Desert Messenger

May 17, 2017 www.DesertMessenger.com 7 Opinions expressed in letters to the editor do not necessarily represent those of the Desert Messenger. letters to the editor AWC OP-ED FOR LA PAZ COUNTY Planning Together for Future Prosperity When graduation rolls around every year, residents of La Paz and Yuma Counties gets a quick visual reminder online and through lo- cal media of the culmination of several years worth of effort. Our students are both young and old, many are parents, and most are working full- or part-time while attending college. While we have the pleasure of seeing them ev- ery week of every semester, and understanding both their struggles and their dreams, the biggest part of their effort goes on behind the scenes for many people in Yuma and La Paz Counties. And yet, we all benefi t. We benefi t when our neighbors get good jobs and can contribute to the tax base. We benefi t when our companies can hire skilled, productive employees. We benefi t when voters in our area understand the issues as they fi ll out a ballot. Because we understand that the future of the college is mutually tied to your future, and to the future and prosperity of every community we serve, from San Luis to Parker, from Wellton to Salome, from Yuma to Somerton to Quartzsite, we are asking you to take some time this year and engage with us in our Strategic Planning process. We embarked in January on a 14- month journey to create a vision and future for Arizona Western College. To date, we've heard from over 850 students, faculty and staff to help create and steer the process. This past Friday, we hosted another 450 people from our communities across the region, at an exciting fi rst-time event, called The Horizon Symposium. Together, we heard from regional thought leaders on topics central to the viability and vitality of rural higher education, such as educa- tional equity, workforce develop- ment, and consumer trends. Then, we broke up into community focus groups to capture direct feedback. This event was broadcast live across the district, and mirrored in our San Luis and Parker Learning Centers. Videos of these speakers, all of our fi ndings to date, can be found at azwestern.edu/strategy. You are welcome to chime into the process at any time. Send an email to Strategic.Planning@azwestern. edu to share your ideas. In the fall, we'll invite community members back to our campuses to hear about our progress so far, and to give feedback on the preliminary plans. And my door is always open to you. In the president's role, com- munity feedback is key to under- standing how well we're doing our job, whether what we do makes a difference in your business, in your neighborhood, and in your life. As we move forward strategically, please know that fi scal steward- ship is always at the heart of what we do. We understand that you've entrusted us with your tax dollars, and we take these steps to develop powerful plans that are responsive to the region. We are also driven to plan and suc- ceed by the personal, meaningful dreams of our students. They come to us because they see something bigger in their lives. They want to make a contribution, and they need training and a degree or certifi cate to be able to do that. They're plan- ning to be nurses or engineers, to craft public policy or fi ght fi res, to serve families or start a small busi- ness. And we know we're uniquely prepared to help them get there. Creating a vibrant economic future for our region, one student at a time, depends on community sup- port, trust, and nurturing partner- ships. Together we can build that future. Dr. Daniel Corr, President, Arizona Western College Corner of Moon Mt. & Cowell • Quartzsite • 928-927-5400 QUARTZSITE'S ONLY YEAR ROUND SALON Cheyanne, Debbi, Sandy, ARE HERE FOR ALL YOUR OPEN YEAR ROUND! Hair, Nails, and Pedicure Services 585 N. Central Quartzsite Open Mon-Fri 8-5 928-927-8787 Johnny DelPino, Owner BEST AUTO RV & TRUCK REPAIR SERVICE YOU CAN DEPEND ON!

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