Eddie Webb is a dedicated English professor who provides a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere for his students, particularly those who are American Indian students. Webb’s influence extends beyond academics as he lends support to students transitioning from their home areas to college life at Mesa Community College.
Webb is a member of the United Keetoowah Nation. He has lived in Oklahoma, California and Arizona. Like many Oklahoma Indians, Webb’s family relocated to California to work in cotton fields, an event Webb claims to be proud of.
“I am honored that my family worked the fields picking crops," Webb said. "My most memorable childhood memories are when people would gather at my grandparent’s house at 4 am to eat biscuits and gravy before heading out into the fields. These are my people and although most of them never had an opportunity for education, I hope I can live up to their level decency and dedication to their community.”
Webb earned a MFA degree at Arizona State University and has taught classes at MCC for 14 years. He has been a traditional ceremonial dancer for 26 years and notes, “Our ceremonies have been equally important to my education and presence in the classroom.”
Webb said he enjoys working at MCC because he can relate to the struggles of students. With the support of his department Chair Jeff Andelora, Webb has had the opportunity to advance his curriculum into visual literacy. Webb recently enrolled in the Film School at Scottsdale Community College to study documentaries for Social Change. As a result of being a student at SCC and with the help of co-worker Paul Hickey in the MCC Media Services Department, Webb produced a short documentary on a Hopi Artist that will be entered into a film festival.
In the future, Webb plans to involve his students in more documentaries for social change projects. Last year while working with student services Vice President Sonja Pearson, Webb was directed by MCC President Shouan Pan to author a grant proposal for MCC in an effort to raise funds for the American Indian Center and gain resources for multimedia platforms.
“This is exciting for me,” Webb said. “We were recently awarded a grant from the Salt River Indian Community so we now have funding to produce 2-3 minute documentaries over the next several years.”
Webb also stated, "James Mabry of Academic Affairs has been overwhelmingly supportive and has provided the technical support I need to develop these courses.” Webb continued, “ I believe working as a community we can achieve great programs for our students.”
Degrees and Awards
Webb holds a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University, with undergraduate work in Criminal Justice and American Indian Literature, a California contractor's license and is a recognized professional photographer.
Eddie’s documentary: Profile of a Hopi Artist Weldon Grover, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_zo24H1J84