A PUBLICATION OF THECOCHISE COLLEGE FOUNDATION

SPRING 2020

Cochise in theCommunityPage 4

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BOARD PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

There was a time when the tagline “CreatingOpportunities...Changing Lives” accompanied the CochiseCollege logo. Although it’s no longer used in marketingmaterials, the phrase remains true.

Student Natalia Caballero’s statement says it all. “Aftergraduating high school, I was not excited to continuestudying. But everything changed once I started at CochiseCollege. I became completely independent and obtained asense of responsibility that helped me throughout my classes.I also didn’t expect the amount of help I would receive fromthe school and my teachers. It’s as if you’re entering a placewhere everyone wants you to succeed. Now, no one believesme when I say that I’m in love with college.”

Natalia’s is a life changed. She received the Senior Scholarship,funded by our partners at the Cochise CountySheriff ’s Assist Team and AmericanSouthwest Credit Union, and put it touse at one of the best colleges in thenation.

In addition to featuring some of thegreat things happening at CochiseCollege, this issue highlights corporatesponsors of the Senior Scholarship, andvolunteer service by college employees and students. On behalf of the entirefoundation board of directors, I wish to thank everyone and every organizationwho invests in higher education and other local causes through gifts of time andassets. You are making the world a better place, starting right here in CochiseCounty.

Thank you!

Dan Rehurek, Ed.D.

Cover:Cochise College students, staff, faculty, alumni and friendsengage in community service across the county, reportingmore than 5,000 hours of community service in 2019.

Print copiesavailableThis issue of Accoladehas been sent byemail to individualsfor whom we havean email address,with print copiesmailed to others.A limited number

of print copies may beavailable. If you wouldlike one, please contactour office at founda-tion@cochise.edu or520-417-4735.

FROM THE COCHISE COLLEGE PRESIDENT

Constructive citizenship, along with meaningful careers andlifelong learning, is an intended outcome of a Cochise Collegeeducation. The recent healthcare crisis has broughtneighborly behavior to the forefront at the same time that thecollege has found a way to quantify the constructivecitizenship of its students, employees, alumni and friends.Now is a great time to share that information with you.

Volunteer service self-reported at cochise.edu/cares or on ournew app helps us celebrate the many ways that weproductively engage with the communities we serve outside ofthe office. In this issue and on that website, you can see thedata reported by our people.

Whether they’re leading an after-school youth culinaryprogram, participating in highway cleanup, engaging with public safety, orvolunteering with a food bank or historical society, our people lend their voices andtheir energy to a wide variety of organizations. They go above and beyond to helpshape their communities and serve others. I hope you’re as proud of them as I am.

J.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D.PresidentCochise Collegejdr@cochise.edu

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Board OfficersDan Rehurek, Ed.D., PresidentJoanna K. Michelich, Ph.D. (‘68), Vice PresidentJean Giuffrida, SecretaryKaren L. Justice, Treasurer

Board MembersMark Battaglia, J.D.Larry BorgerJoel Borowiec (‘78)Doug DunnJan Guy (‘76)David Mosow (‘66)John Pintek (‘72)Matt RiesgoGail Zamar (‘71)

Board Member EmeritusChuck ChambersShirley GregoryLinda Staneart

Ex-Officio MemberJ.D. Rottweiler, Ph.D. (ex-officio)

Honorary MembersMarsha ArzbergerGeorge Bugen

Cochise College Foundation StaffDenise Hoyos, Executive DirectorEva Dickerson (‘89), College AdvancementManagerRose Berumen, College Advancement Coordinator

“Accolade” is published by the CochiseCollege Foundation, 4190 W. Highway 80,Douglas, AZ 85607. (520) 417-4100

ContributorsRose BerumenSharrina Cook-GeneralEva DickersonDenise HoyosKeith RingeyRick Whipple

“Accolade” inspires charitable contributions insupport of Cochise College by raising awarenessabout competitive advantages of the collegeand the activities of the Cochise College Foundation, which promotes student successthrough scholarships, facilities development,and program support. By supporting CochiseCollege, the Foundation endeavors to increasethe college's accessibility to our diverse andchanging communities.

