Chandler-Gilbert Community College

GivePulse and CommUNITY: Innovation, Access, and Impact

The pandemic transformed how CGCC engaged with the community through its Service-Learning and Civic Engagement (SLCE) program. As nonprofits faced surging demands, CGCC adapted to help. In spring 2020, CGCC began implementing GivePulse, a platform to streamline volunteer management and track student participation. Although initially unrelated to the pandemic, this was timely as in-person service opportunities dwindled. By fall 2020, GivePulse laid the foundation for reimagining service-learning in a hybrid world. In spring 2021, the SLCE team launched CommUNITY, a virtual series connecting students, faculty, and staff with local nonprofits. Over time, CommUNITY evolved into monthly volunteer events to address the volunteer shortages caused by the pandemic. With intentional scheduling and transportation options, these events expanded access for students. GivePulse and CommUNITY empowered CGCC to promote service opportunities and transform experiential learning.

Innovators

• Alisa Beyer, Faculty, Psychology, and Faculty Liaison, SLCE
• Ashley Bouknight, Program Coordinator, SLCE
• Teressa Dulle, Placement Coordinator, Early Childhood and Teacher Education
• Kerry Gerle, Faculty, Nursing, and Faculty Liaison, SLCE
• Katie Haar, Program Supervisor, SLCE
• Nikita Horn, Assistant, SLCE
• Buzzy Sullivan, Faculty, Photography, and Faculty Liaison, SLCE

District Office

Affordable Textbook Costs for New Bachelor’s Degree Courses

The Creator Fest on Affordable Textbook Costs for New Bachelor’s Degree Courses was launched two years ago within the Maricopa County Community College District to address the significant financial burden of textbook costs on students in newly developed bachelor’s degree programs. By empowering faculty to identify, adopt, and integrate open educational resources, low textbook cost, and zero textbook cost materials into courses, particularly upper-division and newly developed lower-division bachelor's degree programs, this initiative aims to improve access to high-quality, affordable education while enhancing academic success. Through this Creator Fest, 41 faculty at seven participating colleges developed 54 courses across six bachelor’s degree programs, including two zero textbook cost bachelor’s degrees. Approximately 2,000 students are enrolled in the programs, leading to a projected textbook cost savings of $2.7 million.

Innovators

• Helice Agria, District Director, Academic and Student Systems, District Office
• Debbie Baker, Instructional Designer and Coordinator, Open Educational Resources, District Office
• Stephanie Green, Faculty, Nutrition, PC
• Jacqui Higgins-Daily, Librarian, GCC
• David Perry, Program Manager, Baccalaureate Degrees, District Office
• Lisa Young, Faculty Administrator, Open Education and Innovation, District Office

Estrella Mountain Community College

Let's Get Ready Together: EMCC's Open House

The Let’s Get Ready Together open house at EMCC is a community-building initiative designed to promote academic success, foster engagement, and build a sense of belonging for students and their support systems. The event is held before each semester and connects attendees with faculty, staff, and campus resources in a welcoming environment. Over three semesters since fall 2023, nearly 800 students and their support systems have participated. Activities including campus tours, lab demonstrations, and interactive resource fairs provide insights into academic programs, support services, and extracurricular opportunities. This initiative has been particularly impactful for first-generation students, who comprise 36% of attendees, bridging gaps in support and accessibility. By prioritizing relational interactions and resource accessibility, the open house advances EMCC’s goals of improving student satisfaction, retention, and success and fostering a strong sense of community.

Innovators

• Becky Baranowski, Interim Dean, STEM and Workforce Development
• Sharon Lind, Administrative Coordinator, Vice President of Student Affairs
• Alissa Manzoeillo, Director, Marketing
• Laura Porritt, Administrative Specialist Senior, Academic Dean
• Sara Schweitzer, Administrative Specialist Senior, Dean of Students
• Tracy Tanner, One-Year Only Residential Faculty, English
• Isaac Torres, Dean, Student Affairs

GateWay Community College

EMS/Fire Career and Education Fair

The EMS/Fire Career and Education Fair, hosted by GWCC, is an initiative connecting students, alumni, and the public with over 30+ employers and educational programs within the district. Created and managed by a single employee with departmental support, this fair provides career networking, professional development, and educational opportunities. With no marketing budget, this by-the-bootstraps event helped create a lasting impact while addressing workforce needs and fostering community engagement. Approved as an annual event, in 2025 it was expanded to include law enforcement whereas it previously focused mainly on fire and emergency medical services. The college aims for the fair to remain a vital resource for students and the community while also potentially resulting in growth and enrollment for various programs across the district.

Innovator

• Jessica Discua, Instructional Services Supervisor, Emergency Medical Technician

Mesa Community College

Service Platform Collaboration

MCC’s Construction Trades and Maintenance and Operations collaborated on a common service solution: ServiceNow. This effort gives the Maintenance and Operations team the same analytics, visibility, and metrics as the Information Technology team and streamlines operations from our two largest service providers on campus.

