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@PimaNews

Contents

  • College Updates
    • Save for Tomorrow ─ Start Today
    • Save-the-Date:  Benefits Open Enrollment
    • East Campus Hosts “Meet a Professional” Series
    • Volunteer to Serve on a Standing Committee, March 22 Deadline
    • PCC’s Aviation Technology Graduates in March 1 Completion Ceremony
    • Pima Dental Hygiene Clinic Needs Patients
    • Write a Will Workshops
    • Alberding Amble, April 27, Raises Money for Math Award
    • Volunteers Needed for LULAC Conference
    • Athletics Schedule
  • Inside Story
  • Pima People
  • Upcoming Events
  • Ongoing Events

College Updates

Save for Tomorrow ─ Start Today
Attend an online webinar hosted by TIAA-CREF at 10 a.m. March 20.

This seminar:

  • Emphasizes the importance of maximizing retirement plan contributions
  • Explores how a sound understanding of asset allocation principles can play a significant role in the management of your individual financial objectives
  • Highlights the advantages of working with TIAA-CREF
  • Offers five principles to help you save for retirement

Register for the seminar here.

For webinar audio, call 1-800-851-3758.

TIAA-CREF is one of the College’s supplemental retirement savings plan (403b and 457b) vendors and administrator for the Optional Retirement Plan.

In addition, a representative from TIAA-CREF will be at the Downtown Campus on March 26 and the East Campus on April 10 for one-on-one meetings.  Call the Employee Service Center, 206-4945, if you have questions.

Save-the-Date: Benefits Open Enrollment
The benefits open enrollment period for the 2013-2014 plan year is April 15-April 26. Wellness activities and information fairs will be held as follows:

April 16

  • Maintenance & Security, Room MS105, 8-10:30 a.m.
  • District Office, Community Room, 1:30-4 p.m.

April 17

  • East Campus, Room L101, 9-11:30 a.m.
  • Desert Vista Campus, Ocotillo Room, 1:30-4 p.m.

April 18

  • Community Campus, Room A109-A112, 9-11:30 a.m.
  • Downtown Campus, Atrium, 1:30-4 p.m.

April 19

  • West Campus, Santa Rita Building Room A138, 9-11:30 a.m.
  • Northwest Campus. Room A207, 1:30 4 p.m.

For more information, call the Employee Service Center, 206-4945.

East Campus Hosts “Meet a Professional” Series
East Campus is hosting a “Meet a Professional” series. The sessions are noon-1:30 p.m. in the Community Room. The schedule is:

  • March 28: Pharmacy Technology Careers
  • April 24: Administration of Justice Careers

Volunteer to Serve on a Standing Committee, March 22 Deadline
All PCC employees – staff, faculty and administrators – interested in serving on a standing committee for the 2013-2014 academic year need to complete the Standing Committees Interest Form to be considered. The deadline is March 22. Volunteers will be notified by email by May 10 regarding new committee assignments.

Please note that this process is the recognized vehicle for employees to indicate their interest and willingness to serve on a standing committee next year. Individuals serving on a standing committee whose terms do not expire until spring 2014 do not need to reapply.

PCC’s Aviation Technology Graduates in March 1 Completion Ceremony
PCC’s Aviation Technology Program marked a first with the group of approximately 45 students receiving their certificates of completion in a ceremony March 1.

For the first time in the program’s history, every one of the 24 students graduating from the Airframe and Powerplant training already had a FAA airframe license before finishing their powerplant classes, making them eligible to work in the field. Usually a handful of students, at most, will have done so, with most taking the licensing exam in the months after completing training.

Several members of this graduating class have job offers and Bombardier staff recently did a blanket interview with all interested students. Several students already have accepted Bombardier job offers and more are expected to decide soon.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Kathryn N. Roman, commander, 355th Maintenance Operations Squadron at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, was the keynote speaker at the completion ceremony.

The Aviation Technology Program runs cohort classes year-round, with students completing in March and August each year.