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With “community” in its formal name and the development of constructive citizenship as part of its mission, it’s no surprisethat Cochise College faculty, staff, students, and alumni play an active role as volunteers with organizations across thecounty and beyond. Now, the college is taking a closer look at just how engaged it is with the communities it serves.

COMMUNITYC O C H I S E I N T H E

Service complements teaching, learning

Jenn Wantz, director of community relations, has collected dataon volunteerism by those with college connections for the lasttwo years. Self-reported service totaled 5,122.75 hours by 184individuals in 2019. Stakeholders were involved with nearly125 organizations over the course of two years.

“In 2019 our faculty, staff, and students volunteered at 94 serv-ice organizations. Thirty-three of these organizations have aneducational purpose, so it is fascinating to me that even in ourservice to the community, volunteers tend to focus on whatthey know and are passionate about.”

The project provides an opportunity for the college to recog-nize individuals who go above and beyond. Based on the dataprovided, it named volunteers of the year by category in both2018 and 2019. (Follow Cochise College on Facebook or checkthe news page at cochise.edu to see the honorees when theyare announced.)

Students often learn about service through course curriculum(see related story on page 7), or by joining a campus club forwhich service is a priority. Members of Club TRiO are required

to participate in community service in order to successfullymeet the demands of the program. They assisted an educa-tional vendor whose activity taught kids about dinosaurs atthe 2019 Cochise County Fair. Other formal student groupshave managed nesting boxes along the nature trail at theSierra Vista Campus, organized and carried out highwaycleanup, assisted with hurricane recovery efforts in Houston,and distributed food at local food banks.

Dr. Eric Brooks, dean of liberal arts, began serving with CochiseCounty Search and Rescue 21 years ago with plans to start adive team for the county. A former teacher, it wasn’t long be-fore he realized he had other skills that were vital to the organ-ization. Today he serves as the SAR commander - volunteermanager and training coordinator - teaching land navigation,swift water rescue, public safety diving, technical rope rescueand wilderness medicine. Some of the skills he learned overthe course of his time as a volunteer.

Culinary arts faculty Lora Miller uses her skills to teach a culi-nary program for kids offered through the Salvation Army. Re-tiring history faculty Rebecca Orozco, the 2018 Faculty

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Dean of Liberal Arts Eric Brooks, whose volunteer role as commander for Cochise County Search and Rescueinvolves volunteer management and training, heads out to a swift water rescue.

Volunteer of the Year, works with six communityorganizations and reports more than 200 hours ofservice each year.

All of them find service rewarding and have a pas-sion for something in their community that theywork to preserve or improve through service.

“I am committed to history and archaeology andespecially to saving the sites important to ourlocal history,” Orozco said. “I am also extremelyblessed in my own life and want to give back tomy community.”

For Wantz, the Cochise Cares program is a way toshowcase the activities of many great communityorganizations and how the college community isimpacting these organizations. She sees plenty ofroom to encourage others to begin tracking theirservice hours.

“Every year, when I see my own personal total, Iam shocked by how much time I spend givingback and it really makes me feel like I am making adifference,” Wantz said. “My hope is that other in-stitutions will begin similar projects in order toshowcase all of the service they are doing in theirown communities.”

