Each year in April, Coconino Community College bustles with activity. Students study with earnestness for upcoming finals. Faculty and staff hurry about to meet student learning needs and to prepare for a full calendar of events.
This year is different. This year marks an unprecedented disturbance to not only our college, but educational institutions across the state and the country. The hallways at CCC’s three locations in the county are, sadly but necessarily, quiet. For the health and safety of the college’s students, faculty, staff and community members, CCC took steps to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Just before the scheduled Spring Break in March, faculty and staff at CCC were making plans for the possibility of transitioning in-person classes at our campuses to online or alternative learning methods. Faculty worked tirelessly to make all the necessary arrangements for their students. Before Spring Break ended, senior staff members at the college and I made the decision to put those plans into action. Students will be completing the semester online, or through other arrangements they’ve made with their instructors.
Many of the college’s staff members have made arrangements with the support of their supervisors to work from home if at all possible. For those who continue to come to work in order to put our students first, the CCC facilities crews are doing their utmost to protect everybody with “social distancing” strategies and sanitizing of surfaces outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Coconino County Health and Human Services Department. CCC is also keeping all facility computer labs open for students only Monday through Thursday, however long that remains possible, to give students who may not have digital connections the opportunity to complete their studies.
As part of the college’s response, it was necessary to cancel all of CCC’s planned events for the rest of the semester. We are disappointed that Palette to Palate, our premier community event that raises funds for the CCC Fine Arts Department to support student scholarships and programs, will be on hiatus this year. We are hopeful to bring the event back next year when circumstances change. Sadly, CCC’s commencement celebrations will also need to make a change. Although we are currently exploring options, it is likely that we will create a “virtual” ceremony, and allow all of our 2020 graduates who receive degrees and certificates to join their classmates during the 2021 commencement. Nothing is set in stone yet, and we welcome all ideas. Please feel free to send ideas to Larry Hendricks, our senior manager of Public Relations and Marketing, at Larry.Hendricks@coconino.edu.
Early on, the college’s Incident Command Team began working on creating a webpage dedicated to keeping our students, faculty, staff and community informed on the latest developments brought on by our response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The webpage has the latest news and updates, information for students, information for faculty and staff and lists all student and public services available. Included are additional links and information to help all of us make more informed decisions on how to protect ourselves. The webpage can be found at coconino.edu/coronavirus.
CCC is currently moving forward with summer and fall registration, with class information and availability online.
With the community spirit outlined in our name, those of us at Coconino Community College, along with all of you, will continue to strive in the coming days and weeks to weather this trying time, together. I am wishing all of you, your families and your loved ones to be safe and to remain healthy.
Thank you, and … Onward! FBN
By Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D.
Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D., is the Coconino Community College president.
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