Pima Dental Hygiene Clinic Needs Patients
Did you know that Pima has a Dental Hygiene Clinic? Located at West Campus, the Dental Hygiene Clinic provides dental hygiene students an opportunity to work with real patients and offers low-cost dental services to the public. Click here for more information, or call 206-6090 for an appointment.

Write a Will Workshops
The Pima Community College Foundation, in conjunction with other local non-profit organizations, is offering free workshops on updating and creating a will.  Write a Will workshops, presented by attorneys, will be held at the PCC District Office C-105 on March 11, 4-5:30 p.m., with the YWCA, Emerge and Girl Scouts; and March 12, 4:30-6 p.m., with the Blake Foundation, YMCA, Humane Society and TMC  Foundation. Family members and friends are welcome, and reservations may be made by calling 206-4646 or emailing foundation@pima.edu.

Alberding Amble, April 27, Raises Money for Math Award
Be part of this year’s Alberding Amble 5K and 1-mile Fun Run/Walk on April 27 and help raise money for the Art Alberding Math Scholar Award, presented annually to qualifying Pima Community College students.

The event is at Lincoln Park, 4325 S. Pantano Road, and this year includes the Atterbury Wash Greenway on the routes. The early registration deadline is April 19, but late registration is available on the day of the event. The 5K starts at 8 a.m., the fun run/walk at 9 a.m. Medals will be awarded for the top three men and top three women in each 10-year age bracket.

To register, visit the Pima Community College Foundation web page.

Volunteers Needed for LULAC Conference
West Campus is hosting the 24th Annual LULAC Youth Leadership Conference on March 12, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Volunteers are needed!  If interested in volunteering, register here.  If you have questions, please contact Vanessa Hernandez. 

Athletics Schedule
Support Pima’s sports teams! A summary of upcoming events is here.

To see schedules for all Aztecs teams, visit the Athletics Calendar or a team’s home page, through its link at www.pima.edu/athletics.

Inside Story

Success of Astronomy Magazine Event at East Campus Leads to Plans for Repeat

Astronomy magazine’s skywatching party last month at the East Campus Observatory was so successful, the magazine intends to hold it again next year.

Dozens of people attended the all-day event, which included day and night viewing, and astronomy presentations and exhibits. Those attending could use PCC’s two 14-inch telescopes for nighttime viewing, while, during the day, Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association members set up telescopes filtered for safe solar observing during the day.

A highlight of the event was the observatory’s new All Sky Camera, recently set up by David G. Iadevaia, PCC Astronomy and Physics faculty member. The camera offers a 360-degree view of the sky. A live image from the camera is online.

This was the first time Astronomy magazine has had an event at East Campus, home to the observatory since 1989.

Pima People

  • Council 1082 of the League of United Latin American Citizens selected Dr.  Johnson Bia, Desert Vista Campus president, to receive the L.U.L.A.C. 2013 National Presidential Citation Community Service Award. It will be presented during the 24th Annual L.U.L.A.C. Educator’s Awards and Scholarship Banquet on April 11.

Upcoming Events*

  • March 22:  PCC Truck Driver Training Program Open House, Truck Driver Training Center, 6680 S. Country Club Rd., free, noon-4 p.m., 206-2744.
  • April 20:  11th Annual Tucson Japanese Speech Contest, Community Room J-G05, West Campus, free, noon-5 p.m.
  • April 27: Alberding Amble, 5K and 1-mile fun run/walk, Lincoln Park, 4325 S. Pantano Road,  registration on or before April 19 is $15 and $7, respectively; thereafter $20 and $10, respectively, 5K at 8 a.m. and fun run/walk at 9 a.m.

Ongoing Events

*For more information on CFA performances, visit the Center for the Arts website or email CFA.

@PimaNews is an electronic newsletter for employees of Pima Community College. It is published by Pima Community College Public Information. @PimaNews is published weekly during the semester and every other week during the summer. Back issues are available on the College website. Please send announcements and news items to pimanews@pima.edu by Monday at noon.