Campus Connection - April 2017
Take Your Dog to Work Day
CCA’s Red Fox went into hiding on March 29 for CCA’s first-ever Take Your Dog to Work Day.
CCA staff brought their furry friends to work for the day; the animals were either kept on a leash outside of the office or kept in offices and staff adhered to other rules to make the workplace comfortable for everyone.
Staff members brought more than 30 dogs to CCA as part of the day. Many of the animals and their owners gathered together outside the Fine Arts Building for a pet parade.
During the pet parade, staff members introduced their dogs to their coworkers and had the dogs perform tricks for the crowd. After the parade, pets and their owners met in the Fine Arts Building to vote on the best-dressed dog, best trick, and cutest dog.
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(Left) Charles Robinson, administrative assistant in the Fiscal Affairs Department, showed off Missy to the crowd.
(Middle) Academic Advisor Anna Jansen shows off her pet, Samuel Jackson, during the pet parade.
(Right) Graduate Assistant Adriana Cordova brought her pet, Chiquita, to the pet parade.
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(Left) Cindy Osborn, Faculty Load and Compensation data specialist in the Academic Affairs Department, brought Sheba, dressed as Superman, to Take Your Dog to Work Day.
(Right) Bengal met Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness Chris Ward’s stuffed animal, Darcy, during the event. Andrea Flynn, administrative assistant, is holding Darcy, and Bengal belongs to Joe Florkowski, web content specialist.
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(Left) Advisor Svetlana Ehrhart demonstrates a trick she taught her dog, Dunya.
(Middle) Brandy Monckton, academic advisor for the School of Liberal Arts, demonstrates a trick with her pet, Hollie.
(Right) Mary Graham, director of Academic Affairs Support, brings out her dog, Alexander McTavish.
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(Left) Graduate Assistant Tiffany Christian shows off her puppy, Israel, to the crowd during the pet parade.
(Right) Mary Hajner, COGNOS analyst in Institutional Research, provided a 15-minute demonstration on the benefits of pet massage, using her animal, Touché, as a model.
President's Corner
I hope everyone had a great spring break, whether you were gone or simply got to bring your dog to work. April is a great month. It is a busy and positive time as we celebrate the accomplishments of an academic year and prepare to send our graduating students off to their next adventures. We also start to anticipate the beautiful Colorado summer and make our plans for concerts at Red Rocks, baseball games at Coors Field, a pint at the Lowry Beer Garden, time in the mountains, or simply long, sunny days.
Speaking of summer, registration opened on April 3 (right before it began to snow) and fall registration opens on April 24. I am optimistic that we will continue to see strong enrollment and commend everyone across the college for your contributions to recruitment and retention. It all adds up.
This year has had its challenges, as every year does, but when I start to worry about the problems and lose sight of our accomplishments, it does not take long to be reminded of what a great college this is and what wonderful work we do. I was reminded today when I talked with a young man who told me, “I am living your motto. I am potential realized.”
This student told me how much he marveled at the consistently high quality of instruction he received in all of his classes (he has been here one year) as well as the level of support he received outside of class. He is one of the students we talk about when we talk about equity – and not only did he find an educational home here – he also found himself. I love CCA because our students really do matter to us – and they know it.
I encourage you to attend the graduation ceremony on May 6 at 10 a.m. in Magness Arena at the University of Denver. If you have never attended a community college graduation you should definitely come – and once you have, you will want to keep coming back. It is an important day for our students and their families and is even more meaningful if they get to share it with the faculty and staff who have helped make it possible. Thanks to you all for your ongoing passion for and commitment to the work you do here. Have a great month.
Model United Nations Team Receives Honorable Mention - Again!
Congratulations to Dr. Bobby Pace, chair of the Social Sciences Department, and his team of CCA students for again bringing home an honorable mention award from the National Model United Nations conference!
This is the third consecutive year that CCA’s team has received this award. More than 5,000 college students attend the National Model United Nations conference, and dozens of colleges compete from across the United States and the world.
CCA’s Model United Nations team received the honorable mention award during the closing ceremonies held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall on March 23.
During the National Model United Nations conference, CCA’s student team represented Mexico and discussed how issues such as climate change, countering violent extremism, sustainable development, and other topics affect Mexico and the world.
