By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

In legal terms, it takes 18 years for a child to reach adulthood.

So if you are Jan Guy, who joined the Cochise College Governing Board in 1994 and recently attended her last meeting as a board member, you might think of the college as “all grown up.”

Jan Guy

Proud, determined, protective, and dedicated, Jan has been described by another board member as “Mama Tiger” when it comes to her relationship with her alma mater. Like many of our students, she earned an associate degree as an adult and went on to earn bachelor’s and master’s degrees, and she’s deeply committed to the idea that students have access to higher education.

Choosing to complement Hereford retirement living with a voluntary life in politics is no small commitment. What on the surface seems like a simple monthly meeting also comes with a need to study the issues and board materials; college-related public appearances, networking, and speaking engagements; and service on related boards and committees that come with higher education trusteeship.

Jan served the college well during a period of significant growth and change, starting her tenure in the same year the college welcomed its ninth president, Dr. Walter Patton. She led the college during selection of its 10th and 11th presidents, Dr. Karen Nicodemus, president emeritus, in 1999, and yours truly, in 2009. This also marked a period of significant enrollment growth; full-time student equivalent grew 208 percent since 1994 and has nearly tripled in the last 10 years alone. Jan was on board during development of the college’s current mission, vision and values, principles that guide its important work, as well as implementation and enhancement of services and facilities in existing and new venues, including online and in Santa Cruz County. She’s proudest of the growth in academic opportunities for local students, and she’s a stalwart believer in local governance of community colleges and accountability to the local taxpayer and resident.

Like many parents, Jan’s excited to see what steps her child will take next. So she can’t just walk away. The college will still seek her wisdom through her role on the Cochise College Foundation board of directors, an organization she joined prior to the Governing Board and which she currently serves as vice president.

Jan’s last Governing Board meeting included a reception honoring her service and welcoming new board member Dennis Nelson of Bisbee, as well as thanks from many college employees and fellow board members.

Jane Strain, board secretary, summed up Jan’s service well. “My thanks to you, Jan, for your visionary leadership, knowledge and expertise of the Arizona community college system and, especially, of Cochise College, as well as for your tenacity during your advocacy work for Cochise. This is the legacy you leave us.”

From now on, Mrs. Guy may fill those holes in her calendar with pets and friends and other opportunities, but I have a feeling that Cochise College will always be her baby.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Students enrolling in accounting, American Sign Language, business, CISCO networking technology, composition, math and other classes at the Cochise College Fort Huachuca Center this semester are the first to take advantage of the opportunity to learn in the former Col. Smith Middle School.

The college’s use of the facility, located on Cushing near Squier next to the new middle school, allows the Fort Huachuca Accommodation Schools to delay costly demolition of it and the college to enhance its instruction and market potential in a facility that was built for education. Being a military-friendly school – GI Jobs Magazine has named us among the top 15 percent in the nation more than once – and having offered classes on post since our earliest years in the 1960s, we see occupation of the building as an opportunity to provide even better service to soldiers and their dependents. The facility was renovated last fall to meet the needs of the classes we currently offer; now, we have the opportunity to explore expanded uses for it.

Those of you who are familiar with our relationship with the fort are aware that our military occupational specialist program, which provides soldiers with college credit for their MOS training, as well as the option to pursue a full degree, is a significant piece of our enrollment. In fact, our graduation rates in the program have leapt from 12 in 2001-02 to 873 in 2011-12.

Our MOS offerings allow us to expand offerings to military spouses and children. The general education classes offered on post are open to anyone, including civilians who don’t live there. Jim Barrows, the Fort Huachuca Center director, hopes to explore opportunities related to personal interest and short-term professional development courses, and we now have space to experiment with programs according to demand and, of course, availability of funding for things like equipment and teachers.

In the meantime, our administrative and student services offices can still be found in the Army Education Center, and the culinary arts program is keeping its home in Young Hall. While we’d like to expand that program, the resources to do so simply aren’t available at this time.

The college recognizes that defense spending is likely to decline and impact the Cochise County economy. At the same time, learning spaces on the Sierra Vista Campus, at the other end of town, are generally full, and, according to a recent report from the Center for Economic Research, more than 9,000 full-time equivalent workers are associated with the fort. We have been given a rare chance to try some things, and the two years of our agreement with the Fort Huachuca Accommodation School District should be telling in terms of the future demand for classes on post.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Name an agricultural pest insect of Africa and Asia whose larvae feed and develop exclusively on the seed of legumes, whose adults require no food or water, and who spend only one or two weeks mating and laying eggs on beans.

I know, Callosobruchus maculatus is on the tip of your tongue!

Research to develop undergraduate laboratories using the species – commonly known as bean beetles – originated at Emory University and Morehouse College in Atlanta. Other schools were recruited to assist, and Cochise College is one of them.

“Formal research at the community college level?” you ask. Well, yes. With renewed attention on science, technology, engineering and math, there exists a movement to mold science education around the idea that studying it should be an active endeavor that focuses on science as a process. The effort is led by the Community College Undergraduate Research Initiative (CCURI), sponsored by principal investigators at New York’s Finger Lakes Community College and funded by the National Science Foundation.

This semester, three biology students are working with faculty members to study the proteins found and produced in bean beetles at different life stages. Students raise the beetles, extract the proteins and compare them to those of other organisms. In addition, two engineering students are carrying out an unrelated project to develop an algorithm to detect and identify dust devils on Mars from orbital or surface imagery, rather than the tedious, manual digital blink comparison method. The goal is to generate results worthy of publication in a scientific journal or presentation at a scientific conference.

Until now, laboratory research at Cochise has been conducted on a limited basis. Over the past several years, Cochise College chemistry faculty have conducted an ongoing honors project for selected second-semester students with the goal of research and development of a multi-step synthesis of a molecule called dihydrojasmone, which could be incorporated into the sophomore-level organic chemistry laboratory curriculum. In addition, chemistry students have investigated the possibility of distinguishing between burlap materials manufactured in Mexico and that produced in the United States by using Fourier Transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR ).

Ideas that have been percolating among isolated Cochise faculty are beginning to jell into a cohesive undergraduate research program that we hope will place us among the innovators, as well as help us make even stronger connections with our university partners. Undergraduate research credit can help students seeking university admission and scholarships. Our affiliation with the CCURI is an effort to institutionalize undergraduate research so that any student who is interested can easily participate.