COMMUNITY Organizations Served: AARP, ADOT,American Association of UniversityWomen, American Cancer Society, Amer-ican Legion of the Silver Rose, AmericanRed Cross, Any Rat Rescue, Arizona Com-munity Foundation, Benson High School,Berean Academy, Bisbee Animal Shelter,Bisbee Fiber Guild, Bisbee Mining & His-torical Museum, Bisbee Radio Project, Bis-bee Rotary Club, Boulder Crest, Boys &Girls Club of Bisbee, Buena High School,CANTER, CareNet Pregnancy Center ofCochise County, CASA (Court AppointedSpecial Advocate), Casa Hogar, CHABADSierra Vista, City of Bisbee Disability Com-mission, City of Douglas, City of SierraVista, Club TRiO, Cochise College (Govern-ing Board and various student clubs andevents), Cochise County 4-H San PedroSpirits, Cochise County Cinderella Schol-arship Program, Cochise County Fair As-sociation, Cochise County Historical Soci-ety, Cochise County Nurse Honor Guard,Cochise County Sheriff’s Office Search andRescue, Cochise Oncology, Colonel SmithMiddle School, Cochise County Coopera-tive Extension, Copper Queen Commu-nity Hospital, DIRECT Center for Inde-pendence and Diocese of Tucson, DKMSBone Marrow Registration, Douglas Com-munity Food Bank, EAA, Echoing HopeRanch, Educators Rising, Forever LovedPet Sanctuary, Friends of the San PedroRiver, Friends of Warren Ballpark, FutureFarmers of America, Gadsden Hotel,Global Leadership Summit, Gridiron FlagFootball, Habitat for Humanity, House ofHope, Huachuca Mountain ElementarySchool, Impact Sierra Vista, Interact, KidsHope, Life Care Center, MANRRS, MCPS(VA) Special Education Advisory Commit-tee, Naco Heritage Alliance, National Al-liance of Mental Illness, National Federa-tion of the Blind of Virginia, NazareneMissions International, New River ValleyBicycle Association, P.E.O., Play 60 FlagFootball, Presbyterian Church of Radford,Prestige Assisted Living, Project Mexico,RAIN, Reading is Fundamental, RonaldMcDonald House, Rotaract, Sahuarita Pri-mary School, Saint David School, Salva-tion Army, SEAHEC, Sierra Vista Evangel-ical Lutheran Church, Sierra VistaIndustrial Development Authority, SierraVista Nazarene Church, Sierra Vista PoliceDepartment, Sierra Vista Sunrise RotaryClub, Sierra Vista Unified School District,Sierra Vista United Methodist Church, SkyIsland Ranch, Special Olympics, St. An-drews Roman Catholic Church, St. Patrick’sChurch, Students Against Destructive De-cisions, Sulphur Springs Valley Electric Co-operative, The Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter Day Saints, Thunder MountainChurch, Tucson Dog Adoption Center, Uni-versity of Arizona, USO, Veritas ChristianCommunity School, Veterans of ForeignWars Post 9977, Walk to End Alzheimer’s,Willcox Quarterback Club, WrightsonRidge School, and an orphanage, nursinghome and clinic in Mexico.

Volunteer Hours

Affiliation 2018 2019Alumni/Friend 62.5 68.5Faculty 764.5 1,073.5Staff 2,247.25 2,788.25Student 604.5 1,245.5Total Hours 3,678.75 5,175.75Total Participants 88 185

Report Your Service Help Cochise College continue to collect and sharedata about community service by reporting youractivities! Find the form to identify your affilia-tion, organizations served, and hours atcochise.edu/cares or use the Cochise College appon your smart phone.

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College grows capacity in agriculture program

Significant changes in the Cochise College agriculture curriculum have led tothe opening of a teaching greenhouse at the Douglas Campus. Students willhave the chance to learn there in the Fall 2020 semester.

“The greenhouse adds a whole new dimension to the agriculture programthat will enhance the education of our students by providing them withhands-on, real-life experiences with plant propagation and use,” said Paul

Sebesta, director of the Agri-culture and Natural Re-sources program.

A number of agronomic andhorticultural plants will begrown in the greenhouse,which will be used for exper-iments and demonstrationprojects to illustrate con-cepts such as seed germina-

tion, plant propagation techniques, the culturalrequirements for landscape plants suited to thearid southwest, plant growth and development,plant breeding and genetics, soil fertility, pestsand control, ethnobotany, and hydroponics.

