Late last month the Gila County Provisional Community College District Governing Board held two special meetings at the Gila Pueblo and Payson campuses, to discuss transitioning from a provisional community college district to an independent community college district. The board made no final decisions at these meetings, June 24 in Globe and June 25 in Payson, but did invite the public to provide input.

During the Gila Pueblo Campus meeting, the conversion drew both praise and concern from community members who spoke.

One commenter, Joanne Zache, voted for the provisional district more than 20 years ago. Zache was “elated that the move to an independent college was coming to fruition at last.”

A second speaker, Gila Pueblo Campus Associate Nursing Professor Megan Martinez, said she had concerns last year but was “pleased with the efforts the College had made toward independence.” Martinez added that having local control would be beneficial.

Other community members came to the meeting with questions – like Ed Alexander, who noted there were several rumors about the college and expressed concerns over finances, a tax increase and the loss of senior tuition waivers.

Addressing Alexander’s first two concerns, Governing Board President Dr. Jan Brocker and District Interim President Dr. Janice Lawhorn replied that the property tax levy would not increase, and the district continues to pay for its employees, equipment and supplies as well as 25% overhead, which equates to over $1.5 million a year to Eastern Arizona College.

Alexander also asked if there was a “plan B” to ensure the college was not shut down a second time. In reply, Lawhorn asked Gila County Coordinator Ron Carnahan to clarify that the college was never shut down, though at one time “enrollment dropped dramatically, and the other educational partner was not a good fit.”

Another community member, Erika Flores, voiced concerns over the college’s ability to develop courses and curricula for a July 1, 2025 start date. She also asked what programs would be offered and if courses would articulate with the state’s public universities. Brocker and Lawhorn replied that confirmation had been received from the three universities that with the college’s candidacy status the courses would articulate.

Lawhorn added that based on program completion data and available faculty, current programs including welding, HVAC, cosmetology, phlebotomy, medical assistant, dental assistant and elementary education as well as others will still be offered, and that she has written procedures to implement new curricula when the college achieves independence.

Another concern, raised by Globe Unified School District Superintendent Christa DalMolin-East, was dual enrollment students. Brocker replied that the college “was exploring every opportunity for partnerships that will benefit our students.”

On June 26, in a third special meeting, the Governing Board voted unanimously to adopt a resolution establishing the Gila Community College District in June 2024. According to draft minutes of that meeting, there was some discussion of a future acronym – GCC is being used by Glendale Community College – but no final decision was made.

The board also approved a new, one-year, contract with Lawhorn that started July 1 and is renewable up to two years if needed. Brocker, according to the draft minutes, said that hopefully this would be a Gila Community College position, not an independent contract, in a year. In addition, the board approved a $214,186.28 software contract with D2L, which will be activated this October so that course offerings can be set up by July 1, 2025. The term of the contract is five years, nine months.

In May 2024 the Gila County Community College District was reviewed and evaluated as meeting accreditation eligibility requirements by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC). The college is preparing the required Institutional Self-Evaluation Report for submission next month.

The college has announced that the ACCJC will visit the Gila Pueblo and Payson campuses to assess candidacy for accreditation from Oct. 7-9, 2024. In advance of this visit, the Gila County Community College District is soliciting comments from third-party individuals or groups, to ACCJC, regarding the college’s application. Comment forms can be accessed by visiting the Gila County Community College District homepage (https://gilaccc.org/) for the ACCJC link any time after July 1. Comments can also be made directly to the ACCJC website: https://accjc.org/forms/third-party-comments.