Caption: The CCA Model United Nations team inside the UN General Assembly Hall.
CCA’s Model United Nations team then proposed solutions based on what Mexico has done historically and offered ideas on how to solve these problems on a global scale.
During the closing ceremonies, the team listened to many influential speakers involved with global policy and issues.
The CCA Model United Nations team consisted of Julian Aranda, Troas Bendixson, Jesus Calderon, Kenneth Carlson, Sydney Comet, Eitan Grinsteiner, Sharona Grinsteiner, Cole Higgins, Adam Isaacs, Lorenzo Johnson, Christina Nakata, Gerald Pace, Isabel Rayborn, Francisco Rodriguez, Veranique Simpson, Justin Taylor, Roberto Valenzuela, Gabriele Villanueva, Gina Whyte, and Forest Wilson.
To find out more about CCA’s Model United Nations team and to discover what CCA students thought about the conference, read the CCA blog about their experience.
Caption: Student Isabel Rayborn holds up the honorable mention award that CCA’s team received during the National Model United Nations conference in 2017.
Seen Around Campus
Color the Camps
Frida Deoses, a concurrent enrollment student at CCA, decorates a cookie as part of the Color the Camps project in the Rotunda at the CentreTech campus on March 14. Color the Camps is a program to support and encourage refugee camps around the world by donating art supplies and developing art programs in the camps.
Murder Most Foul
Students in Tanya Cook’s Sociology 102 course pored over case files and tried to determine who the murderer was in the Murder Most Foul simulation, held on March 14 in the Katrina Building on the Lowry campus. The simulation was set in the 1970s to limit students in the technology they could use to “solve” the case; since DNA evidence and the Internet were not available resources, they couldn’t be used to solve the crime. The goal of the exercise was for students to understand how existing social biases may lead them to miss important details and clues.
Caption: Students Nick Musial (left) and Michael Bartels (right) examine case files and try to determine who committed a crime during the Murder Most Foul exercise on March 14.
Paradise Park Zoo
Students Julia Harris (left) and Miguel Rodriguez Rubio (right) hold up an elephant prop as part of the production of “Paradise Park Zoo” in March. The CCA Theatre Department’s spring production—a comedy that focuses on capitalism, the radical left, and more—featured CCA students portraying animals, including humans, trapped in cages. As a bonus, playwright Savannah Reich visited CCA during the production’s opening week and talked with CCA students about the art and craft of writing.
Confluence
On March 10, CCA hosted its second Confluence, a student academic conference for the School of Liberal Arts. Faculty members from across the School submitted the best student work from spring, summer, and fall semesters in 2016. A panel of faculty members judged the submissions for final inclusion in the conference. University of Colorado Denver Chancellor Dr. Dorothy Horrell was the keynote speaker for the event.
Caption: From left to right, CCA Vice President of Academic Affairs Tricia Johnson, University of Colorado Associate Professor Rebecca Hunt, University of Colorado Denver Chancellor Dorothy Horrell, and CCA President Betsy Oudenhoven pose for a photo during Confluence.
Life's Happenings
In March, Chris Tombari, associate dean of Academic Affairs in the School of Liberal Arts, delivered his first academic, research-based presentation at a national conference—the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators Annual Conference in San Antonio.
Upcoming Events
Lowry Campus
Diesel Power Mechanics Open House: April 13, 3 to 6 p.m., Diesel Power Mechanics Building 840
Diesel Power Mechanics Open House: April 15, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Diesel Power Mechanics Building 840
Spring Career Expo: April 18, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., West Quad Building 112 (Todd Bergren Room)
CentreTech Campus
Open Mic Night: April 19, 6 to 8:30 p.m., Student Centre Building, The Rotunda
Off-Campus Events
Commencement: May 6, 10 a.m., the Magness Arena at Ritchie Center, the University of Denver, 2240 E. Buchtel Blvd., Denver, CO 80210
Colorado Film School Student Show: May 9, 7 p.m., Harkins Northfield Theatre at The Shops at Northfield Stapleton, 8300 Northfield Boulevard, Denver, CO 80238
Hip Hip Huzzah
Debbie Irvine Retirement
Assistant Director of Human Resources Debbie Irvine, one of the original employees who started with the Community College of Aurora when it was founded in 1983, retired in February. Debbie is not totally leaving CCA though: she will work in a part-time capacity starting in April.