At 2,450 square feet, the greenhouse on the northside of campus is spacious enough to support anumber of agriculture classes. It has cooling andheating systems with automated temperaturecontrols that will maintain suitable temperaturesfor plant germination, growth and developmentthroughout the year. An automated watering sys-tem will be installed once the greenhouse be-comes operational.

“This could also lead to other new programming, such as nursery and green-house management, which is a growing (no pun intended) segment of theagriculture industry in urban and suburban areas,” Sebesta said.

New certificate programs, a degree program and courses have been addedto the curriculum in the last two years. Students can now pursue degrees incrop science and animal science and certificates in those same subjects,along with industrial hemp production and horticulture science. Some stu-dents seek transfer to universities, but many pursue additional education tobe better prepared for the job market.

Auto training facility underway in Sierra Vista

Greater access for students pursuing degrees andcertificates in automotive technology will becomeavailable when Cochise College opens a newtraining facility at the Sierra Vista Campus nextyear.

The 25,000-square-foot facility is designed specifi-cally for student learning and will include twoclassrooms equipped with computers at each sta-tion, a shop area that can accommodate disas-sembly, reassembly and demonstrations, andfaculty offices. Two different alignment racks areplanned, along with a wash-down bay, four flatbays and 18 hoist bays.

Automotive training at Cochise College hasevolved significantly in the last 15 years. During

that time, classes havebeen taught in bor-rowed space at theRPM Center on FortHuachuca, at theCochise County main-tenance facility in Bis-bee, and at a localdealership. The pro-gram’s most recenthome on Highway 92brought it visibility andmore students, to thepoint where the pro-gram outgrew thespace.

Though work on theproject stopped during the recent coronaviruspandemic, the college hopes the building will beready for students in the Spring 2021 semester. Inaddition to the convenience to students of beinglocated on campus and near other educationalservices, the building adds capacity to the pro-gram, doubles the number of bays currently avail-able, and provides dedicated space for specialcourses such as automotive electric and transmis-sions.

SebestaGoverning BoardMember Tim Quinnaddresses visitors at a groundbreaking ceremony.

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Before taking a sociology class at Cochise College, nursing stu-dent Litzy Carillo never visited an animal shelter. As part of Intro-duction to Sociology, Carillo took a tour of a shelter and metwith caregivers, organization representatives, and volunteerswho help maintain the facility. It was a new and exciting experi-ence.

"I love animals, and I thought it was a good opportu-nity to see the real-life problems dogs face in an ani-mal shelter," Carillo said. "I enjoyed the experienceand learned a lot about adoptions, rescues, and theamount of money and resources that the shelter re-ceives from the government and citizens."

Carillo's instructor is Patti Bigwood, who has beenteaching at Cochise for about six years and is chair ofthe Service Learning Committee. In her classes, Big-wood has focused on introducing the concept of so-ciology of the environment.

"I believe service learning makes learning real for students, andhopefully encourages them to take more of a civic interest intheir communities," Bigwood said. Every semester she turns theIntroduction to Sociology class into an opportunity for studentsto connect and learn from real-life experiences in the commu-nity. "Service-learning is about community engagement,whether it is a college-based project or a project centered on alocal community," Bigwood added.

Some past projects in Bigwood’s classes include the Grab n' GoFood Insecurity Program on the Douglas Campus, and inter-viewing local Vietnam Veterans about their military experiencethrough the lens of gender. This semester, Communities forPaws, the name of the civic and environmental project in Big-

wood's class, demonstrates how sociology plays a vital role instudying human group behavior as it relates to the environment.

"For this project, the focus was on dogs. Our class examined thebenefits that dogs bring to human lives. Then, we determinedhow the neglect and abuse of dogs harm not only the dogs

themselves, but the negative fall-out to society atlarge. Students examined this from a cultural andsocio-economic context."