Often, community college students participate in lab experiences as part of their class. But that sort of exercise doesn’t provide the freedom to discover the answer to a question that they want to ask, nor to think extensively about the process they will use to find it. Undergraduate research is an avenue for students to develop critical thinking skills and to be exposed to more rigorous challenges that require them to actively develop and carry out a study.

Research can be the fun part of science, particularly when students identify what they want to study and carry it out in a lab. I am glad to see our faculty working to provide students with these opportunities, and I look forward to seeing the published results.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

About a month after I joined Cochise College in 2009, I found myself in a small room at the Douglas Campus poring over the handiwork on a collection of primitive, painted pottery. This, of course, was during the time when I was studying up on the organization and familiarizing myself with all of its opportunities, challenges, perks and quirks.

As it turned out, I’d stumbled on a big one. The pottery, I was informed, represented a library of ceramics from prehistoric cultures in the area that rivals or surpasses any other existing collection, thereby informing the fascinating heritage of Cochise County and positioning Cochise College as a destination for cultural studies. I’m a sociologist, and I was in love at first sight.

The collection came to be housed at Cochise College in the 1960s and 1970s when students participated in excavation and survey programs and earned credits that fulfilled degree requirements at the state universities. Later, when those credits were accepted only as electives, the program diminished in popularity, but the items they unearthed remained as an educational resource for future generations.

At least seven major excavations, collecting ceramics, stone, human and other bone, and assorted other materials, spanned the county during the program’s active years. In addition, the college was the recipient of collections provided by families in Cochise County and northern Mexico, as well as a 1974 U.S. Customs donation of artifacts seized at the border. Some of the items are both aesthetically beautiful and culturally representative.

On April 9, the college will add archaeology to the list of “As” it celebrates at the Douglas Campus (the list also includes art, athletics, aviation and agriculture) with the debut of the first installment of “The Prehistoric Peoples of Cochise County,” a permanent exhibit of the artifacts unearthed decades ago by archaeology classes.

Rebecca Orozco, a faculty member in history, organized the collection when she served as director of the college’s Center for Southwest Studies (now the Center for Lifelong Learning). The project is dear to her heart, having grown up rubbing elbows with local history and archaeology experts and participating in those early excavations as a student. The exhibit, which includes an artist’s renderings of scenes from daily Native American life, puts the pieces into context and directly ties them to local culture; because of her ties to the program and background in archaeology and anthropology, Becky also is able to provide a unique perspective during informational reviews of the collection.

As the custodian of these items, it is our responsibility to do our best to preserve them and to make them accessible to scholars, faculty and the public at large. In order to do this in the absence of a demand at the university level for community college archaeology students, Cochise has elected to seek alternative resources, such as private contributions or grants, to help with the cost of preservation and display. A gift from Cochise College alumni John and Rosaline Pintek funded the initial installation in the Douglas Campus Administration Building, and once we identify additional resources, we envision expanding the exhibits to other college campuses and centers.

“The Prehistoric Peoples of Cochise County” project has been years – decades, even – in the making. Buried for centuries, some of the items will again see the light of day, and Cochise College will continue to work to maximize this educational resource by connecting these valuable historical materials with the financial means to help with preservation, public access, research and study.

J.D. Rottweiler is president of Cochise College. Contact him at jdr@cochise.edu. To learn more about “The Prehistoric Peoples of Cochise County” event or the collection, contact Rebecca Orozco at orozcor@cochise.edu or (520) 417-4772.

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

A little water and pruning generally lead to a lot of color in the Douglas Campus rose garden. Blooms of pink, coral, yellow, lavender and red have already appeared. With some TLC and protection from hungry critters, the flowers should be ready for the college’s biggest show of the year – commencement.

Donated in 1967 by Dr. Charles F. Roberts, a local eye doctor, the rose garden came along in the same era that Dr. Mark von Destinon — then about 10 years old — was balancing himself on the concrete forms for the new Student Union. Von Destinon, whose father was an administrator in the late 1960s and early 1970s, is, perhaps, the only employee who literally grew up at the college. A former administrator and retired faculty member, he will be honored with colleague Chuck Perry as faculty emeritus at this year’s graduation.

It’s fitting that von Destinon will be honored in a year that graduation is held at the Douglas Campus, since that’s where he spent his formative years and the early part of his career. Mark served as registrar from 1980 to 1984. He left to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in higher education student services, with an emphasis on counseling and guidance, in 1985. In 1992, he returned to Cochise as dean of Student Services on the Sierra Vista Campus, and in 1999, he became a full-time instructor of psychology and sociology. He continues to teach online, and to help connect alumni to the college, even in retirement.

What those various job titles leave out is Mark’s ongoing commitment to student success, his service as a Rodeo Club advisor and Apache Booster Club member, his assistance in creating and fundraising for numerous scholarship funds, his support and encouragement of the employees around him, and what his faculty emeritus nomination letter describes as a vibrant, engaging, helpful, humorous, accepting and affecting personality and teaching style.

Perry, of Bisbee, joined the college in the mid-1980s and is largely recognized for his diligence in consistently enforcing Federal Aviation Administration training standards and regulations leading to the Aviation Department’s outstanding safety record. As chief flight instructor, Chuck was responsible to the FAA for the results of periodic inspections, with the college continuously meeting or exceeding safety and management standards.

In 1997, Chuck became an FAA designated pilot examiner, acting as a final “quality control inspector” ensuring that applicants for a pilot certificate or rating met FAA performance standards. He often kept late hours to accommodate last-minute flight test requests. Prior to retiring, Perry also served on and led the college Senate, helped develop and review policies and procedures related to personnel issues as co-chair of the Employee Relations Committee, and assisted on the last Presidential Search Committee.

Just like roses that impress us with fresh blooms each spring, honoring faculty emeritus nominees with an audience of their colleagues is a perennial feel-good opportunity that is second only to celebrating student success. We are genuinely happy that these deserving individuals left their mark on thousands of students through their work at Cochise College.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Antonio Peña takes pride in thinking through details and knowing how to solve complex problems. That’s a talent he discovered and nurtured on his way to being selected to be the student speaker at Cochise College’s 48th commencement. Peña, who also represented the college on the All-Arizona First Team, which recognizes the top community college students in the state, plans to direct his detail-oriented thinking and never-give-up attitude toward a career in engineering. He is but one example of the successes that always emerge as another academic year comes to a close.

