About 1,000 employees attended All College Day.
Pima Community College held its annual All College Day employee meeting on Aug. 24. It was the third All College Day I have attended since becoming Chancellor of PCC in 2013, and it was the most ambitious, information-packed and inspirational yet.
At the end of the morning session, I delivered remarks to the audience of nearly 1,000 – Governing Board members, regular faculty, adjunct faculty, exempt and non-exempt staff and administrators. It was a privilege to discuss the road PCC is taking to transform itself into a leading social justice institution that helps our students achieve their academic goals while leading our community to greater prosperity.
Dr. Aaron Thompson
Among our guest speakers was Dr. Aaron Thompson, Executive Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of the Kentucky Council on Post-secondary Education, who touched on the distinction between climate, the current perception of an institution’s members, and culture, the institution’s deeply embedded values and beliefs. Our Institutional Climate Cooperative held afternoon sessions to help employees collaborate to make PCC a better place to work and learn.
Dr. Karen Solomon and Provost Dr. Erica Holmes
Dr. Karen Solomon, Vice President for Accreditation Relations and Director of the Standard Pathway at the Higher Learning Commission, also presented. Dr. Solomon noted that PCC had been a nationally recognized thought leader in higher education in years past and challenged us to regain that position. She added she was “confident the institution can make the necessary changes and be removed from Notice.” [Notice means that the College is now in compliance with the HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation, but remains at risk of being out of compliance with the Criteria for Accreditation and the Core Components.] I share the view that although plenty of work remains, we are on our way toward regaining the fullest confidence of the HLC.
In my remarks, I shared the College’s new Vision, Mission, Values, and Core Themes and Objectives, a framework to guide us forward as we navigate through an ever-changing local, national and global landscape. I highlighted three of our Core Values: our unshakeable belief in open access, our commitment to student success and to creating a civil, compassionate and kind College community.
I’d like to note one of the more than two dozen afternoon breakout sessions, a thought-provoking presentation on Emotional Intelligence by Dr. David R. Katz of Mohawk Valley Community College. Each of us can have a profound impact upon the emotional state of people we interact with, so everyone at PCC can make a difference in the lives of our students and colleagues.
It takes a College-wide effort to make All College Day a resounding success. Events Coordinator Christy Yebra and her team, along with colleagues in Access and Disability Resources, Facilities, Information Technology, Marketing, PCCTV, the Provost’s Office and volunteers District-wide once again mastered the logistics necessary for mounting such a great event. Most of all, I want to thank our employees for their support as we remake PCC into a premier community college, one dedicated to student success, community engagement and diversity.
Carl Englander, Pedro Flores-Gallardo, Ed Gallagher, David Bishop, Amy Cramer, Ph.D., Anthony Sovak, Ph.D., and Dolores Durán-Cerda, Ph.D., winners of outstanding staff/faculty/administrator awards
Pima CC Chancellor 