Linking an aspect of the curriculum like lessons incivics to a hands-on project dramatically helps stu-dents understand the concepts they are learning inclass.

"Now I am more conscious of what happens at ani-mal shelters and can appreciate what the caregiversand different people do in the shelter," Carillo said. "Iunderstand why it is important to be a responsiblepet owner and what happens to animals that are

abused or left alone."

As the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic began, the service-learning section of the course was abruptly shortened. Learningby doing not only engages students but also involves them inour communities where we live. What inspires Bigwood to takethis approach to teaching?

"I think service-learning is important on several fronts. The Com-munity for Paws project this semester encourages students torecognize that we are all part of a greater whole, our community,our society, the earth. Responsible, empathic humans will be re-spectful of the earth, which includes all living things."

Service learning teaches empathy

“I believeservice learningmakes learning

real for students,and hopefully

encouragesthem to take

more of a civicinterest in theircommunities.”

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Thank you to our sponsors

Cochise College is extremely grateful to thefollowing organizations that stepped for-ward to support the Senior Scholarship bysponsoring a March 24 scholarship break-fast. What’s more, every one of them wantedtheir funds to help students despite theevent be postponed. The good news is that thecollege foundation looks forward to bringing asimilar event to a Cochise County community nearyou during the next academic year.

Share the joy of learning(not the virus)

With Cochise College working to keep employeessafe while also considering how best to serve stu-dents in an uncertain environment, now is a greattime to consider ways to provide support otherthan sending a check that must be physically han-dled.

The Cochise College Foundation donation portalat www.cochise.edu/give lets you make charitablegifts online. Online giving enables you to give onetime or to set up recurring gifts monthly or weeklyin order to spread payments over the time of yourchoosing. Donors of recurring gifts receive a wel-come followed by an annual summary and ac-knowledgement of gifts in January.

Contact our office at 520-417-4735 or founda-tion@cochise.edu with questions.

We also thank Virginia and JimCleven for their

support of the SeniorScholarship.

“ ank you for giving me an opportunityto open the door to the next chapter in my life.”

Student who wishes to remain anonymous

Our MissionCochise College

provides accessibleeducational

opportunities that areresponsive to a

diverse populationand lead to constructive citizenship, meaningful

careers and lifelonglearning.

The Cochise CollegeFoundation promotesstudent success

through scholarships,facilities development,and program support.

Ways to Give Donor contributions

help provide thousands of dollars inscholarships and

program support eachyear. You can help support these and

other college activitiesin a variety of ways.

• Establish an Annualor Endowed Fund• Planned Gifts• Real Estate

• Cash and Pledges• Matching Gifts

Check our website togive online, or contactus at (520) 417-4735to determine an appropriate use for

your gift.

Look for more newsreflecting Cochise College’s strategic priorities in futurepublications.

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Sheriff’s Bike Run ScholarshipShe lives with her parents and younger sister,is 20 years old, and majors in Social and Be-havioral Sciences. After high school gradua-tion, Natalia Caballero was unsure aboutattending college and was scared aboutthe campus, teachers, classes, class-mates, everything. She received aSenior Scholarship sponsored by theCochise County Sheriff's Bike Run andwants to become a children's thera-pist.

"After graduating high school I was nottoo excited to continue studying, buteverything changed once I started col-lege. I became completely independentand obtained a sense of responsibilitythat helped me throughout my classes. I also did-n't expect the amount of help I would be receiv-ing from the school and my teachers. It's as ifyou're entering a place where every-one wants you to succeed. Now noone believes me when I say I'm inlove with college. Although becauseof my financial situation it's not alwayseasy, thanks to you, everything has be-come more smooth for me. It reallymeans a lot that you are providing thishelp for me, as it helps me continue withmy studies, which is what I love."Natalia Caballero, future children’s therapist