Likewise, Blake Suarez and Ricardo Martinez Jr. each identify with careers in medicine and, to that end, incorporated in their educational journey honors-level work, though the topics of their projects differ. Suarez and two other students recently presented the work and findings of their undergraduate research on the bean beetle. Suarez’s father was the first in the family to graduate from college, and he’s interested in a career in medicine because he finds the human body amazing and he wants to help people. Martinez’s project examined the effects of physical exercise on aggression. A veteran, he, too, is inspired to help enhance quality of life, and he hopes to someday work with other veterans as an ophthalmologist.

Suarez and Martinez presented impressively at the Honors Colloquium, along with Monica Garcia, who presented with a fellow student Two Authors: Jimmy Santiago Baca and Louise Erdrich. An analysis of literature makes sense for Garcia, who has designs on a career in public relations, which will certainly call on her to be able to communicate verbally and in writing, and to put together stories and ideas that best represent clients.

Another honors student, Iva Hodges is a single mother pursuing a degree in education who has her sights set on becoming a middle school science teacher. Hodges enjoys the enthusiasm and wonder she sees in young faces, something she witnessed as a volunteer at Carmichael Elementary School and as a presenter of “Lessons of the Holocaust” at Sierra Vista-area middle and high schools. The presentation she and a team of fellow students created focused on bullying, and Hodges and another student took on additional work in order to earn honors credit. “I am passionate about providing young people with a quality education to establish the foundation they need to succeed in life.”

In addition to Peña, three other sophomores represented Cochise College on the All-Arizona Academic Teams, a distinction that comes with tuition waivers enabling honorees to pursue bachelor’s degrees at one of the state’s public universities.

Wheeler Reece enrolled at Cochise because he’d taken classes as a home-schooled high school student, and he thought it would be easy to adapt to full-time attendance in the community college setting. While that turned out to be true, he also discovered that the opportunities for extra-curricular activities that he was pursuing greatly enhanced his education. He discovered new talents and explored engineering and music, ultimately deciding on journalism, an interest he demonstrated through the online broadcast of college news and opportunities of interest to students “Cochise Crunch.” What’s more, “I have had many excellent experiences with the faculty and staff at Cochise throughout my attendance, and this is something to treasure.”

The sideline is a comfortable place for Casey Carrillo, who’s spent plenty of time there watching her dad, Jerry, coach men’s basketball. So it might seem natural that she hopes to enhance that experience with a career in sports journalism. Before she hits ESPN, she’ll learn the ropes at the University of Arizona, also minoring in public relations.

Finally, Berenice Acosta hopes to learn how the world works through a career in foreign affairs. She’s headed to the University of Arizona to study political science and to seek out internship opportunities abroad. A master’s degree obtained at a university near our nation’s capital, and work in a U.S. embassy, are on her agenda.

Cochise College board members, faculty and staff alike are thrilled to recognize when a student’s educational experience points them in the direction of a specific career. Whether it’s becoming a foreign ambassador, a sideline reporter, an engineer, a teacher, a professional communicator, or a doctor, we’re proud to have been part of the journey. Congratulations to all of this year’s Cochise College graduates! We look forward to hearing about your future.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

They endured days on the road and uncertainty over sleeping arrangements. They overcame equipment changes, and adjusted to a larger, louder venue. Reporters interviewed them regularly, and photographers captured their best moments. They attended tournament social and service obligations with a Grand Junction, Colo., Rotary Club as their escort. They lost, then they won, and won, and won again, before falling in a nail-biting, 11-inning contest to the eventual champion.

Cochise College President J.D. Rottweiler wishes baseball players Esteban Bastidas, left, and Kevin Dorantes luck before a game at the 2013 JUCO World Series.

Three made the all-tournament team, and one was later named a Third Team All-American. Some sophomores missed graduation. They spent part of two days on a bus ride home, returning on a hot Sunday afternoon to a campus vacant except for a small crowd of friends, family and well-wishers, signing baseball cards before going their separate ways, with some never to return to Cochise College.

By winning a berth in the Junior College World Series, the Cochise College baseball team put Cochise College on the national stage and then represented us well both on and off the field, finishing third in the nation and, when all was said and done, ranking No. 2 at perfectgame.org.

All I can say is, “Wow! What a ride!”

The team certainly found a way to make things around this college really interesting at the end of the semester. With a nearly flawless tournament record, they did it just in time to renew my appreciation for baseball as the professional season is hitting its stride. But there are some ways that professional ball just can’t compete with the junior college level.

1. With no pauses for commercial breaks, junior college games are efficient and enjoyable. There’s little need for sideline games and gimmicks to fill the time; players take the field promptly and if momentum shifts, it happens naturally, not because teams lost or gained focus waiting around for television coverage. Plus, the NJCAA streamed coverage online with knowledgeable commentators and also assisted with providing local radio coverage.

2. Grand Junction, Colo., is one organized town when it comes to the World Series. Community organizations host teams and help shuttle them around and generally smooth the way. Plus, game entrance and refreshments are affordable – free, even – so spectators don’t have to think too hard about what they’re spending after that trip west, which is long no matter how you look at it.

3. In my role as college president, there are few experiences more gratifying than witnessing our students “coming of age.” At the World Series, our players had the chance to play their best and also present themselves via the media and in person. Shortstop Austin Nelson of Las Vegas, Nev., made my very favorite comment, as captured by college Public Information Officer Liz Manring on the Cochise Baseball at JUCO World Series blog, “This isn’t what I thought it would be, because it’s better than I thought it would be.” How often in life can you say that? Now that’s what it’s all about!

I’m so proud of this team and commend Head Coach Todd Inglehart, Assistant Coach Eric Brown, Athletic Director Dr. Bo Hall, and everyone else who had a hand in shaping these young athletes.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

It’s a whole new semester. Cochise College enrollment is up, and we’re kicking off new programs in respiratory therapy, unmanned aerial systems and equine management.

