readers and lovers ofbooks.

“Community college has given me the chance to excel aca-demically and to experience leadership and service,” she said.“In the last two years, I have made my parents proud, grownmore than I could have imagined, and feel ready for the chal-lenge of university life.”

Pike has earned the Honors Scholarship at Cochise, awardedfor completion of an individual honors project, as well as theHonors Tuition Scholarship, awarded to honors students with a3.5 or higher GPA.

Scholarships help students finish degrees

GEM ADDS COLOR TO BENSON CENTERA purple Brazilian amethyst now draws the attention of stu-dents and visitors alike to the Benson Center. The amethyst wasdonated by Ernie Graves, who, with a partner, also contributedthe property on which the center sits. Graves’ gave the gem inrecognition of Mark Battaglia for unreserved service to the Ben-son community. Battaglia, an attorney, is a member of theCochise College Foundation and Kartchner Caverns boards ofdirectors and served as city manager during the planning of theeducational facility.

The amethyst fits right in at the center, which overlooks the SanPedro Valley and the Dragoon Mountains and regularly displaysthe work of local artists.

According to the Virtual Geology Museum sponsored byCochise College, amethyst is a variety of quartz mined in SouthAmerica, Africa and a number of other countries. It occurs inlarge geodes within volcanic rocks. The purple color has beenattributed to the presence of iron. Some sources cite it as apower crystal with prolific healing powers. The ancient Greeksbelieved it prevented intoxication, and medieval European sol-diers used it as protection in battle.

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The founding of Cochise College can be attrib-uted to the work and support of local resi-dents, many of whose contributions are notdocumented. But much of what does exist –presidential correspondence, board agendasand minutes, curriculum and facility planningdocuments, historical recordings, and letterslike the one above that was discovered in abox of college archives - includes the name ofGeorge Albert Spikes, M.D., a Bowie native andDouglas physician who passed away inNovember 2011.

The story goes that Spikes’ father, A.R.Spikes, was an Arizona senator, chair of theSenate Education Committee, and an authorof the bill that established the community col-lege system in the state. He collaborated withhis son to lay the foundation and inspire localvoters to support the construction of a com-munity college in Cochise County. During adecade when more than 450 like institu-tions were established across the nation,including the one at the remote edge of

its southwestern border, it’s nostretch to imagine the excite-ment of the 441 students whoenrolled at Cochise Collegefor the first semester.

“My father and I talked agreat deal about what wewould accomplish…in thosedays, the smelter was running,and smeltermen made lots ofmoney, but their kids didn’tever go away to school. Theyjust graduated from high schooland then went to work in thesmelter or got married or some-thing. We hoped that some ofthose kids would get two moreyears of education and be-come nurses or secretaries orget the first two years of col-lege and then go on to theuniversity. And you know itturned out to be just aboutthat?”

In those first years, theyounger Spikes served on the local

Governing Board, dealing with everything fromfacility construction to curriculum developmentand hiring. Early correspondence indicates a needto review 600 job applications and interview 250to 300 potential teachers.

Spikes was there through debates about site se-lection – Bisbee, Douglas, Elfrida and Tombstonelocations were considered – and played a role inthe development of districts from which boardmembers were elected and the establishment ofthe nursing and aviation programs, which inter-ested him because of his military background andhis profession in the medical field.

Dr. Spikes explores a nursery while vacationingin Costa Rica.

Story by Denise Merkel

George A. Spikes, M.D.‘Backyard gardener’cultivated seed that

became county’scollege

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“One of the programs that was always a hallmarkof the Douglas Campus in the early days, and onethat Dr. Spikes was so instrumental in supporting,was the nursing program,” said Dr. Joanna Miche-lich, an alumnus and retired vice president for in-struction/provost at the college. “Every time I haveaccess with the nursing personnel in any way,shape, or form in this county, I would say the aver-age nurse has graduated from Cochise Collegeand is so appreciative of having had the oppor-tunity to stay right at home to receive theirdegree.”