Col. Isabelle Bagin Scholarship“I cannot wait to give back to the community as anurse and hope to one day also beable to assist students with scholar-ships as you did. Again my most sin-cere gratitude.”Tiffany Silva, future nurse

Pamela Sanders Memorial Scholarship“Thank you so much for the chance toreceive this scholarship. I am extremelygrateful. This scholarship is a big deal formy family and I cannot thank youenough.”Aaliyah Castillo, future teacher

Lizette Ortega Dickey Scholarship“Thank you so much for this scholarship! My planafter graduating Cochise College with an associate’sin mathematics is to transfer and pursue a bachelor’sin computer science. This money is helping me fur-ther my career goals.”Katelyn Griffith, future computer programmer

Senior Scholarship“I would like to express my deepest gratitude for this

generous scholarship. This scholarship helps me immensely inachieving my goal of earning my associate’s degree in me-chanical engineering.”

Devean Barron, future automotive designer

Brenda Axline Memorial Scholarship“I deeply appreciate the role you have played incontinuing my education. Five years ago mymother attended Cochise College in order togain her nursing degree and provide us with abetter life. After witnessing the dedication it tookto enter this challenging profession, I decided tofollow in her footsteps. With your help I will be ableto proceed to learn about caring for others whocannot care for themselves. Thank you for the gen-

erosity that you have shown the nursing program and myfamily through the years.”Ciera Dewar, future midwife

SSVEC Scholarship“I am a media production arts major hereat Cochise College. I'd like to thank youfor this scholarship. You truly have no ideahow much it means to me. I was recentlylaid off from my job and having this schol-arship will help me to continue funding mycollege education. I wouldn't be able to doit without your help.”Alicia Raber, future digital filmmaker

Brenda Axline Memorial Scholarship“Thank you to all the individuals whomake this scholarship possible. I'm onemonth away from graduating as a nurse. Ihope I can apply the knowledge I'vegained over the past 2 years and help ourcommunity during this difficult time.”Ildefonso Saenz, future registered nurse

Top to bottom: Natalia Caballero, Tiffany Silva,Aaliyah Castillo, Katelyn Griffith, Devean Barron, CieraDewar, Alicia Raber and Ildefonso Saenz.

Thanks to you, Cochise College changing lives

while in high school. Heearned credits in math andphysics and developed anidea of what the engineer-ing process entails andwhat his career could belike.

"My calculus instructor atCochise really influencedme. He had us practiceproblems and would walkaround the room and lookat our work to see if wewere struggling with a con-cept. I remember this beingvery beneficial to my un-derstanding of calculus andhelping me to easily suc-ceed in future courses."

Stutzman earned a bache-lor’s degree in mechanicalengineering in 2013, justthree years after highschool. He passed the Fun-damentals of Engineeringexam last year and plans totake the Principles andPractice of Engineeringexam to earn a PE licensesoon.

Phong Nguyen (‘11) is aself-employed developerwho earned a degree inmathematics and studiedadvanced computer appli-cations before earning abachelor’s degree in mathand computer science.Nguyen is finishing gradu-

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1960sA member of the first classat Cochise College, DavidKurdeka ('66) is a volunteerfor the Maturango Museumof the Indian Wells Valley,giving programs about nat-ural history in schoolsaround Ridgecrest, Calif.

Kurdeka pursued a bache-lor's degree in aerospaceengineering at the time ofthe "space race," graduat-ing from the University ofArizona in 1969. He spenthis career at the Naval AirWeapons Station in Ridge-crest. In retirement, he alsoenjoys the outdoors - hik-ing, camping, and four-wheeling, as well asinternational travel and hispassion for photography.

1970sCinderella (Smith) Lockett(‘76) studied education atCochise College and busi-ness at a college in Califor-nia. Today, she works forGoodwill of Southern Cali-fornia.