Although numbers are preliminary until the day after the drop/add period closes, we have 3 percent more students enrolled for the fall semester than we did last year. Aviation is reporting record enrollment, as well as 10 out-of-state students taking advantage of the Cochise Combo Plus offer to live in the dorms at no cost with enrollment in at least 16 credit hours and purchase of a meal plan. We’re expecting 56 international students – up from 11 last year – and 147 residents in the Douglas Campus dorms, which housed about 120 students last year.

Things looked very positive and we were all feeling pretty good about ourselves until our vice president for instruction basically threw down the gauntlet at faculty-staff Convocation last week.

It seems Dr. Verlyn Fick has been doing a lot of reading in the name of making informed decisions related to the direction of college academics. The world is changing, he says. Just look at the monumental challenges that appear in the news: national debt and financial scandals, healthcare and immigration reform, bankrupt cities and out-of-balance pensions, poverty, terrorism, yadda yadda yadda. Plus, word is getting out about things like affordable and successful surgeries in foreign countries, and reverse innovation, in which low-cost solutions to problems in developing countries are repackaged as affordable alternatives in wealthier nations.

What are proponents of these ideas thinking? Any one of them can threaten the workforce as we know it (hands wringing)! How can anyone really be prepared for the seismic shifts that we all will face in coming years?

Geez, Verlyn. What a downer!

Luckily, Dr. Fick also has a theory, and it happens to be supported by our accrediting agency, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). Essentially, that is, prepare to be versatile.

Or, in educational terms, “develop skills adaptable to changing environments.”

In dangling the accreditation carrot, the latest version of HLC criteria guides institutions by referring to key components of a general education program: the acquisition, application and integration of broad learning and skills; engagement in collection, analysis and communication of information, and in mastering modes of inquiry or creative work.

This is where things get a little bit, shall we say, dry (?), but no less significant.

Students fulfill general education requirements at Cochise College by demonstrating competency in communication, creativity, critical thinking, diverse and global perspectives, information literacy, and technology literacy. To develop strategies to help improve student learning in the future, faculty use tests, research papers, projects, presentations, or standardized examinations to evaluate how well students who have passed a course actually achieved the expected learning goals.

Faculty initiated a project at Convocation to more consistently interpret and assess general education outcomes across the curriculum. In addition, the college’s Student Success Committee will this year have committees focused on the areas of developmental education and shepherding students in directions that accentuate their ability to complete. Both committees will seek to experiment with short-term projects and identify successes and build communities of practice that can enhance student success and completion across the college.

If we can invigorate and improve the power of our general education component, we will transform the student experience at Cochise College, our students will be well-armed to face changes in the environment that no one can predict, and Verlyn’s next address to the college community stands a chance of generating a little more optimism and cheer.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Nearly two years ago, Arizona’s community colleges united for a project to significantly increase the number of residents who achieve their postsecondary education and training goals, complete a degree or certificate, and/or transfer to a university.

The colleges agreed to annually measure 30 indicators of success in the areas of access, retention and completion. The indicators range from enrollment statistics to course success rates. We presented our first report in 2012 for the 2010-11 school year, and the second will be available soon at www.arizonacommunitycolleges.org. With only two years of data to compare, it’s a bit soon to make definitive statements about trends in student progress and outcomes. But from what I’ve seen, Arizona’s community colleges are doing some heavy lifting.

Accessibility

Nearly three-fourths of Arizona high school graduates who enter higher education the following year attend a community college. At 42 percent, Arizona’s community college-going rate is significantly higher than the national average of 27 percent. In 2011-12, Cochise College enrolled 31 percent of recent high school graduates in the service area. What’s more, at a tuition rate that is about 10 percent of median household income, Cochise beats nearly every other college in Arizona when it comes to affordability. Surprisingly, responses to a community survey the college conducted last spring implied that Cochise College has some work to do to educate local residents about the low-cost alternatives available here; many respondents were not aware that Cochise College tuition is a fraction of that of public and private universities.

Retention

Arizona community colleges retain 92 percent of credential-seeking learners from fall to spring semesters, and 77 percent to the following fall. These percentages are substantially higher than comparative national rates. Cochise retains 90 percent of credential-seeking learners from fall to spring and 62 percent from fall to fall. Cochise students continue to outpace the statewide averages in both developmental and college-level course success rates.

Completion

Cochise College awarded 3,223 of the 40,000 degrees and certificates awarded by Arizona community colleges in 2011-12. At Cochise, much of the growth in this area has been in the completion of academic certificates. In-state and overall transfer rates from Arizona community colleges, both 29 percent, exceed the national average of 25 percent. Statewide, four of five credential-seeking community college students achieve a successful outcome within six years. At Cochise, the number is seven of 10.

Where Cochise is focusing some of its attention is improvement in the areas of developmental learning. Many of our students need pre-college English or math in order to really get started on their goals. We have high hopes that the efforts of our K-12 Outreach program will foster a greater awareness among younger students of the opportunities available and preparation necessary for college, and that Professional Learning Councils made up of K-12, community college and university educators will help identify gaps, streamline curriculum, and align the skill sets necessary at each level of education for the overall benefit of students.

There is much more in the reports than can fit in this space. But it is clear that while Arizona’s community colleges will always have work to do to refine the system, they also are doing a lot of things right. Take a look at www.arizonacommunitycolleges.org and let me know, what grade would you give Cochise?

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

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

This just in! Cochise College is looking for alumni.

I know what some of you are thinking. “Where’ve you been?” Or, “We’re right here!”

Well, we know many Cochise College alumni ARE right here in Cochise County, and that many others have moved away. We also know that we rub shoulders with some alumni on a regular basis and that many of you value Cochise College as the place where you got your start or found your way in higher education. The trouble is that if we wanted to connect with you on a more personal level than advertising to the general public, we could not do it because your name or address may have changed and we have not stayed in touch.

For some time, we have received occasional inquiries from alumni through our website. Those who have taken the time to submit information are truly interested in the institution. But this year, just one in advance of the college’s 50th anniversary, Cochise College is preparing for its next 50 by working to develop a more inclusive community of alumni contacts. Ultimately, we’d like to strengthen the institution by calling on alumni to help us with everything from outreach and marketing to student mentoring and financial support. Some 34,000 people have completed degrees and certificates at Cochise College since 1964. Imagine the impact we could make with all of these voices in our corner!

