Susie Garretson, front, is selected Coconino Community College’s Distinguished Service Award recipient for 2020, as CCC President Colleen Smith, left, and District Governing Board Chair Patricia Garcia, right, congratulate her. Courtesy photo.
FLAGSTAFF — Coconino County resident Susie Garretson has been selected as the 2020 recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Service Award at Coconino Community College.
“Coconino Community College relies heavily on the community to support students, vision and mission of the College,” said CCC District Governing Board Chair Patricia Garcia. “With the word ‘Community’ in its name, CCC always strives to invite the greater community to be a part of our work. An individual who took us up on that invitation is Susie Garretson.”
Garretson has had more than two decades of volunteer involvement with CCC. She has been a member of the CCC Foundation’s Scholarship Committee. She has participated in educating the community about CCC’s previous ballot initiatives, and is currently an active member of the CCC Champions, a group of community members who volunteer their time in support of CCC.
Garretson said, “I am thrilled and honored and humbled. This is just a wonderful award. I am a believer in CCC. I believe every community needs to have a community college, and not every community is fortunate to have one.”
Garretson added that she believes a community college is for all of its citizens, especially the ones who plan to remain in Coconino County and make our communities a better place.
The CCC Distinguished Service Award recognizes outstanding service, leadership and support to the College and to the educational enrichment of Coconino County. Nominees must be a resident of Coconino County at the time of the nomination, and they must have affected or substantially contributed a major accomplishment for the benefit of CCC. The award is normally given to one recipient annually, and any resident of the county may nominate a person for the award.
Current members of the CCC District Governing Board and individuals employed by the College are exempt from nomination.
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.