Innovators

• Alvin Bridges, Chief Information Officer
• Tom Dyre, Manager, Information Technology
• Jesus Garcia, Project Manager, Facilities
• Edward Gonzales, Manager, Maintenance Operations
• Patricia Herrera, System and App Administrator Senior
• Timothy Williams, Supervisor, Technology Support
• Sergio Ybanez, Director, Facilities

Paradise Valley Community College

UnBoxed: The Intersection of Identity

To build relationships, we need to have meaningful experiences together. To this end, Ability Maricopa and Equality Maricopa invited employees to craft boxes this academic year to convey themes related to disability, mental health, gender, women’s studies, race, or culture. Participants altered and decorated boxes as conduits for their stories, resulting in art that explores identity-related issues. By making choices regarding craft materials and design, and whether to attend in person or online, we are teaching others about ourselves so they can understand what we need to excel. Hybrid box-crafting sessions occur districtwide. We hold crafting sessions in classrooms, centers for teaching and learning, and other spaces. Supplies and refreshments are provided by Ability Maricopa, Equality Maricopa, and host colleges; employees often bring items such as scrap cloth and magazines. Based on its impact on participants and the knowledge that we need opportunities to connect now more than ever, this innovation will be disseminated districtwide.

Innovators

• Jay Franzen, Student Services Analyst, PVCC, and President, Equality Maricopa, District Office
• Kate Mohler, Residential Faculty, English, MCC, and President, Ability Maricopa, District Office

Phoenix College

The PC H.O.P.E. Initiative

Data from 2023 indicate that 14% of PC students are homeless or housing insecure. To address this challenge, the Housing Opportunity Promoting Education (H.O.P.E.) Initiative was created to offer an innovative, sustainable, and scalable housing model that (1) provides financial support utilizing an evidence-based Rapid Re-Housing model, (2) connects homeless students to permanent housing, (3) conducts intensive career advisement to increase income, and (4) provides holistic case management. The goals of this program are to provide personalized support for students experiencing homelessness; increase utilization of career services, counseling, and community resources; and close gaps in student services to increase completion of postsecondary degrees. These goals align with student service activities while increasing persistence and academic achievement for our most vulnerable students. So far, the program has provided over $213,288 of housing support to 26 students, with six students successfully completing a program.

Innovators

• Kaylin Shady, Coordinator, Single Stop
• Joanna Torres Perez, Coordinator, H.O.P.E. Initiative
• Roberto Villegas-Gold, Faculty and Chair, Counseling

Rio Salado College

Got Laptops? Second Chance Pell Implementation at ASPC-Perryville

In July 2023, Pell Grants became accessible, once again, to incarcerated individuals. The purpose of this project is to address the need for accessible online learning opportunities which have historically prevented inmates from participating in the Second Chance Pell (SCP) experiment. RSC has developed courses tailored to meet the unique needs and circumstances of incarcerated students. The initiative is designed to remove barriers to education by providing incarcerated individuals at Arizona State Prison Complex-Perryville with the opportunity to benefit from SCP, offering them a pathway to higher education. Through these courses, the program seeks to empower incarcerated students by equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and credentials needed for successful rehabilitation and reintegration into society.

Innovators

• Patrick Berens, Project Manager Senior, Technical Services
• Monica Castellano, Director, Course Production and Support
• Janelle Elias, Vice President, Academic Affairs
• Lysia Hand, Program Manager, Incarcerated Re-Entry
• Murray Inman, Program Manager, Instructional Technology and Accessibility
• Ramsey Itani, Program Director, Strategy and Advancement
• Will Leos, Program Manager, Incarcerated Re-Entry
• Zach Lewis, Associate Dean, Institutional Effectiveness
• Tatum Pimental, Supervisor, Student Services
• Lisa Preston, Program Director, Incarcerated Re-Entry
• Laurel Redman, Director, Student Services
• Nanci Regehr, Director, Student Services
• Mary Rosas, Manager, Student Services
• Trish Scalzo, Faculty Chair, Chemical Dependency
• Karol Schmidt, Dean, Instruction
• Jessica Smith, Program Manager, Administrative Services
• Jim Tierney, Director, Information Technology
• Heather Tyler, Dean, Community Development

Scottsdale Community College

Classroom Culture: 3Rs: Right Start, Resiliency, and Recovery

Classroom Culture: 3Rs: Right Start, Resiliency, and Recovery is a system to assist students to succeed in the classroom. The program includes best practices, identification of students who need additional care, incentives for success, lessons in resiliency, and recovery time at the end of the semester for students to improve their grades. This program is used in GBS 151, Introduction to Business, a course which is often the first college course business students take. It is in-person and typically 16 weeks in length.

Innovator

• Bobra Crockett, Residential Faculty, Business

South Mountain Community College

SMCC Global Learning Hub: International Education

The SMCC Global Learning Hub (GLH) is dedicated to supporting the global engagement mission of Maricopa County Community College District by providing the resources and support needed for faculty to internationalize the curriculum, international students to succeed at SMCC, and local students to prepare for study abroad experiences. The GLH combines existing international education programming with new initiatives that provide a wide range of programs and services to students and faculty, capitalizing on global resources in the local community in order to expand international partnership and exchange program opportunities for the college.

Innovators

• Kimberly Mauldin, Chair, Language Arts
• Christine Raack, Faculty, English and ESL, and Coordinator, International Education
• Nicole Wetzel, Director, Admissions and Records