Caption: Debbie Irvine, left, poses with a quilt that was sewn by Kimberly Suazo, payroll accountant, right. The quilt commemorates Debbie's time at CCA.
Dissertation Defended
Andrew Goff, faculty member in CCA’s Early Childhood Education Department, successfully defended his dissertation on March 23 at the University of Colorado Denver. His study, “Preparing Early Childhood Professionals to Be Leaders in High-Quality Inclusive Early Childhood Programs: A Case Study of One Community College,” addressed the need in higher education literature regarding leadership training for early-childhood professionals in community colleges.
O’Dell Serves on State Faculty Advisory Committee
Kelly O’Dell will lead the State Faculty Advisory Committee (SFAC) with CCCS and, in that role, will also be the SFAC representative to the State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education.
New IT Certificate
Congratulations to JoAnn Burkhart and the Computer and Digital Technologies Department! The department has received approval for a competency-based IT Tech and Support certificate.
Ted Snow to Serve on Aurora Symphony Board
Ted Snow has been selected to serve on the board of directors for the Aurora Symphony.
Let Your Students Know About Scholarships
Let your students know that there is more than $500,000 in scholarship money available to them through the CCA Foundation for the 2017-2018 academic year! The application deadline for summer scholarships is April 15, and the deadline for fall 2017 and spring 2018 scholarships is April 30.
Make sure your students visit the CCA scholarship page, and let them know about the many scholarships available to them!
Connecting with the Community
CCA Students Contribute to DAVA Exhibit
Downtown Aurora Visual Arts (DAVA) has unveiled an exhibit that features the work of Aurora-area middle- and high-school students. Called Double Exposure, the exhibit features a variety of mixed media that focuses on the issues DAVA students face.
Fourteen students from Kate O’Donnell’s 2-Dimensional Design class learned about pinhole cameras, then instructed the DAVA students on how to make their own pinhole cameras and take photographs. For the exhibit, CCA student Shana Thompson led the group as part of her honors project. The exhibit runs through June 9 at the DAVA studios.
Governor Declares March 15 ThankYouAmerica! Day in Colorado
Betsy Oudenhoven, CCA president, Dr. Geoff Hunt, CCA faculty, and Sharona Grinsteiner, ThankYouAmerica! member, hold up the proclamation that declares March 15 ThankYouAmerica! day. Dr. Bobby Pace, chair of the Social Sciences Department at CCA, received the proclamation from Governor John Hickenlooper declaring March 15 as ThankYouAmerica! Day in Colorado. The proclamation celebrates the work of a group of students who addressed negative rhetoric against immigrants and refugees in Aurora. During the past year, the students created a campaign titled “ThankYouAmerica!” to highlight the special contributions of immigrants in the community and to welcome them to the area. The students have received awards for their social-media campaign and their community-outreach efforts, and have completed a series of four books highlighting immigrant stories.
ThankYouAmerica Children’s Books
As part its program, ThankYouAmerica! produced four children’s books that tell the stories of individual immigrants who live in the area. Working with the ThankYouAmerica! program, CCA staff helped to coordinate the writing and production of the books. CCA faculty member Geoff Hunt and Ana Romero, CCA graphic designer, worked with ThankYouAmerica! member Sharona Grinsteiner to produce immigrant narratives. The books are now available in the children’s sections at various libraries throughout the Aurora area.
Take Back the Night
The Community College of Aurora’s ninth-annual Take Back the Night featured a variety of speakers who addressed topics such as consent and Title IX, as part of the international movement that seeks to “create safe communities and respectful relationships through awareness events and initiatives. We seek to end sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, sexual abuse, and all other forms of sexual violence.”
Caption: Angie Makomenaw, assistant director of Prevention Education and Advocacy Services at the University of Northern Colorado spoke to CCA students during Take Back the Night.
What Does the Fox Say?
What is your favorite activity to do in Colorado in the spring and why?
Chris Tombari, associate dean, School of Liberal Arts: “Pull out the tools and the YouTube videos, tune up mine and my kids’ bikes, and RIDE, RIDE, RIDE!”
Brandy Monckton, academic advisor for the School of Liberal Arts: “I love cold-weather camping because it makes me feel alive!”
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