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The League for Innovation in the Community College and the Maricopa Community Colleges have a rich history of supporting and promoting innovation. Each year, Maricopa and the League co-sponsor the Innovation of the Year Award Program
The Maricopa Community College District and the League for Innovation in the Community College co-sponsored the 2004-2005 Innovation of the Year Awards Program to recognize an individual or a team of employees who designed and implemented a significant innovation that had a positive impact on the education of students. Each college, the Maricopa Skill Center, and the District Office participated in a local selection process to determine their Innovation of the Year selections. Each Innovation of the Year team made a presentation to the district-wide selection committee, comprised of representatives from the various employee groups within Maricopa. The committee selected one innovation to be the recipient of the Dr. Paul M. Pair Innovation of the Year Award, which includes $2,000 to be used to further the innovative project. Congratulations to the district-wide Innovation of the Year Award recipient and to each of the outstanding Innovations!
Dr. Paul M. Pair Innovation of the Year Award Recipient
SMCC/AAEC Bioscience Collaborative (SABiSCo)
South Mountain Community College
SABiSCo developed a comprehensive biotechnology curriculum with research quality facilities creating a charter high school, MI/HSI community college, and university pathway. Students learn science concepts as they conduct original research in association with four residential Ph.D. faculty, the United States Department of Agriculture, and University of California San Diego Supercomputer Human Genome Project. Students may present their scientific findings at national symposia and apply for bio-industry and federal government internships. Enrollment was 36 in spring 2003, 115 in fall 2004, and is projected at 230 in 2005.
College and District Winners
The Math Anxiety Reduction Student Success (MARS) Program
Chandler-Gilbert Community College
The MARS program was designed to improve retention rates and promote student success for developmental math students. It was a collaborative effort by Chandler-Gilbert Community College's Counseling and Mathematics faculty to develop an effective and efficient method to help developmental math students over come math anxiety, develop successful study habits, set academic and career goals, as well as develop and employ effective test taking skills. It employs assessment tools that are used to assess student learning and to continuously improve the program.
Navigate Maricopa: A Program for Maricopa Supervisors
District Office
The Navigate Maricopa Supervisory Program provides Maricopa supervisors with 40 plus hours of quality instruction to enhance skills in risk management, safety, performance management, resource stewardship, legal issues, and human relations. Initiated in spring 2002, the program has been utilized by over 200 Maricopa supervisors or aspiring supervisors who have taken one or more courses.
Planning, Effectiveness, and Assessment: A Stakeholder Driven Strategic Planning Process
Estrella Mountain Community College
Estrella Mountain has developed an integrated planning, effectiveness, and assessment process focused on improvement of Mission and Goals. Key stakeholders (students and employees) drive the process at all levels. Critical components include strategic and divisional planning; core values; core indicators of effectiveness; student academic assessment; student engagement; and national benchmarking projects.
Gaucho Mentoring Program in Support of Nursing Students
Glendale Community College
The Gaucho Mentoring Program is a uniquely collaborative cross-departmental and cross-campus approach to student retention. The program utilizes existing staff to provide a variety of structured activities to support GCC's Nursing students. Students participate in orientations, seminars, study skills classes, study groups, and individual mentoring.
GateWay Community College Report Information System
GateWay Community College
The Report Information System (RIS) is GateWay's central web-based reporting tool for enterprise data. RIS delivers over 300 on-demand reports supporting business processes for Administration, Student Services, and Instruction. RIS has enabled Operations to cut paper consumption by 60% while delivering reports in a secure, personalized, and efficient manner.
Communication Skills for English Language Learners
Mesa Community College
International and immigrant students learning English can now earn an academic certificate demonstrating proficiency in oral communication in English. Communication Skills for English Language Learners guides English Language Learners (ELL) through an academic program leading to competency in speaking English. This program of study provides continuing education for professionals, communication skill building for new immigrants, and a desired credential for international students.
Student Bus Passes
Maricopa Skill Center
The Maricopa Skill Center used its own buses to bring students to school until a new look at the service found it would be environmentally-friendly and budget-smart to utilize the Valley Metro bus system. Now free bus passes give needy students unlimited transportation as long as they have good attendance.
Reality English for ESL: Bringing the Community into Your Classroom
Phoenix College
This program is a new instructional approach bringing the community into the classroom by using on-sight tours, hands-on experiences, and guest speakers. There is no such program being used at Phoenix College or Maricopa for ESL. As these reality-based experiences occur, they will be recorded for future ESL classes.
Adjunct Faculty Initiative
Paradise Valley Community College
The Adjunct Faculty Initiative (AFI) promotes professional growth and development of adjunct faculty consistent with Paradise Valley Community College's core value of learning. The AFI has successfully increased the participation of adjunct faculty in programs which have been shown by national studies to promote students' deeper learning and retention.
Rio Salado College's Online Pre-licensure Nursing Program
Rio Salado College
The innovative Online Pre-licensure Nursing program provides students with a convenient, accessible, and quality learning experience using an accelerated, e-learning format. Through unique partnerships with healthcare organizations, clinical requirements are completed in a real-world environment under the tutelage of practicing nurses working as clinical faculty. In its inaugural year, 26 students graduated.
Expanding the ESL Program into the Community
Scottsdale Community College
Since January 2000, responding to the needs of the community, the ESL Program at Scottsdale Community College has planned and implemented English language training for such diverse businesses as hospitality, landscaping, construction, and the automobile industry. This innovative effort has contributed to an increase of over 1000% in ESL enrollment.
 Eric Leshinskie, MCLI
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