This won’t happen overnight, but the first of our alumni efforts to come to fruition is a job-search tool that’s now available not only to alumni, but also to students and employers. College Central Network is an online platform for Cochise College students and alumni to connect with off-campus jobs. Job seekers can search listings, create a resume, apply for jobs, build a career portfolio, attend career events and more. Employers, locally and beyond, register through EmployerCentral.com, a division of the College Central Network, to be able to post jobs. Managed by the college Human Resources office, the platform provides a real service to our constituents and underscores the college’s role in workforce development.

Next weekend, we’ll host our first on-campus alumni event, planned around the multitude of events taking place at the Douglas Campus. It kicks off with a book exchange hosted by the Friends of the Cochise College Library, followed by the popular Pit Fire Festival, featuring the firing of student-made ceramics, music, dance and food. Pottery is removed from the bonfire pit the next morning; in addition, campus tours will be available, and there will be an open house for the newly renovated campus gymnasium, followed by a women’s basketball game. Saturday includes a morning soccer game, an afternoon basketball game, an alumni barbecue, and the opening of an exhibit where visitors can see what was created at the pit fire a few nights earlier. It’s shaping up to be a spectacular weekend. Alumni who register online in advance are entered to win a Kindle Paperwhite. Our goal will be to bring alumni activities to other areas of the county and, potentially, beyond.

Finally, this year, we will embark on an effort to track down contact information for alumni. Reconnecting with those who have moved or changed names, and engaging them in various college activities, is the foundation for being able to establish sustainable relationships with alumni. The support of our alumni is important in strengthening both the quality and reach of the institution, and, frankly, the college’s need to do that is only anticipated to grow.

Alumni, if you don’t want to wait for us to contact you, I encourage you to visit us and update your information on our website or make your presence known at one of the many activities going on Oct. 24-26 at the Douglas Campus. I do hope to see you there!

It’s the holiday season, and I can think of no greater gift to the community than those Cochise College has been fortunate to announce just prior to the end of the last two years.

In December 2012, Cochise College was the beneficiary of a trust that will help advance career and technical education offerings available to county residents.

This year, the college is preparing to begin offering automotive technology classes in a vacant automotive dealership provided by The Lawley Automotive Group on Highway 92 just south of Fry Boulevard. The location provides space to teach more students more skills than in the past and enhances the visibility of a program that prepares a type of graduate cities will always need – automotive professionals.

The college is thrilled with these opportunities to show what it can do. We’re also proud that those who have chosen to support Cochise believe in the college’s ability to provide quality education and turn out graduates with potential.

But these examples aren’t entirely about Cochise; they are gifts to the community because what they ultimately do is help drive the economy and quality of life in Cochise County. Everyone benefits when an educated citizenry earns more, commits fewer crimes, and is healthier than one that is not.

Most people don’t especially care to ask others for financial support. Having an opportunity to meet a need is key to making it happen.

So I ask you to consider, when making decisions about charitable giving in the New Year, that the question isn’t what the college (or other organization) needs, but what the community needs that the college can provide. The gifts described above make it possible for Cochise College to carry out its mission to provide accessible educational opportunities to the community in ways that its budget would not normally allow. For this, we are thankful.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Cochise College will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary during the 2014-15 school year that begins July 1.

But the wheels of progress that set plans for the college into motion began turning years prior to the institution’s first classes in September 1964. Some might argue that the college’s 50th anniversary actually passed in 2011 or 2012.

On the national level, there occurred prior to the college’s existence an economic transformation from military industries to consumer goods requiring a different type of worker. Soldiers returning from service came with access to the GI Bill. Baby boomers waited in the wings to take on new challenges and drive enrollment.

Those were the times in which Cochise College was founded. Right in the middle of the Vietnam War, during a decade of profound social change, it was one of more than 450 community colleges to open across the nation.

In Cochise County in 1961, a steering committee explored the possibility of a college and some residents offered to drive car-less voters to the polls to express support of the effort to establish a taxing district. Following the vote, the county school superintendent appointed the first Governing Board, which met and reviewed the results of the Junior College Survey of Cochise County, a fascinating document published by Arizona Educational Consultants from the College of Education at Arizona State University. The board even announced the site of the college’s first location, now the Douglas Campus, in 1961.

The year 1962 appears on the Cochise College seal, a formal mark used for very official communications. That’s because Cochise County faced two important votes in 1962. Residents approved $1.6 million in bonds to support construction of the college and also chose the members of the college’s first elected — rather than appointed — board.

During the 23 months between their election and the first college classes, the board hired and laid to rest the first Cochise College president, who passed away 50 years ago this month; broke ground on the campus; and hired the second college president, along with faculty, staff and administrators who took up temporary office space at the famed Gadsden Hotel.

Despite all of these details, Cochise will celebrate 50 years in keeping with its first year of classes. The years just beginning also mark the golden anniversary of other significant world events, of which we’re reminded by the release by the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum of condolence letters sent to Jackie Kennedy after JFK’s assassination, and by a recent “Rolling Stone” cover commemorating the year The Beatles took America by storm.

I have a deep respect and awe for the history of this college and for all who shaped it into what it is today. It’s likely that something in this column sparked questions among readers, and we look forward to answering them by telling our story as part of our anniversary celebration.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Cochise College’s very first graduating class consisted of three individuals who transferred from other institutions to complete their degrees in 1965. The following year, Cochise presented 57 degrees in the company of former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, who gave the commencement speech.

Planning of many anniversaries often includes historical research. In the course of planning a series of celebrations around the Sept. 21 anniversary of the first day of class, the External Affairs Office is having great fun reconnecting with the college’s earliest stakeholders. I imagine that when Cochise celebrates its 75th in 2039-40, or its 100th in 2064-65, planners will try to catch up with some of the students we’ll recognize this year – the 50th Anniversary Scholars.

The 50th Anniversary Scholars program recognizes Cochise County high school graduating seniors with a 3.0 or higher grade point average who also submit an essay about what the Cochise College mission means to them. Each selected scholar will receive a $1,000 scholarship for the 2014-15 school year. The scholarship application is on the college website at www.cochise.edu/FA, and the application deadline is March 31.

