2022 Developmental Education Endowed Teaching Award recipients: Craig Jacobsen, Leanna Hall, Amelia Rodriguez and Mike Callaway. MESA, Arizona – Jan. 18, 2023 – A team of faculty members from the Mesa Community College (MCC) Reading and English Departments is the recipient of the 2022 Developmental Education Endowed Teaching Award. The award provides programmatic support and professional growth funds for faculty teaching developmental education/support courses.

English Department faculty Craig Jacobsen, Ph.D., department chair; Michael Callaway, Ph.D., first-year composition coordinator; and Leanna Hall, Ph.D., Southern and Dobson assistant chair; and Reading Department faculty Annah McMahon, department chair; and Amelia Rodriguez, residential faculty, have collectively received $3,538 to develop a Canvas course shell providing materials for faculty teaching integrated reading and writing (IRW) at MCC.

Based on the work of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) in IRW guiding principles, learning outcomes and research on transfer, professional development and accreditation for the past two years, plus national models of IRW curricula, the team is developing an IRW course shell for faculty with students who place into First-Year Composition (ENG 101), First-Year Composition for ESL (ENG 107) and Successful College Reading (RDG 100).

Three of the development team members, Mike Callaway, Leanna Hall, and Amelia Rodriquez, will be piloting the IRW course this spring.

As Melissa Carpenter, Director of the Foundation for Student Success states, “Not only will faculty benefit from using the resources to help students succeed, the process of course development will help further dialogue about how best to integrate the concepts and outcomes.”

The endowment was established with funding from the U.S. Department of Education Title III Foundations for Student Success grant and philanthropic support provided to the MCC Office of Philanthropy and Alumni Relations. The grant focused on improving student outcomes by providing faculty professional development, classroom and course redesign, and student success strategy instruction. The endowment funds allow these efforts to continue even though the grant ended in 2016.

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Media contact: Dawn Zimmer, 480-461-7892, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu

Mesa Community College is nationally recognized for university transfer, career and technical programs, civic engagement, service-learning and innovative approaches to education. On average MCC students provide 23,000 hours of community service annually. For more than 50 years, the college has served as a resource for education, workforce development and lifelong learning. Host to more than 25,400 students annually, MCC offers degree and certificate programs at its two campuses and additional locations through a combination of modalities. MCC is transforming how it champions student success through Guided Pathways with Integrated Support Services and a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. MCC is a Hispanic Serving Institution with nearly 50% of its students being the first in their families to attend college. MCC has the largest indigenous student population of all the Maricopa Community Colleges; its American Indian Institute serves students from the 22 federally recognized Arizona tribes as well as out-of-state tribes. The diverse student body includes hundreds of international students from around the world. Award-winning faculty are dedicated to student success, providing the education and training that empowers MCC students to attain their goals. Located in the East Valley of Phoenix, Arizona, on the traditional territories of the O'odham, Piipaash and Yavapai Peoples, MCC is one of 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District. Visit mesacc.edu to learn more.

Mesa Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) -- hlcommission.org.

The Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or national origin. A lack of English language skills will not be a barrier to admission and participation in the career and technical education programs of the District. MCCCD does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs or activities. For Title IX/504 concerns, call the following number to reach the appointed coordinator: (480) 731-8499. For additional information, as well as a listing of all coordinators within the Maricopa College system, visit maricopa.edu/non-discrimination.