The Department of Education (DOE) has awarded SMCC a $1.1 million five-year TRIO grant. Adding about160 low-income, first generation and disabled students each year, the program helps students access opportunities to higher education. The grant is designed to help high-risk students to stay in school and to eventually transfer to four-year, higher education institutions. Awarding the grant, the DOE noted that SMCC is an Hispanic-serving and Minority-serving institution, and more than 50 percent of students receive financial aid.
More than 30 SMCC students have received paid internships to participate in the Bridge to Biomedical Research Program at ASU-West in the last seven years.
Math, science and engineering students have made presentations at numerous national conferences – including at an undergraduate research symposium at the Universidad Metropolitana Department of Science and Technology in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
NASA Spaceflight Life Sciences Training Program and the Department of Energy have selected a total of 12 SMCC students to participate in paid internships for the past five summers. Students in engineering, math and science benefit from these prestigious internships at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and the Pacific Northwest National Lab in Richland, Washington.
The Computer Science, Engineering, and Math Scholarship (CSEMS) grant of more than $395,000 provides 120 scholarships during four years. In 05/06, the grant enters its third year at SMCC. Students receive $1,500 a semester. Recipients are planning careers in these targeted fields
The Intel Corp. Foundation has awarded $8,000 in scholarship money to SMCC in recognition of the hundreds of hours, over five months, that employees volunteered (alongside Intel) to organize and staff the March 2005 INTEL Latina Conference at SMCC. Scholarships will be awarded to Latino students pursuing a college degree in math, science, or engineering.
Bioscience courses have grown and expanded. Students in the new Human Genetics course apply advanced technologies found in modern medicine and science. Students learn concepts underlying cloning, as they participate in original research related to cloning human DNA.
SMCC is the only Maricopa Community College to have a student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). The national group has awarded the chapter a grant (written by the students) to fund a rocket demonstration for students from T.G. Barr Elementary School.
The college is proud to be a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution and Minority-serving Institution.
In Spring, 2005, the Men’s Baseball team went to the World Series for the first time and tied for fourth place. The Men’s Golf Team returned to the NJCAA National Golf tournament in Scottsboro, Ala., and placed a respectable ninth place. Six of the seven men golfers are off to four-year universities with athletic and academic scholarships. The Men’s Golf team also won its fifth consecutive Region I Tournament this year - and was designated the number two golf team in the nation.
In addition, the SMCC Men’s Golf Team and Men’s Baseball Team each received Academic Team of the Year status. To be nominated, each team must have a combined GPA of 3.0. Nine student athletes received NJCAA All-American Academic honors. The Men’s Basketball Team made it to the District Championship Game for the first time in the school’s history, and the SMCC Women’s Basketball Team was region runner-up for the first time in ten years.
The SMCC Performing Arts Center (PAC), which opened in Fall 2003, has won eight major awards including the 2004 Valley Forward Association Crescordia: Buildings & Structures, Public Assembly Category. Eight magazines have honored the PAC, as well, including Southwest Contractor Magazine, which bestowed the Editor’s Choice Award. Architect: Jones Studio Inc.
The number of theater majors has tripled since theater classes began in August of 2003 (coinciding with the opening of the Performing Arts Center). Since then, the department has produced six full-length productions. The spring 2005 production of The Taming of the Shrew has earned eight AriZoni nominations, including Best Director (for SMCC theatre faculty member, Julie Holston). The SMCC student organization, Spotlight Productions, has grown large enough to produce its “own season” in 2005/2006.
The PAC is a major source of pride for SMCC and the community. Featured are a state-of-the-art Performance Hall, Dance Studio, Studio Theater, and classrooms. In the lobby of Performance Hall is the exquisite hand-blown glass sculpture, “Baseline Bouquet,” by renowned Tucson artist Tom Philabaum. The modern, mesmerizing “garden” involves eight color groups and recalls the agricultural heritage of South Phoenix. In 1998, Philabaum was named Arizona Artist of the Year.
The Mediation and Conflict Management Program is the only one of its kind among community colleges. The program includes college classes in conflict mediation and also trains area high school students to be peer mediators. Each year, SMCC hosts the Peer Mediation Conference for high school students throughout the state. (Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard has recognized the program and its director, Pete Facciola, for outstanding work).
SMCC is home to the Bilingual Nursing Fellowship Program – a federally funded partnership with GateWay Community College and Banner Heath System. Congressman Ed Pastor helped to secure funding for this program, which provides much-needed Spanish speaking nurses in Arizona. In 2006, the fourth group of BNFP students will begin the program of study.
Achieving a College Education (ACE) is a nationally recognized college/high school concurrent program, especially for students who may be at risk. SMCC started the program in the 1980s and it has expanded to other Maricopa Community Colleges. SMCC ACE students have earned more than 25,600 college credit hours. The program has won numerous honors, including the City of Phoenix Mayor’s Partnership Award.
The Cisco Networking Academy is among the few authorized to teach the entire curriculum of CCNP (Cisco Certified Networking Professional) The academy also includes CCNA (Cisco Certified Networking Associate) Security/Firewalls and Wireless. In Spring 2006, SMCC will launch a new Cisco Voice over IP and IP Telephony training program. This training leads to the Cisco Certified Voice Professional Certification.
The Telecommunications Technology Program is the only one of its kind in Arizona, preparing students for jobs in the telecom industry.
SMCC and Phoenix College oversee the Maricopa Community College District’s Teacher Preparation High School (TPHS) at the City Colleges Center in downtown Phoenix. Unlike other charter high schools, TPHS specifically prepares high school students to become future teachers. Also, SMCC is the home to the highly regarded Dynamic Learning Teacher Preparation Program – a partnership with ASU.
SMCC is a major provider of courses in English as a Second Language. More than 70 classes are offered year around.
The SMCC Storytelling Institute is the only community college in the nation to award an Academic Certificate in Storytelling. Students who complete the 30-credit program are eligible. The nationally recognized institute, which began in 1995, hosts performances and workshops by recognized storytellers. The National Storytelling Association has awarded the SMCC Storytelling Institute a Service Award for its work in bringing storytelling to the community. Lorraine Calbow, SMCC Emeritus Faculty and a Storytelling Institute Founder, received the 2005 Western Regional Leadership & Service Award from the National Storytelling Network.