1980sKen Dews (‘87) is an imple-mentation project managerfor T-Mobile. He earned adegree in middle manage-ment and served as an offi-cer in Phi Theta Lambda, anorganization for business

leave, reassignment,awards, evaluations andtraining, she knew the data.But she didn’t know how totell the computers what re-ports were desired from thedata. “Enter Cochise Collegeand the new trajectory ofmy career from personnelto information technology.”Scott enrolled in a databasemanagement coursetaught by Bill Akins. Shelearned to edit the COBOL-based code of the militarypersonnel programs andearned a degree in com-puter information systems and several professional ITcertifications and becamethe boot camp instructorfor the ISACA Certified In-formation Security Man-ager (CISM) course. “In 2015,I retired from NETCOM asan Army senior cyber secu-rity manager. Teaching andlifelong learning have beenmy avocations, and I amproud to share that my son(Chris) and my father (JoeYox) have also attendedCochise College.”

After graduating fromBuena High School in 1994,Jeff Davenport attendedCochise College and wenton to obtain a bachelor’sdegree in human biology in1998. He began a job inradio and never lookedback. Davenport is the op-erations manager for KKYZand KNXN in Sierra Vista,KCDQ in Douglas, andKFMM in Safford. “I remem-ber the constant encour-agement and support Ireceived (and, thankfully, re-ceive to this day) from myfavorite instructor, TanyaBiami, who was instrumen-tal in helping me focus mymaniacal energy and gaveme the opportunity to

students. He’s carried hisCochise College experiencesince graduation. “Attend-ing Cochise College was aGREAT experience! I had ex-cellent instructors that en-sured academic success,and I was a huge Apachesports fan. I credit CochiseCollege for the educationaltools to have been success-ful in my career!”

1990sGabriela Sanchez (‘90)earned a degree in smallbusiness management andtransferred to Arizona StateUniversity. She has retiredfrom a career in law en-forcement and entered asecond career in counsel-ing.

For 29 years, ElizabethFackrell (‘91) has used herregistered nursing degreeto work in med-surg, homehealth, and hospice; she’sbeen a research nurse, di-rector of nursing, andMedicare nurse inspector.Her current position withCenter for Change, workingwith teenage girls andwomen with eating disor-ders, is the most fulfilling.

Former Cochise baseballplayer Brian Wright (‘93) isthe director of finance forthe City of Eloy.

In 1989, Deb Scottwas theSIDPERS (personnel au-tomation) branch chief onFort Huachuca. The U.S.Army was moving into thenew world of personalcomputers. An Army Adju-tant General Corps officerwith a degree in account-ing who had led each of thebranches that process mili-tary personnel actions like

Kurdeka

Davenport

Stutzman

NEWS OF ALUMNI & FRIENDS

shine in her classroom. I'mso grateful she was thereduring that time in my life."

2000sOf all of the degrees she’searned, Ella Melito (‘01) ismost proud of the one sheearned at Cochise College.“As a first-generation col-lege student, I struggled tofind my way in an academicenvironment. At CochiseCollege, I developed rela-tionships with peers and in-structors that helped menavigate my college experi-ence.” Melito earned abachelor’s degree andjoined the Peace Corp andserved in Kazakhstan. Sheholds a master’s degreeand is a member of theEnglish faculty at CochiseCollege. “I feel blessed tohave the opportunity tomentor students and helpthem navigate their collegeexperience in the same waymy instructors at Cochisedid when I was a student.”

2010sAlexander Stutzman is asubstation and automationengineer with SulphurSprings Valley Electric Co-operative. Stutzman creditsthe Cochise College Run-ning Start program for hisprogress. The program en-abled him to attend college

By Doug Dunn

Like many of you, I worked for a comfortable retirement, saved in a traditional IRA, and now enjoy sup-porting charitable causes. After we reach a certain age (previously 70 ½, but currently 72, according tothe SECURE Act which became law in January 2020), we need to take a required minimum distribution

(RMD) annually from our IRAs. Since the original contributions to our tradi-tional IRA were pre-tax, 100 percent of any IRA distribution will be taxable.The IRS now allows us to give that distribution (up to $100,000 per year) to acharitable organization and avoid the taxes on it.