If you’re a friend or family of someone who falls into this category, I hope you’ll help the student you know to consider the significance of the college’s mission of providing accessible educational opportunities that are responsive to a diverse population and lead to constructive citizenship, meaningful careers and lifelong learning. For just a little bit of effort, and perhaps some creativity, a $1,000 scholarship cuts about half the one-year community college tuition cost for a local student taking classes full time on campus.

Cochise College was founded on the idea of accessibility, but it has never sacrificed quality in order to achieve this ideal. The class of 1966 included seven who graduated with high honors and 16 who graduated with honors. We regularly hear from alumni who value the education they received and went on to advanced degrees and long careers in a variety of fields. Some Cochise alums were in awe of the faculty; others have called Cochise “perfect” and a “lifesaver.”

Over the course of 50 years, Cochise has proven that it’s more than a college of convenience. The 50th Anniversary Scholars program serves to remind us of that.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Cochise College’s second president, Dr. William Harwood, spent his early time at the college searching for faculty and staff. He interviewed in airports and elevators and developed a team so strong that this institution — your community college — continues to draw praise for both its quality instruction and personal nature.

March 16 is the 50th anniversary of Dr. Harwood’s first day of work at Cochise. He arrived from Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, Calif., just two months after the death of the college’s first president, Dr. T.C. Johnston, who perished in a Whetstone Mountains plane crash along with a local school superintendent and Tombstone pilot and newspaper publisher as they traveled to an education conference in Colorado.

Despite the tragic circumstances, the momentum surrounding the beginnings of the college demanded urgent progress. Dr. Harwood assembled a team that included a business officer, dean of student services, assistant to the president, and Dr. John Eaton, a former high school principal who recognized opportunity in the suddenly growing field of community college administration. Eaton, a current Cochise College Governing Board member, served as director of community services and dean of instruction in those early years and recalls the unshakable enthusiasm among county residents for the new college.

Together, the group set about tackling a daunting priority list: hiring faculty, curriculum development, accreditation, campus development, publicity events, and health insurance for employees. (Not much has changed!)

To Dr. Harwood, the college could only be as good as its faculty, and Dr. Eaton identifies recruitment of the likes of Cecil Orosco, Joe Gilliland, Don Johnson, Allen Peterson, Richard Myers, Don Campbell, George Huncovsky, and Alicya Malik, among other outstanding teachers, as one a significant early success, along with adjusting to a new campus.

It’s hard to imagine the tremendous task that lay before the college and the board. Starting from scratch meant they didn’t know how many students would attend, or how much furniture to buy. Without a completed facility, administrators set up shop in the Gadsden Hotel. Eaton put together a class schedule and catalog only to find out that no local printer could handle the job.

But, the college opened on time – Sept. 21, 1964. I’m not sure the college could have gotten off to a better start, or a better reception. Crowds attended the dedication. Many local businesses placed ads in the newspaper congratulating the college on its opening. Students lined up to enroll and move into the residence halls on the Douglas Campus. It all went on for weeks.

The challenge of making the college a county college, rather than a one-community institution, rings true today. And so does something else.

Harwood’s vision that “Our goal = to be good; not to be big,” as is written in his notes for the first faculty meeting, was set in the first year and continues to inspire us today.

I will take it one step further. Not only do we want to be good. We want to be great.

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

By J.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D.

Nirvana is in. So is Kiss, the E Street Band, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens, Hall and Oates, and Linda Ronstadt.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted them this year because they have had a significant impact on the evolution, development and perpetuation of rock. At the induction ceremony, Nirvana’s music was celebrated as the beginning of the rise of the voice of “the outsiders,” people who often weren’t heard. The renowned and respected Stevie Nicks identified a Ronstadt tune as one that made her want to become a musician (imagine if she hadn’t). And don’t we all know somebody who once dressed up as Gene Simmons for Halloween?

Recognizing its “rock stars” is what Cochise College plans to do when it sets into motion plans for its own Hall of Fame during the 50th anniversary year, to be celebrated in 2014-2015. Specific criteria have not been finalized, but we at Cochise believe it’s high time we begin celebrating the contributions of our graduates, our faculty and staff, as well as those of others who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to the evolution, development and perpetuation of the institution. The Hall of Fame will also recognize athletes, volunteers, donors, and other community members.

Although the Hall of Fame will be announced in detail at a later date, I ask you to start thinking right now of individuals who fit one of these categories who you might nominate. Who do you know who is connected with the college and stands out as an outstanding alum, or one who went above and beyond normal expectations in carrying out services to students and/or the college community?

Nominations will be accepted from the entire community. We anticipate a late 2014 or early 2015 nomination deadline, with information available on the college website, www.cochise.edu, and the first public recognition event next spring. We fully intend for the Hall of Fame to be a sustainable annual program, so just like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a nominee who isn’t inducted one year may be inducted in another.

In looking back these 50 years, we believe there are many people we may recognize; Cochise County’s “best kept secret” has had a profound impact on our region. Together with you, we hope to use this opportunity to share the value and the story of Cochise College.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

When Cochise College dedicated its first campus in Douglas nearly 50 years ago, “The Heliograph” student newspaper featured an article outlining the college’s three-year history, beginning with the 1961 election to establish a college district, and a photo of a plaque that has hung on the campus Administration Building since its unveiling. Another announced the first birth to a campus resident – one Jennifer Ann Long, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George R. Long Jr., head residents of the men’s dorm; George was a science professor who later became department chair of chemistry and biology at an Illinois college. A note from “The Heliograph” staff introduced the “journalistic effort of the students” and explained the challenges of starting from scratch, of having “inherited nothing from any previous staff.”

Starting from scratch makes for a memorable time, and the newspaper will be included in a historical display of college mementos that will rotate to museums and other sites around the county during the anniversary year.

While the college retains many photographs, publications and promotional items, there are holes in the collection. Specifically, we are looking for your help in identifying items that our former students, employees and board members held dear.

Each item already submitted has a story.

