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FLAGSTAFF — Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has appointed Coconino Community College President Colleen A. Smith, Ph.D., to the Arizona Commission for Postsecondary Education.
The goals of the commission are to increase available student financial assistance; identify and put strategies into place to help students and families plan, enter and succeed in postsecondary education; and to provide a forum for all sectors of postsecondary education to work together on addressing and solving issues of mutual interest. The commission also coordinates studies of interest to postsecondary institutions and offers the public information on postsecondary education opportunities in the state.
“I’m honored to be appointed by the governor to the Commission for Postsecondary Education and look forward to working with the other commissioners, legislators and colleagues from all sectors of education,” Dr. Smith said. “I’m excited about the mission of expanding access and increasing success in postsecondary education for Arizonans and look forward to serving our state in this capacity.”
The commission, which formed in 1963 to comply with federal law, was later established as an independent state agency in 1994 and has a total of 16 members. Dr. Smith begins her appointment after legislative approval.
For more information about Dr. Smith or Coconino Community College, visit www.coconino.edu.
About Coconino Community College: Student success is the heart and purpose of Coconino Community College. CCC provides affordable tuition and a wide variety of certificates and degrees including career/technical programs with more than 50 certificate programs and two-year associate degrees in various fields including nursing, fire science, law enforcement and business. The award-winning CCC2NAU program provides an innovative way to smooth a student’s path toward a bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University with tailored advisement and institutional collaboration, including access to amenities at NAU.
Since 1991, CCC has served residents across 18,000 square miles of Coconino County. CCC has helped create the region’s skilled workforce, which is improving overall health, safety and the economy in the region. Today, CCC serves more than 7,500 students per year with two campuses in Flagstaff.
CCC reaches out to the more rural portions of the County including Williams, the Grand Canyon/Tusayan, Page/Lake Powell, Fredonia, Tuba City and other remote areas on the Navajo, Hopi and Supai Tribal Lands. Instructional sites offer classes through online, in-person and Interactive Television classes to meet the needs of students in these rural and remote areas. Nearly 20 percent of CCC’s students are Native American learners.