A Year in Review - 2023
As we reach the end of 2023, we reflect on the impactful projects that MCOR has had an opportunity to be part of and the communities we have been privileged to serve. We extend our gratitude to each and every individual who contributed to making this year truly exceptional, and we look forward to making 2024 an extraordinary year as well!
Route to Relief
Route to Relief at Maricopa Community Colleges is offered in partnership with Maricopa County and the City of Phoenix and provides individuals with free tuition, monthly stipends, and employment assistance when enrolled in eligible programs across the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges. This project is designed to assist individuals whose employment or household income was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the project launched in July 2022, MCOR has been able to support almost 1,200 individuals with career navigation services, and of those nearly 650 have enrolled in short-term occupational training programs across our colleges. Learn more at maricopa.edu/r2r.
Employee Growth and Development
As part of its commitment to developing staff and continuously improving our system, Maricopa Community Colleges has launched a Performance Success initiative designed to build opportunities for supervisors and employees to achieve the following:
- Build relationships through collaboration
- Focus on employee growth and success
- Align work for organizational impact
MCOR has had the opportunity to support this important work with the development of the curriculum and training materials for the project’s nine focus areas: Emotional Intelligence; Communication; Growth Mindset; Critical and Analytical Thinking; Continuous Improvement; Leadership; Goals; Performance Success; Coaching. This curriculum will be taught to thousands of Maricopa Community Colleges employees across the system, with all full-time staff expected to complete these training courses in 2024.
Artificial Intelligence Teaching and Learning Summit
Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC), Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), and Maricopa Corporate College (MCOR) collaborated to host the first annual Artificial Intelligence (AI) Teaching and Learning Summit, which brought together nearly 100 higher education professionals and advocates from the AI ecosystem. The Summit was held at CGCC with separate learning tracks for faculty and advocates, representing educators from 36 schools across 20 states. Participants had the opportunity to network with industry professionals, create meaningful partnerships in this field, and learn ways to integrate AI into curriculum across multiple disciplines. To learn more about the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Teaching and Learning Summit, read our blog or check out this article about Maricopa Community Colleges and the future of AI.
Impact Breakfasts: April and November
Our April Impact Breakfast gave attendees important insights into human-centered leadership, and how organizations can foster a culture of engagement, innovation, and performance that drives business success. In November, we brought our Impact Breakfast back in-person for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The focus was on building value and engagement in the workforce, and how Key Performance Essentials can improve communication skills, support employee satisfaction, and grow leadership from within an organization. For a recap of our November Impact Breakfast, click here.
Arizona Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Arizona MEP)
MCOR, in collaboration with the Arizona Manufacturing Extension Partnership (Arizona MEP, a division of the Arizona Commerce Authority), has delivered six Leadership Development cohorts to leaders and aspiring leaders in the Phoenix manufacturing sector. These cohorts consist of a seven-workshop series of 25 participants per cohort representing 43 different small to medium manufacturing organizations across Arizona. Training has included New Supervisor Essentials, Effective Communication, Conflict Resolution, Coaching for Success, Time Management, Team Dynamics, and Change Management strategies.