Cochise alum John Sauer (’66), a member of the basketball team recruited from the Midwest, provided two of the four “Heliograph” issues planned in the college’s first year. The June 1965 issue features an article about his hole-in-one shot at the Bisbee Country Club a month prior. The publications provide rich insight into the culture and attitudes of the times, as do the personal papers of Dr. George Spikes, a college founder and board member, and Dr. William Harwood, the college’s second president. These collections include detailed and skillfully crafted “snail mail” related to college priorities and notes from early staff meetings. What a treasure!

Bruce Wertz of Las Vegas, N.M., contributed pins he received in the 1960s for his role on the Student Senate and Dorm Council. A New Mexico native, Wertz was concerned about going to a university; in researching Arizona’s junior colleges, he selected Douglas’ cooler climate over the heat he could face at the Phoenix and Yuma schools. Ultimately, he recalls a campus performance by Louis Armstrong, frequent dances and film screenings, athletic competitions, dorm life, and being impressed that college president Jack Netcher made time to have coffee with students.

he plaque mentioned above caught the eye of Art Smith when he visited campus for a meeting. Mr. Smith had never visited campus before last year, but he knew many of the leaders named on the plaque because his father was a college supporter, pilot and publisher of “The Tombstone Epitaph,” which memorialized him when the plane he piloted that was also carrying the college’s first president – Dr. T.C. Johnston – and Don Ensign, another local education leader, crashed in January 1964 prior to the college’s opening. Mr. Smith graciously shared his memories of that time and sent relevant copies of that newspaper.

There also exist a baseball cap owned by a member of the 1980s Cochise teams that went to the Junior College World Series; college yearbooks from the early years and one that appears to feature primarily the Sierra Vista Campus in the 1980s; photos of the Cracchiolo family, which contributed the property that is now home to the Sierra Vista Campus; and a shovel used at the groundbreaking of the Benson Center.

Cochise College has a fascinating history. With your help, we look forward to depicting it for the general public. College memorabilia (and related stories) may be submitted to the Cochise College Office of External Affairs, (520) 417-4735 or alumni@cochise.edu. Items will be returned if the contributor so desires.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

Cochise College officially began its 50th anniversary year on July 1. We’re already receiving an enthusiastic response to our plans, which include a reunion of faculty, students and community leaders who were part of the college in the 1960s; two performances by Twist & Shout: The Definitive Beatles Experience; a rodeo benefit planned to feature actor Wilford Brimley; an aviation event; and a traveling college historical display. In addition, the Student Government Association recently announced a 50-hour challenge to track and recognize community service by students, faculty and staff.

A few months ago, this column hinted at another special effort – the Cochise College Hall of Fame – for which details are now available. The Hall of Fame seeks to recognize students, employees and community leaders who have made a major contribution to the mission and goals of Cochise College, or who have contributed in a significant way to the lives of others after being a part of the Cochise College community. We seek nominees who have demonstrated a deep connection to the college, or who have made a substantial contribution to the college through personal time, effort and interest.

More precisely, we seek to honor legacies in a consistent, sustainable manner so that future generations of community members, students, and employees understand the history and highlights of the institution, which was built by ambitious, visionary people.

Criteria for the four induction categories – student/alumnus; team/student group; faculty/staff; and community leader – are available online at www.cochise.edu/50. We’re looking for folks who have helped bring recognition and prominence to Cochise College by achieving outstanding success professionally or in an academic or volunteer effort; who have made a major contribution to the college or the community; and who have actively supported the college or the mission of higher education in Cochise County in a meaningful way that has positively affected the college or students.

Nominees may be inducted posthumously, and I can think of several viable candidates whose legacies are tied to Cochise College and will be considered.

To ensure meaningful nominations, we request a biography and two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak knowledgeably about the nominee’s contributions. Nominators who can provide these materials should be easy to find for truly deserving candidates.

Hall of Fame nomination information and materials are available at the website above, where you’ll also find an online and a printable submission form. The nomination deadline is December 17.

I leave you with this question for reflection: how has someone you know left a legacy tied to Cochise College? We look forward to receiving your nominations.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

When Cochise College began planning its 50th anniversary celebration, it didn’t have to look further than the Internet for ideas. Despite having reams of potential opportunities and quirky ways to draw attention to its golden anniversary, the college couldn’t have predicted the organic nature in which its plans would actually develop.

A prime example of a small idea that’s turning into a fabulous addition to our plans is an author’s signing planned for 4 p.m. Sept. 22 at the Sierra Vista Campus and Sept. 23 at the Douglas Campus. The signing, which is now likely to also include a reading, features published authors who are former or current faculty members, and Cochise College alumni.

How many of those could there be? Well, we’ve been in touch with numerous, and there are probably more than we know of at this point. But the concept came from former faculty member Allan Meyer, who taught in the humanities for about 23 years, beginning in 1970. Now a resident of Oro Valley, Allan has recently published his second book, “A Dog’s Choice,” and has kept up with several “published” colleagues over the years.

Among those who have been invited are Dr. Joe Gilliland, a founding member of the faculty who is working on his memoirs; Howard DeWitt, who taught history and has penned many books about pop culture; Leslie Clark, who retired from the English faculty and continues to publish the online poetry journal “Voices on the Wind;” Dick Atkinson, former baseball coach and pro golfer, who recently published “Golf: Short Stories;” and alumni historians Annie Graeme Larkin (’03) and Cindy Hayostek (’72), who’ve authored books about the histories of Bisbee and Douglas, respectively.

Current faculty who are expected to participate include Jay Treiber, who recently published “Spirit Walk”, a novel set in the Douglas area about a college professor’s return to the scene of an adolescent lapse in judgment that has shaped his life, and Dr. Clyne Namuo, whose “Community College Strategy: The Innovative Leader’s HandbooK” is based on doctoral research about how college leaders facilitate innovation and strategic behavior despite reduced financial resources.

Some say writing is a skill in decline, difficult to acquire and trying on one’s patience. But for every statement about its suffering, there is an article about the thriving, if changing, publishing industry. In the college environment, I can’t turn a corner without running into a bookworm (the person who so adroitly helps me with this column among them!), and it’s nice to know that our published faculty aren’t people who just know grammar, but individuals who have the ability to shape a compelling story.