Around the time of the college’s founding,Republican Charles Bloomquist, an Ari-zona State Representative, served on thestate board for community colleges.When Phoenix politics changed,

he and Spikes, a Democrat, agreedto try to swap positions, a successful

effort that allowed Spikes to be partof the opening of Pima Community

College and Yavapai College, accordingto a 2005 interview.

Cochise College and the Cochise Col-lege Foundation, which administersthe Spikes Scholarship for DouglasHigh School graduating seniors,along with 250 of Spikes’ family andfriends, celebrated his life during aluncheon at the Douglas Campuson March 17. The reunion includedremarks from representatives ofvarious professional organizationswith which he served, as well asthe video “Servant to Society,”which detailed his many contri-butions to Southeast ArizonaMedical Center, the DouglasDialysis Center, the Joint Com-mission on Accreditation ofHealthcare Organizations, theDouglas Food Bank, CochiseCollege, and the communityin general.

Dr. John Eaton, an early college administrator,former neighbor of the Spikes family, and currentGoverning Board member, said Spikes’ philosophywas that any would-be student ought to have theopportunity to attend college, a philosophy hesupported with a financial commitment to schol-

arships. Eaton also was familiar with Spikes’hypothesizing about the “what if” when it cameto backyard gardening and experimenting withplants.

“George had the theory that if they had seeds,they ought to be good for something,” a philoso-phy that one may relate to education. “When re-flecting on his life, know that he was not just amedical doctor. He was a humanitarian. He was aphilanthropist. He was a philosopher. He was ascientist. And he was a backyard gardener.”

George Albert Spikes, M.D. circa 1962.

Story by Denise Merkel

The Spikes Scholarship has awarded $56,635

to 33 students since fall 1999.

George A. Spikes, M.D.‘Backyard gardener’cultivated seed that

became county’scollege

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When faced with retirement from a30-plus-year federal career as amanagement analyst, Jan Guy (‘76)wondered what she would do withall the spare hours that come withfull-time unemployment.

Already on the Cochise CollegeFoundation board of directors anda product of the college herself, herchoice to run for a seat on the col-lege's governing board only madesense.

"I'd never run a political campaign in my life," Guy said, laugh-ing while recalling the time she and a friend worked on gettingher name out into the community by returning shopping cartsin the Bisbee Safeway parking lot. "I decided I could do it, hadtwo opponents and won in a landslide. And here I am, goingon 18 years later."

Since she was first elected to the Precinct 5 spot in 1994, Guyhas been re-elected in 2000 and 2006. She was named theboard's chair, as voted annually by her governing board peers,each year from 1998 until 2003, then again from 2005 throughthe present.

In February, Guy was surprised and flattered to be presented atthe annual Faculty and Staff Development Day with a LifetimeMembership in the Association of Community CollegeTrustees. The ACCT is a nonprofit organization of more than6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than1,200 community, technical and junior colleges in the UnitedStates and abroad.

Guy is the seventh person in Arizona to be presented with alifetime membership, which honors outstanding and retiringboard members, recognizes trustee contributions to commu-nity colleges, and supports and promotes continuing trusteeeducation and professional development.

"What I am most pleased about is the growth of the college,"she said of all the changes made during her time on the gov-erning board. "The campuses look and feel collegial. They'renot just a collection of buildings. And the growth in programs

and the outreach to the community. There is no question thatCochise College is the premier community college in the Stateof Arizona. We have a wonderful reputation, and we've hadfantastic leaders and administrators who have brought the col-lege where it is today."

Early in her board tenure, Guy also was active at the state level,serving as a representative and chair of the Arizona Associa-tion of District Governing Boards and the Arizona CommunityCollege Association when it was still in existence. She oncetraveled to Oxford University for a worldwide community col-lege roundtable to make a presentation on behalf of CochiseCollege about the rise, relevance and future of online classes.

