MARICOPA COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGES DISTRICT FOUNDATION - SCC STRATEGIC INNOVATION FUND - TOHONO OODHAM 2017.PDF

Last updated: 05/07/2017
General information
Organization Maricopa County Community Colleges District Foundation
Contact First name Barbara
Contact Last name Roberts
Contact e-mail barbara.roberts@domail.maricopa.edu
Contact phone number 4807318417
Address
Street 2419 W 14th St.
City Tempe
State AZ
ZIP Code 85281
From what tribe is the Tohono O’odham Nation
organization requesting the
grant?
Total grant amount request 75,000
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Date of Application: May 5, 2017
Beginning Date of Project: October 1, 2017 End Date of Project: September 30, 2018
Organization Name: Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation & Scottsdale Community
College
Organization/Municipal Government Street & Mailing Address:
Scottsdale Community College - 9000 E. Chaparral Road - Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Project Name: Scottsdale Community College Strategic Innovation Fund
a) Explain the perceived need and explain how the proposal will address that need:
Scottsdale Community College (SCC) respectfully requests $75,000 in 12% funding in 2017-2018
from the Tohono O’odham Nation to support a “Strategic Innovation Fund.” This fund will
enable the college to foster and nurture forward thinking ideas and projects. SCC faculty and
staff are among the most creative, pioneering and ground-breaking in their approach to
maximizing student learning and success, as demonstrated by SCC’s out-performing the
Maricopa County Community College District’s average in 11 of the 13 Governing Board
measures, in the college’s fall-to-fall retention rate of 63.8%, and college-level course success
rate of 73.3%.
However, the college’s ability to be new and inventive in its work with students is increasingly
limited due to ever-decreasing resources, (declining enrollment combined with the fact that
community colleges in Maricopa and Pima counties no longer receive funding from the State of
Arizona.) It is, therefore, imperative that SCC seek funding outside of tuition and property tax
revenue to maintain its history of cutting edge, enriched educational excellence for all students.
Should the Tohono O’odham Nation 12% Committee approve this request, the “Strategic
Innovation Fund,” SCC’s Strategic Planning and Resource Council, will be tasked with evaluating
proposals submitted by SCC Faculty and Staff against defined outcomes, expectations including,
but not limited to the following:
 # of students impacted
 Increased access to learning
 Reduction in costs to students
 Anticipated operating cost savings
 Increased student retention and completion
 Improved efficiency and accessibility of process or service to students
 Enhanced and expanded community partnerships
 Increased employment/internship opportunities for students
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Each project or initiative that is funded will be obligated to provide detailed reports on the
outcomes of the investment and all reports will be shared with Tohono O’odham Nation.
Examples of the results that can be anticipated include the following SCC initiatives:
OER/Zero Cost Degree
Development of hybrid (combination face-to-face and online delivery) Associate of Arts
degree which utilizes Open Educational Resources (OER). OER are teaching, learning, and
research resources that are copyright-free or have been released under a copyright license
that permits others to reuse, revise, remix and redistribute them. Examples of OER include:
full courses, course modules, syllabi, lectures, homework assignments, quizzes, lab and
classroom activities, teaching materials, games, simulations, and many more resources
contained in digital media collections from around the world. SCC has been a leader in
radically decreasing student costs by offering “low cost” (under $40) or “no cost” options
for course materials. Textbooks comprise approximately 30% of college expenses for SCC
students. A student taking a full-load (16 credits) in a typical semester might spend
approximately $800 on textbook costs. Through OER, a student taking the same classes
would spend $0. SCC’s current OER effort which began in 2012 is estimated to have saved
students over $356,000 per semester.
SCC CIS Networking Virtualization Lab
Update and expansion of CIS Networking Lab. In the 2014-15 academic year, the SCC
Computer Information Systems (CIS) program had its second highest graduation rate in both
Certificates of Completion and Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees awarded in the
Maricopa district. In addition, Network Administration, Web Design, and Web Development
continue to be the program’s most popular degrees. Currently, the CIS faculty at Scottsdale
Community College has placed students with GoDaddy, Avnet, and Rural Metro just to
name a few employers. Salaries for entry-level, full-time positions for SCC CIS graduates
range from $45,000-$60,000. The former networking lab served a limited number of
students; the new lab expansion and update to virtualization will serve many more, as it is
not limited by seats/stations. The goal is to increase the number of students receiving
certificates and associate degrees in high-demand fields by up to 15%. Virtualization is
among the many emerging, high demand/paying areas and local industry has shared about
lack of trained expertise.