Many an avid reader will be pleased to know that 1) you can meet these authors in September and stick around for special anniversary performances by Twist & Shout: The Definitive Beatles Experience, and 2) you can also support the success of students at Cochise College by making purchases – of books and other items – through the Amazon Smile program, now contributing a percentage of qualifying purchases to the Cochise College Foundation.

How smart is that!

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

It happened 50 years ago this week. On Sept. 21, following an energetic, sometimes stressful, and certainly exciting planning period, Cochise College welcomed its first 400 students.

Documents of the time reflect the seemingly endless decisions that were necessary in order to proceed with setting curriculum and printing a schedule, ensuring construction completion and that backup plans were in place, enrolling students, and providing the best educational experience possible. There were no footsteps to follow, so the new college and its new employees did the best they could.

Those new employees – the faculty in particular – had a fantastic reputation. Dr. John Doty, former English faculty, recalled the spirit of the place upon his arrival in 1966. “Douglas was the only campus in the early days and because it was young and innovative, there was a spirit of camaraderie, adventure and excitement where all were learning together, students, faculty and administrators.”

Needless to say, many recognized Cochise College as a golden opportunity for students and professional educators alike. This week, as we celebrate with a reunion of those founders and the students they served, we also bask in the foundation of quality established by those early leaders and sustained by their successors.

A headline in the Sept. 18, 1964, Bisbee Daily Review declared ‘The Backbone of Cochise College – The Faculty.’ This reputation is due in part to the vision of Dr. Bill Harwood, the second Cochise College president and the one who served when it opened. Harwood’s vision was for the institution to be good, rather than to be big; he scoured the country in search of special faculty and staff, go-getters like himself. On trips like these, he hired two individuals who are still with us. Dr. John Eaton (Michigan) served as director of community services and went on to become the founding president at another college in Michigan. Dr. Joe Gilliland (Texas) was one of the first English faculty, and he may be the one with the lengthiest tenure. Nearly everyone was new in town, according to Harwood’s widow Jerry, so getting all of those families acclimated to new homes, schools, doctors and dentists, presented a challenge in itself.

Douglas resident Mary (Godoy) Maza, a member of the first class who studied licensed practical nursing, recalls the high standards of the faculty. She donned a perfectly pressed pinstriped uniform and shoes that shone like mirrors to participate in clinicals, not only at Douglas’s two hospitals, but also in Bisbee and Fort Huachuca and for an entire summer of pediatrics and obstetrics at Tucson Medical Center. Anything less was not acceptable, and the “intense and wonderful” experience was an opportunity for students like her who couldn’t attend a four-year institution. A day after graduating, Maza began a 22-year stint in the office of a local doctor. “The professors were just outstanding,” she says. “I think they were trying to prove that it could be done.”

Originally from the Willcox area, Edmund Clark also was in the first class of one of Cochise College’s flagship programs. In 1968, he enrolled in the aviation maintenance technology program, graduating in 1970. He attended labs in metal military surplus huts and recalls that the hangar and classrooms were built while he attended. “Cochise College certainly provided the access and opportunities I was seeking. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to attend and benefit from my two years there.” Clark has spent 41 years working overseas, from the Middle East to Europe and Latin America. Today he’s near Guadalajara, Mexico, working as a senior customer service engineer for Bell Helicopter.

As demonstrated by the success and the testimonials of countless former students, Cochise College’s founders did an admirable job of establishing an institution of quality. The expectation that was set for future generations continues to serve the college and its graduates well.

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

By Dr. J.D. Rottweiler

I am proud to serve as the 11th president of Cochise College. Each of us, serving in this position, has been faced with the challenges and opportunities of the time. However, the first two Cochise College presidents shared in the opportunities and challenges typically reserved for one individual. One broke ground; the other opened the doors.

Arizona’s first university opened nearly 80 years prior to Cochise College, so it’s no surprise that college founders turned to the public universities for expertise in everything from site selection to personnel.

A team of educators and consultants from Arizona State University studied Cochise County and in 1961 published a report on the feasibility of establishing a community college here. Representatives of the University of Arizona provided guidance in the search for a president, suggesting interview questions on everything from managing construction projects to curriculum.

In a letter to early college board member Dr. George Spikes, the president of Arizona State College-Flagstaff outlined what he saw as the pros and cons of three options in hiring a president: enticing a current college president with an attractive salary, and potentially putting the individual out of line with other institutions; taking an “experienced man who had struggled through the years in developing a program at another institution and as a result had made some enemies,” and who might be pleased with a new environment; or seeking an “inexperienced young man who has his future before him” and who is also an unknown quantity.

Numerous individuals expressed interest in the position of president, and the board ultimately selected Dr. Thaddeus C. Johnston, who doesn’t appear to have fit neatly into any of the above categories.

At the time of his hiring, Johnston, 43, was associate professor of educational administration at the University of Arizona. He’d served as coordinator for the Arizona Association of Secondary School Principals and department chair of secondary education at Omaha University in Nebraska. He had also served as a public school teacher, principal and superintendent in Kansas and Oklahoma.

In a 1962 letter to the board, Johnston expressed that he’d had limited experience with junior colleges, though he’d studied them. Besides the fact that he was familiar with higher education through his work at the university, his relevant experience included creating a new school district from 33 elementary districts that called upon him to handle many of the administrative tasks a new college required. Getting the doors open on time sat atop the priority list, but other priorities like hiring and curriculum development didn’t exactly pale in comparison.

Dr. Johnston’s hiring as the first president of yet-to-be-established Cochise College was announced in January 1963. He presided at the September 1963 groundbreaking ceremony, and construction proceeded accordingly. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to see the fruits of his labor. In January 1964, Dr. Johnston and two others – Donald Ensign, superintendent of Sierra Vista schools, and Clayton A. Smith, a pilot and publisher of the Tombstone Epitaph – died when their plane crashed in inclement weather in the Whetstone Mountains. They were scheduled to fly to Luke Air Force Base to board a military plane that would take them to an education conference at the United States Air Force Academy. According to historical documents, Smith’s death was marked by Tombstone’s largest funeral, and the Cochise College board quickly set about searching for a new president to dedicate the next eight months to getting the college open by Sept. 21, 1964.

Enter Dr. Bill Harwood of California and the many early faculty and staff from nearby and across the nation who are most often credited with giving Cochise College a solid start.

Now you know, “the rest of the story.”

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