"That was a fascinating experience and it was truly and interna-tional group," she said.

Guy, born and raised in Mississippi, began attending classes atCochise College when she decided to make a career changewithin her work with the federal government. She went on toearn her associate of arts degree, then a bachelor of sciencefrom University of the State of New York, and a master's in pub-lic administration from Golden Gate University, which offeredthe program on Fort Huachuca.

"I was one of those elderly students who sat in a classroom fullof high school graduates," Guy laughed about her time as astudent at Cochise College. "It set my feet on a path that al-lowed me to make a career change in civil service and succeedat that career change. I suspect if I'd have been thrown into auniversity class, I might have pulled the plug and said 'I don'twant to do this.' (Cochise College) is a very nurturing environ-ment, especially for someone who had been out of school along time. I wanted a quality education. I didn't want my ticketpunched."

That experience as a student would bring her back as a Foun-dation board member and governing board member yearslater. Now faced with retirement from service with the collegethat spanned nearly two decades, Guy won't be sitting idly bywhen the time comes. She recently started working with atherapy dog, a labradoodle, that visits local elementary schoolsand hospitals. Guy is a firm believer in the duty and responsi-bility of public servants in a community.

"Public service is work. You have to work at it. You have to com-mit the time if it will be a success," she says. "There are toomany people who won't step up to the plate, but it is impor-tant because money is tight everywhere — in education, inhealth care, money is scarce and they need volunteers. Andthose volunteers have to be committed."

Board memberhonored for service

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Linda Staneart, a member of theCochise College Foundation boardfor 15 years, was named BoardMember Emeritus upon her resig-nation from active service earlierthis year.

Staneart served on the NominatingCommittee and worked with theBoard Development Committee torecruit new members and with theFinance Committee to substantiallygrow and stabilize the organiza-tion’s assets.

“I have been fortunate to serve on the board with wonderful,talented people who I have admired and who have taught mea great deal,” Staneart said when she resigned. “The experiencehas been one that I will always remember as one of the mostexciting and fulfilling times of my life.”

Rose Berumen, who has worked atCochise College for almost 24 years,recently transitioned into a rolewith the Office of External Affairs.

Berumen first worked in human re-sources and then as administrativeassistant to the vice president foradministration. She joined ExternalAffairs last year and is currently as-sisting with the update of alumnicontact information, as well as withfoundation meetings, events andcommunications. She continues to

greet visitors to the Douglas Campus Administration Building,and she serves as the college wellness coordinator. She also is atwo-time recipient of the Cochise College Classified Associa-tion’s ACE Award.

“When people ask me where I work, I’m proud to say I work forCochise College,” Berumen said. “I enjoy coming to work everysingle day. Working with the faculty, staff and students is awe-some.”

NEW FUNDS

SMALL BUSINESS ESTABLISHESNEW SCHOLARSHIPThis summer, 11 students will receive the news that they’vebeen awarded the Geeks and Nerds Scholarship, funded by a$10,300 gift from Geeks and Nerds (GaN) Corporation. Thescholarship supports full- and part-time students who havedeclared a major in science, technology, engineering, math,business, or nursing.

GaN Corp. is a Huntsville, Ala.-based small business, with anoffice in Sierra Vista, that provides a range of technical and man-agement services to government and commercial customers.Company CEO Dr. Jonn Kim toured the Sierra Vista Campus,including the mechatronics lab, last year while managing thelocal office.

FUND TO SUPPORT STUDENTS IN WILLCOXA new Willcox Center Fund is an opportunity for donors whowish to support students and the education center in that com-munity. The fund is supported in part by vending machine pro-ceeds, with expenditures targeted toward scholarships, specialpurchases or other enhancements at the Willcox Center.

