At its February meeting, the Cochise College Governing Board approved a recommendation to hire an architect to design a new education center in Willcox.

The approval followed a joint study session of the Governing Board and the board of the Willcox Unified School District in which board members learned about a proposal to build an approximately 8,000-square-foot Cochise College center on school district property. The center is part of the college’s Master Facilities Plan, which will improve substandard facilities across the district.

ABA Architects of Tucson was selected by a committee that included representatives of the college, the school district, and the community. In coming months, the firm will design a building to replace the current Willcox Center, which is housed in temporary buildings just north of the Willcox Unified School District administrative offices. A design will be shared with both the college and school district boards later this year.

 “A new center in Willcox will raise awareness of the college’s presence and continue a mutually beneficial partnership between the college and the school district,” said Dr. Karen Nicodemus, college president. “It will be more visible than the current facility and will have greater capacity to serve both students and the community.”

The college Governing Board also selected officers for the coming year. Jan Guy, who represents Precinct 5, will continue to serve as board chair. She has been a member of the board since 1994; this year will be her 10th as chair. Jane Strain, who represents Precinct 3, will serve as secretary. She has been a member of the board since 1998 and has previously served both as secretary and as chair.

David Di Peso, Precinct 1; Dr. Michael Carter, Precinct 2; and Dr. John Eaton, Precinct 4; will continue to serve as board members.

In addition, the Governing Board heard a report on a new Running Start Academy, which is currently in the pilot phase at the Sierra Vista Campus. The program brings high school juniors and seniors onto the college campus to earn college credit toward an associate degree that also can be applied toward high school graduation. The pilot program at the Sierra Vista Campus focuses on science, technology, engineering and math and currently includes 11 high school juniors. The program has been so well-received that the students requested an intensive summer math program to continue their studies.

A Running Start Academy focusing on entrepreneurship will start at the Douglas Campus this fall. Both the Douglas and Sierra Vista programs will enroll 24 juniors and 24 seniors and be open to students across the county. The application process will begin in a few weeks.

Governing Board Representation

Precinct    Representative

1     David Di Peso, Cochise, member

(Benson, Sunizona, Portal, Bowie, Willcox)              

2     Dr. Mike Carter, Douglas, member

(Douglas, Elfrida, Double Adobe, Apache)             

3     Jane Strain, Sierra Vista, secretary

(Sierra Vista, Huachuca City, Whetstone)                

4     Dr. John Eaton, Sierra Vista, member

(Sierra Vista)                                                             

5     Jan Guy, Hereford, chair

(Hereford, Palominas, Bisbee, Tombstone)