I am continually impressed with the number and quality of the partnerships I have seen since arriving at CCC.
As interim president for the college these few months, I am quite amazed to see the passion of the faculty and staff in their dedication to help meet community needs and students’ dreams for their futures. To that end, partnerships, as I have learned, have been a cornerstone of CCC’s efforts, and I would like to spend a little time discussing three of our most recent partnerships.
LAW ENFORCEMENT ACADEMY
On Oct. 3, more than a dozen recruits from local law enforcement agencies will undergo 21 weeks of training at the newly established High Country Training Academy at CCC. The academy was made possible through the partnership of multiple agencies, including the City of Flagstaff and its police department, Coconino County and its sheriff’s office, CCC, Yavapai College and Northern Arizona University and its police department.
The academy will allow for local law enforcement agencies to keep their recruits locally, in their own homes, supporting their families, while they complete the rigors of the 24-credit-hour academy. It will help agencies save on the expense of having to house and support recruits at academies out of the region, and it will aid all Northern Arizona communities in receiving quality, professional officers who have a deeper understanding of the policing needs of the communities from which they come. The academy, it is my hope, will be part of a wider effort being focused on by local officials at the state legislature to create a public safety training facility here at home to function as a hub for the training needs of the area – law enforcement, fire services and emergency services.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
I have learned firsthand the challenges with finding affordable housing in the Flagstaff area when my husband, Terry, and I moved here to step into my interim position at CCC. Luckily for the residents of Flagstaff and beyond, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona works tirelessly to help people for whom the dream of owning a home can be more than just a dream.
The College’s Construction Technology Management students learn valuable on-the-job experience and service to the community by helping construct panels for Habitat “starter homes.” The homes, about 500 square feet, are $100,000 and built on city-owned land. The people who are selected to own them can do so with $1,000 down and pay $833 a month. Whatever they put into the home, they receive back when they sell the home back to Habitat to serve as a nest egg on a larger home, or to go toward a business they’d always hoped to start. The first home, which can be seen from Butler Avenue in Southside, is nearly complete, and CCC students are currently in the process of constructing the panels for a second home next door.
COLLEGES JOIN FORCES
The four community college districts covering all Northern Arizona – CCC, Mohave Community College, Northland Pioneer College and Yavapai College – have entered into an historic partnership agreement to help better serve students. The agreement, called the Northern Arizona Community College Partnership, calls on the colleges to collaborate and combine resources to better serve residents and communities throughout Northern Arizona.
The work includes sharing college courses to improve student success and completion as well as enhancing workforce development with each district’s wide array of unique programs. Also, the colleges will focus efforts to collaborate in the areas of credit and non-credit offerings, curriculum development, data sharing, business functions, student services and other services to offer a network of higher education access to residents of Coconino, Mohave, Apache, Navajo and Yavapai counties.
I must also point out that all four college presidents will also work together to strengthen their partnerships with K-12 schools, workforce development partners and universities. In CCC’s case, we continually work with our neighbor next door, NAU, to improve our partnership on a variety of fronts as is shown with the creation of the new law enforcement academy.
I am continually impressed with the number and quality of the partnerships I have seen since arriving at CCC. It is my privilege to serve our students and the communities in Coconino County for this brief time while a new, permanent president is selected to serve. I invite you to learn more about CCC and the programs the college has to offer. For more information about degrees and certificates offered by Coconino Community College, please visit www.coconino.edu. FBN
By Christal M. Albrecht
Dr. Christal M. Albrecht is the interim president at Coconino Community College.
For more unformation about the Coconino SBDC at CCC, or to make an appointment for assistance, visit https://www.coconino.edu/SBDC. For more information about Elevated Shredding and Strides 2 Thrive, visit http://elevatedshredding.com.
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