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NEWS OFALUMNI &FRIENDSJoan Anderson Gilliland(’73) graduated with honorsand was an active contribu-tor to the Heliograph, theCochise College newspaper.She earned a degree inbusiness from Arizona StateUniversity and a master's inbusiness from the Univer-sity of Phoenix. Joan held anumber of positions ashuman resources officerbefore joining the interna-tional engineering firm ofBechtel as a human re-sources officer. Her hus-band Clay Gilliland isformer president of theCochise College StudentGovernment Association.He will soon retire fromAmtrak in Phoenix.

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Lisé Gilliland (’75) earnedan associate of arts in lib-eral arts and is now directorof the Cochise County Li-brary. Previously, sheworked as director at theSoutheast Steuben CountyLibrary in Corning, NY, andas city librarian at Bisbee’sCopper Queen Library. Shegraduated from CochiseCollege with honors andholds a bachelor’s degree inhumanities from Fort LewisCollege in Durango, Colo.;she also earned a master'sin library science at the Uni-versity of Arizona. BetweenCochise and Fort Lewis, shespent a year in Perugia,

Italy, with the American In-stitute of Foreign Study andthe Italian University forForeigners studying Italianand art history. Lisé has twopugs and three lhasa apso-shih tzus, all rescue dogs.

•Orlando Griego (‘06)played basketball atCochise College and earnedan associate of arts in gen-eral studies. He is an inde-pendent distributor inColorado for SendOutCards,an online greeting card sys-tem.

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Gary K. Johnson (’76),whose career with theNCAA was featured in thespring 2010 “Accolade,” hasauthored “Artie,” the storyof a high school basketballstar who is transportedfrom 1988 to 1918 Kansasafter a car accident andwho re-learns the rules ofhis favorite sports, plays onthe university basketballteam with his great-grand-father, and finds love alongthe way. The book was pub-lished in 2011 by XlibrisCorporation.

Leo “Butch” Lynn attendedCochise College until 1966and went on to a careerworking as a publicist. Inthis photo taken in theearly 1990s when he wasaffiliated with the openingof Dick Clark’s Reno, Nev.,nightclub American Band-stand, he is pictured (sec-ond from the right) withthe late Dick Clark (right),television news anchor SamShad (left), and Paul Revereof Paul Revere and theRaiders. Today, Butch coor-dinates regular luncheonsfor a group of Bisbee HighSchool graduates.

•Steve A. Moncibaez (’91)played baseball and earnedan associate of arts in gen-eral studies at Cochise Col-lege. He is anenvironmental technicianfor Salt River MaterialGroup.

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George Montaño, whotransferred from CochiseCollege in 1974, came outof retirement in 2011 toserve as principal at Steven-son Elementary School inDouglas. After Cochise,Montaño earned a bache-lor’s degree in secondaryeducation in history atNorthern Arizona Univer-sity and a master’s in schooladministration from West-

ern New Mexico University.He taught for Douglas Uni-fied School District,coached high school base-ball, and went on to serveas vice principal at HuberMiddle School; principal atSarah Marley ElementarySchool; and athletic direc-tor, vice principal and prin-cipal at Douglas HighSchool. Montaño retired in2006 and continues toteach Introduction to Edu-cation for Cochise College.

•Becky Newcomb (’10)earned an associate of artsin music and is an artist inTucson.

•U.S. Army officer JeremyPrince (’00) has served twotours in Iraq andAfghanistan since earning abachelor of science in vet-erinary science at the Uni-versity of Arizona in 2003. In2011, he completed a mas-ter of arts in business andorganizational securitymanagement at WebsterUniversity.

•Terry Wolfe (’92) earnedan associate degree in com-puter information systemsand is a field engineer withNCR Corp., a global technol-ogy company and leader inautomated teller machines,self-checkouts and otherself- and assisted-servicesolutions.

Share your news and updates atwww.cochise.edu/alumni oremail alumni@cochise.edu.

FIND Cochise College andCochise College Alumnion Facebook!

