By J.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D.
The end of 2020 is virtually in sight. Like many of you, I am ready for a fresh start.
First, a little reflection is in order. Despite the challenges, very positive things happened at Cochise College this year.
Some of us are comfortable with the online environment. Others are not. But the spring’s stay-at-home order nudged (perhaps an understatement) all of us in that direction. This required the college to provide additional educational resources for faculty and staff suddenly faced with delivering services remotely. To keep everyone informed, we began hosting virtual college-wide meetings that had better attendance than the face-to-face meetings of the past. Professional development opportunities were created, and we learned to adapt. Many students also adapted. Others had a more difficult time. Knowing that is allowing us to plan for the upcoming semester, when we’ll continue to balance safety with access.
The college continued to engage with its stakeholders. In spring, community members wrote notes of encouragement to students. In summer, we called students to remind them about fall registration. In fall, we hosted a virtual open house and financial aid nights. We conducted both a community survey and an alumni engagement survey. Our generous community contributed to a new scholarship fund for adults, at a time when some of those adults were losing their jobs. Video became our best friend, and a staff videographer, hired just before the pandemic, helped us with a virtual scholarship celebration and videos showcasing numerous academic and training programs.
This month, we hosted (socially distanced) community partners and broadcast an open house of a new cybersecurity and virtual reality center. Sharing the work of our faculty and staff and the opportunities now available for students – both in person and remote – energized everyone. The new center provides students with hands-on learning experiences using real-world applications, and our partnership with Fort Huachuca on that project is sure to lead to great things for students.
Also this month, teams of college employees are revisiting our mission, vision and values statements. Accreditation demands evaluation and/or revision of these guiding ideals, which haven’t been seriously examined in a number of years. Guess how we’re tackling this project. Virtually!
Recently, Melanie and I had the opportunity to ring the bell for the Salvation Army, seeking donations to help people in our community. We were inspired by others’ willingness to give, and they seemed more enthusiastic than in other years that we have participated. So we were motivated, during this season of giving and in this time of crisis, to direct funds we normally would have put toward a holiday gathering in our home toward something for the greater good. “How much fun could a virtual party be anyway?” we asked ourselves. Instead, we have established the President JD and Melanie Rottweiler Scholarship with the Cochise College Foundation. Our goal is to assist students with need who have applied but do not qualify for a federal Pell Grant. The first award is anticipated for the 2020-2021 school year.
As we approach the end of this strange and tumultuous year, when virtual might get the job done, or it might not quite cut it, I hope you will join me in reflecting on the positive of yesterday and know that the sun will rise again tomorrow.
J.D. ROTTWEILER, Ph.D., is president of Cochise College. Contact him at jdr@cochise.edu.