By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

From The Beatles and Wilford Brimley to a Hall of Fame induction and commencement, it seemed there was a commemorative affair at every turn in 2014-15.

In hindsight, you might wonder about the necessity of all of that. Community engagement is important for a “community college,” so I’d say it was both necessary and successful. The Cochise College anniversary provided a hook, a golden opportunity, to garner attention and advance the institution, because five decades is just a little more special than, say, 47 years, and it only happens once.

All told, the college actively engaged about 2,000 people who helped spread the word about the anniversary and our achievements. Nearly 200 of Cochise College’s earliest staff, students and its biggest supporters, not all from Cochise County or even Arizona, attended a Founder’s Dinner in September. Two Twist & Shout: The Definitive Beatles Experience concerts drew about 500 people each to less intimate, but equally joyous, events. About 150 rodeo and western fans bought tickets to see Wilford Brimley in the Douglas Campus Student Union in November. Six months later, an equal, but different, crowd attended the Hall of Fame induction there. People who wished to support their academic program attended an aviation open house in March, with 100 also signing up for a dinner. Another 100 attended a nursing reunion a month later. About 20 different individuals provided items for a mobile memorabilia display, and countless others absorbed its message — that there’s more to Cochise College than meets the eye.

The beauty of this particular outreach effort was its diversity; the crowd that attended the rodeo benefit isn’t the same crowd that attended the nursing reunion. And both of those events were special in their own ways

Before the year closed, the college began planning for the new one. Next year, we’ll develop the Sierra Vista Downtown Center, a gift of a former hospital property from The Legacy Foundation of Southeast Arizona. You’ll see a fresh marketing campaign structured around the word “possible,” and you’ll see new energy around specific programs.

Needless to say, the college looks forward to the next 50 years.

J.D. Rottweiler is president of Cochise College. Contact him at jdr@cochise.edu.