Ways to GiveDonor contributions helpprovide thousands of dol-lars in scholarships and pro-gram support each year.You can help support theseand other college activitiesin a variety of ways.

• Establish an Annual or Endowed Fund

• Planned Gifts• Personal Property• Real Estate• Cash and Pledges• Matching Gifts

Check our website to giveonline, or contact us at(520) 417-4100 to deter-mine an appropriate use for your gift.

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The Oral History Project, which elevates the communicationskills of ESL and pre-college-level English students, is the firstrecipient of the Nicodemus-Michelich Innovation Grant, whichwas awarded Feb. 24 at Faculty and Staff Development Day.

The grant is supported by the Nicodemus-Michelich Fund forTeaching and Learning, which was established in 2009 to sup-port innovative classroom practices. It is named for CochiseCollege President Emeritus Dr. Karen Nicodemus and retiredVice President for Instruction/Provost Dr. Joanna Michelich(’68), who worked together for many years and retired in thesame semester.

Students participating in The Oral History Project interviewlocal citizens in an effort to preserve and capture history. Theyorganize, interview, edit and present their projects in local pub-lic venues, such as at the Gadsden Hotel in Douglas and thecollege’s Little Theatre.

"Students' language development, as well as theircommunication skills, has grown," said MargaritaRamirez Loya, the faculty member who leads theproject in her ESL and pre-college-level Englishcourses. "But, most importantly, I have seen themengaged in their own learning, taking responsi-bility and ownership of their growth in impor-tant academic and social skills. They take prideto represent Cochise College in each presenta-tion that they carry out. The Oral History Proj-ect has turned into a vehicle to learning."

Ramirez Loya has been implementing and experimenting withdigital storytelling techniques since spring 2011. While her stu-dents were learning, she was researching and analyzing theirdevelopment inside and outside the classroom. Her work hasearned her invitations to share her findings at professionaldevelopment events at the Sierra Vista and Douglas campuses,as well as to present at the International Conference on DigitalStorytelling that was held in Valencia, Spain, in March.

Ramirez Loya said what makes this ESL project innovative isthat something like it would normally be done as an honorsproject. The communication skills it ingrains also takes stu-dents well beyond the realm of academic learning, teachingthem abilities they'll be able to use for the rest of their lives.

"When students become engaged in big projects with highexpectations, they will achieve beyond their expectations," shesaid. "By working beyond the classroom and interacting withthe community, they not only develop their academic skills,but most importantly, they acquire a sense of understanding,appreciation, and respect towards their community and themembers that it represents."

To establish a foundation for innovation, the college hosted aseries of workshops last fall that offered faculty members achance to share ideas and explore ways to promote learningamong today’s students. Participating faculty were eligible tosubmit proposals for funds in support of innovative teachingand learning in their classrooms. As a recipient, Ramirez Loyawill participate on the committee that reviews the next roundof proposals.

Story by Liz Manring. Photo by Beatrice Richardson/Courtesyof the Sierra Vista Herald/Review

Cochise College ESL InstructorMargarita Ramirez Loya leadsa discussion with studentsabout The Oral History Project.Participants sharpen theirlanguage skills by interviewinglocal residents and re-tellingtheir stories in a variety ofcommunication formats.

FirstNicodemus-Michelich Innovation Grant awarded

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

P A I DDOUGLAS, AZPERMIT NO. 16

4190 W Highway 80Douglas AZ 85607-6190

Some members of the AssociatedStudents (the equivalent of today'sStudent Government Association)were unidentified at publication.Pictured are Drake Clay Gilliland,seated, Richard Weaver, rear left,and William Hicks, rear center.Gilliland was president of the organi-zation, which was active in measuresthat made a significant impact,including withdrawal of support forathletics, and an effort to allowvisitation between the men's andwomen's residence halls.

Contact us at alumni@cochise.edu toshare your memories.

REMEMBER WHEN...?