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Developmental Reading Contextualization
In fall 2013, SCC's reading faculty participated in the first phase of the Maricopa Millions
project (development of OER materials). As a part of that initiative, RDG faculty
collaborated to leverage their collective knowledge on current teaching strategies in
developmental education and create high-interest content that integrated reading skills and
rigor necessary for academic success at the college-level. As a result, student retention and
completion have increased. Students have reported increased engagement in the content,
improved comprehension of text material in other co-enrolled courses, and a deeper
appreciation for the reading process and its influence on college and career success. Data
shows students’ successful completion (“C” grade or better) of developmental reading has
increased from 70.1% in spring 2013 to 77.2% in spring 2015.
b) Describe the population who will benefit from the proposal if approved:
Students of SCC are from Maricopa County and include people from all walks-of-life, all ages,
ethnic backgrounds, and abilities. Some are veterans. Students and community members will
benefit from funding that supports these projects, because the projects by their very nature are
innovative, impactful and unique. Each project will subsequently vary in the impact felt on
differing target audiences here at SCC and in the community.
c) Include a budget of the requested funds, with the total amount requested clearly notated:
$75,000: The proposed budget of $75,000 is intended to support several projects, presently
projected to be in the $15,000 per project range. The budget for each project will be
determined on the basis of a formal, detailed application. Approved applications will include
detailed budgets. All approved projects and budgets will be shared with Tohono O’odham
Nation, and periodic progress reports will be forwarded as well.
d) List any other funding requests that have been made for this or substantially related
proposals and provide the status of those requests:
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community provided $75,000 in initial funding in 2016-
2017. These funds allowed SCC to initiate the SCC Strategic Innovation Fund and support five
projects totaling $75,000. The initial five projects were selected as the most innovative out of
14 projects that were submitted, representing requests for just under a total of $400,000. The
five winning projects are now in process, and initial reports will be completed before the end of
the fall semester. New applications would be solicited in the fall of 2017 for SCC’s second round
of Innovation Funding.
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e) Indicate whether the entity has already received a 12% distribution from the Tohono
O’odham Nation or other Arizona tribes, along with the amount and date awarded:
SCC has not received 12% funds from the Tohono O’odham Nation in the past. SCC has been
the recipient of 12% funding from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Those funds
supported the following:
 $100,000 in 2012 for the Indigenous Scholars Institute Endowment
 $75,000 in 2013 for the Indigenous Scholars Institute Endowment
 $100,000 in 2014 ($75,000 for the Indigenous Scholars Institute Endowment and
$25,000 for scholarships to Native American students who do not receive tribal support
 $100,000 in 2015 ($75,000 for the Indigenous Scholars Endowment and $25,000 for the
Johnson Scholars Endowment
 $75,000 in 2016 for the Strategic Innovation Fund
f) Identify a designated contact person and alternate contact person for follow-up, including
e-mail address, phone number, mailing address, and fax number for these persons:
Contact Persons and Project Managers: Charles Silver & Raymond Weinhold
Primary Contact: Barbara Roberts Charles Silver
Title: Grants Development Specialist, Title: Director of Development, SCC
Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation Address: 9000 E. Chaparral Road -
Address: 2419 W 14th St., Tempe, AZ 85281 Scottsdale, AZ 85256
Phone: 480-731-8417 Phone: (480) 423-6424
Fax: 480-731-8411 Fax: (480) 423-6787
Email: Email Address:
barbara.roberts@domail.maricopa.edu charles.silver@scottsdalecc.edu
g) Indicate which priority area (from the above list) the proposal falls under:
(A) EDUCATION
h) If the proposal is from a non-profit organization, include the name of the city, town, or
county an agreement will be made with if funds are granted. A letter from the governmental
entity acknowledging its agreement to work with the non-profit is not necessary for the initial
proposal. However, it is necessary for those non-profits selected to receive grant funding.
Maricopa County
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