Coconino Community College Executive Vice President Jami Van Ess (right) shares the most recent accounting excellence award the college has received with Isabella Zagare, Executive Director of Accounting, and the rest of the finance office staff. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — For the 24th year in a row, Coconino Community College has received recognition for its financial responsibility to the public.
CCC received the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for its 2018 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The award was given by the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada.
“The public trusts us to be good stewards of public funds, and this award is recognition of that dedication CCC has to financial transparency,” said Jami Van Ess, CCC’s Executive Vice President.
She added that the team effort by the staff of the Business and Administrative Services Office has made the award possible for the last 24 years.
CCC President Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D., said that she regularly sees the finance staff working into the night and on weekends throughout the year to ensure accurate, detailed budget management and reporting.
“Due to an extremely low tax rate supporting the college and devastating cuts in state funding, CCC provides education and services from a budget that is significantly lower than other community colleges,” Smith said. “That means we have fewer employees and resources to accomplish this award-winning excellence.”
According to information from the GFOA, the Certificate of Achievement “is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and its attainment represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.” The judging is made by an impartial panel, and CCC’s financial report had to “meet the high standards of the program, including demonstrating a constructive ‘spirit of full disclosure’ to clearly communicate its financial story.”
The GFOA is a nonprofit professional organization of public officials united to enhance and promote the professional management of governmental financial resources by identifying, developing and advancing fiscal strategies, policies and practices for the public benefit. The GFOA is based in Chicago and Washington, D.C. and serves about 17,500 government finance professionals.
About Coconino Community College: CCC has served residents across 18,000 square miles of Coconino County since 1991. The College has the goal of improving the lives of our residents through workforce development and higher education.
CCC provides affordable tuition and offers certificate programs and two-year associate degrees in academic and career fields. CCC also has programs that ease student transition to any of the three state universities, including the award-winning CCC2NAU.
CCC reaches out to the more rural portions of the County and Tribal Lands. Instructional sites offer classes through online, in-person and Zoom video conferencing classes to meet the needs of students in rural and remote areas. Nearly 20 percent of CCC’s students are Native American learners.