Below I will tell you about my experience with this. However, I should notethat the COVID-19 stimulus bill passed by Congress includes a provision thatwaives the RMD requirement for 2020. This means you can leave it in your ac-count rather than withdrawing it. The charitable IRS rollover donation optionremains.

Donating your RMD is quite simple. In my case, I contacted the financial insti-tution that holds my IRA. They provided me with a simple form in which I in-

dicated the name and address of the charity to which I wished the check sent and the amount I wishedto donate. The form required a signature guarantee (notary) which I obtained at my bank. I was pro-vided with documentation of the transfer. Likewise I received formal notification from the charity for myrecords. It is always helpful if you notify the charity of your intentions, from whom a check will arrive, theamount, and how your gift is to be used.

In completing your 1040 tax return, you indicate on line 4a the amount of your IRA distribution (as re-ported to you on Form 1099-R) and on 4b the amount of your IRA minus what you donated to charity.Only this amount will be taxed. You or your tax preparer can also go online to IRS.gov for instructions.This is separate from the reporting of donations made as Itemized Deductions on Schedule A.

Douglas Dunn is a member of the Board of Directors of the Cochise College Foundation and The Bisbee Foun-dation. He believes in giving back to the community by supporting local charitable causes, such as theCochise College Senior Scholarship program. He is not a financial or legal professional.

ContactDenise Hoyos Eva Dickerson Rose Berumenhoyosd@cochise.edu dickersone@cochise.edu berumenr@cochise.edu520-417-4148 / 520-335-2757 520-515-3690 520-417-4735

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Alumni PlAnS FOr 2020-2021What are some of the activitiesyou’d like to see as a Cochise Col-lege alum? We aim to find out.

Follow Cochise College Alumnion Facebook and look for anemail (if we have your address)or an alumni booth at variouscollege events to fill out a surveyand tell us what alumni activitiesYOU would enjoy.

If you haven’t shared your con-tact information with us, you cando so while sharing your CochiseCollege story and joining thealumni network atcochise.edu/alumni.

Dunn

Borger

ate studies in theory andapplication of regressionmodels at Colorado StateUniversity and is applyingto a master’s program inapplied statistics.

IN MEMORIAMChuck Perry, who retired in2011 after 31 years with theCochise College AviationProgram, including time aschief flight instructor, diedApril 27, 2020, in Bisbee.

Arlo Janssen, who taughtEnglish and retired in 1990,passed away May 2, 2020, inBenson.

Share your news and updates atwww.cochise.edu/alumni oremail alumni@cochise.edu.

Foundation adds new board memberBisbee resident Larry Borger is the newest member of the Cochise College Foundation board of direc-tors. Among other things, Borger has extensive experience as an adult trainer. He has served with theBoys & Girls Club of Bisbee, VICAP, Renaissance House/Women’s Transition Project, and Bisbee Commu-nity Chorus. He also spent a year facilitating and writing a strategic plan for the Community MontessoriSchool of Bisbee.

Borger earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in higher and adult educationat Columbia University. He also earned a master’s in business administration at Arizona State University.Borger spent the early part of his career as director of independent day schools in New York and Ari-zona. He later became a logistics manager and trainer for Motorola; training manager, productivity con-sultant and project manager for the Salt River Project; and instructor, head of faculty, and lead facultytrainer for the University of Phoenix.

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From tHe ArCHiVethe 1970-72 Cochise College catalog lists a new associate degreenursing program starting in Fall 1970, nearly 50 years ago. itwas so new, the curriculum wasn’t ready in time for printing. ifyou can identify the individuals in this photo from an early1970s yearbook, email us at alumni@cochise.edu.