Students can get diploma, degree together

Selected high school juniors and seniors are being invited to earn their high school diploma and a tuition-free associate degree from Central Arizona College at the same time.

The creative program enables qualified high school students who have completed their sophomore year to attend Central tuition-free on a full-time or part-time basis.

Called Early College, the program will be explained to students and their families at 6 p.m. next Tuesday at Casa Grande Union High School.

The opportunity is possible because of an agreement between CGUHS and Central, said Doris Helmich, the college's associate vice president of student development. She said she has offered the program to high school guidance counselors throughout Pinal County.

Helmich and CGUHS Principal Keith Greer outlined the pilot program's requirements and advantages in a recent letter to 1,000 CGUHS juniors and seniors and their families.

Under the high school-college agreement, CGUHS will permit juniors and seniors to spend part of the day attending classes at Central. "You must have completed your sophomore year and show the ability to benefit on the Central placement exam," the letter stated. "You will need to purchase your books and provide your own transportation or carpool with a friend."

"It is possible to be college-ready or graduate from high school with an associate degree if you attend Central Arizona College for at least four semesters and successfully complete 12 to 15 credits per semester and take advantage of our free summer credits," the letter continues.

Helmich said response to Early College has been enthusiastic. "This program has been well received by students and parents that are looking for an additional challenge while in high school or for students that want to shorten their time to college degree completion," she noted.

"Students who commit to this program at the beginning of their junior year and take 12 to 15 credits per semester can earn their associate degree with their high school diploma," she stressed.

"In addition, by completing the Arizona General Education Curriculum, a student's credits would transfer as a block to any of the Arizona universities. Imagine starting your junior year in college when your friends are just beginning their freshman year," she said. "And imagine the tuition savings."

Helmich and Greer wrote that there are many advantages to attending high school and college at the same time. "Even some college can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars more that could be earned over a lifetime. The sooner that you obtain your degree, the sooner you may be eligible to begin your career."

Early College students will have access to Central's library and the college's tutoring, college and career advising, and testing centers. They'll also be able to use its computer labs, cafeteria, weight room and swimming pool.

Students in the program will meet with academic advisers and be enrolled in an extended orientation-to-college class.

In her presentation about Early College to the CGUHS board recently, Helmich told them, "The job market is changing, and those who cannot keep up are left behind.... Most jobs will require at least an associate degree. Students with an associate degree can make 35 percent more than a student with a high school diploma.

"By changing the structure of the high school years and compressing the number of years to a college degree," Helmich told the board, "Early College has the potential to improve graduation rates and better prepare students for entry into high-skill careers."

Students in the pilot program would begin the spring semester at Central when it starts Jan. 16.

Johnson Ranch/

San Tan classes

Six courses will be taught during the spring semester at CAC's San Tan/Johnson Ranch Center.

The on-site classes are in addition to more than 100 distance learning courses that can be taken online.

Classes that will be taught at San Tan/Johnson Ranch Center are:

-- Pre-Algebra Standard, MAT 081, from 6 to 7:50 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays from Jan. 16 through May 10.

-- Conversational Spanish I, SPA 115, from 7 to 9:50 p.m. Tuesdays from Jan. 23 through April 3.

-- Adult Secondary Education I, GED 090, 8 a.m. until noon on Saturdays from Feb. 17 through May 12.

-- English for Speakers of Other Languages I, ESL 081, taught during two sessions. The first will be 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays from Jan. 16 through March 8. The second will be 5 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays from April 3 through May 24.

-- Women in U.S. History, HIS 201, a university transfer class, offered via interactive television at Walker Butte School from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 16 through May 10.

Central's office is at Johnson Ranch Elementary School, at Desert Willow and Thistle.

Registration dates and times are available by calling 480-677-8668.

More information about online courses is available by calling Linda Steele-Green at 480-677-7734.

Baseball alumni game, golf tourney

Baseball at Central Arizona College will make its 2007 liftoff Jan. 20 and 21 with a weekend that will feature a Saturday alumni game and a Sunday golf tournament.

Several professional players who are Central alumni have said they'll return to play in the game and tournament.

Attendance at the baseball game and play in the golf tournament are both open to the public, said Central baseball coach Jon Wente.

The Saturday activities will feature a home run derby at 11:45 a.m., introductions at 12:45 p.m. and the game at 1 p.m. at the Signal Peak Campus.

The Tim Edwards Central Arizona College Baseball Alumni Golf Tournament will be played on Sunday of the kickoff weekend at Francisco Grande Hotel & Golf Resort near Casa Grande.

The tournament's $100-a-player entry fee will include green fees and cart as well as a continental breakfast and lunch after tournament play. Tee sponsorships also are available. Deadline for registration is Jan. 13. A registration form is posted online on Central's baseball home page, located under "athletics" at centralaz.edu.

Tournament day will begin with registration at 7 a.m. Four-person scramble play will begin with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. The tourney also will feature a silent auction, drawing and prizes.

Wente said he hopes to see many former Vaqueros who are now pros as well as a couple of former Central baseball coaches.

Among alumni who have said they'll play are second baseman Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers, starting pitcher Rich Harden of the Oakland Athletics, Arizona Diamondback Scott Hairston, Houston Astros pitcher Dan Wheeler and Tom Pagnozzi, former All-Star catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Also expected for the weekend are former coaches Mike Candrea and Clint Myers, who now are head softball coaches at Arizona universities. Candrea is at University of Arizona, while Myers is about to begin his second season heading Arizona State's squad.

"Proceeds from the golf tournament will go directly to our program to pay for scholarships," Wente said. "This year we are going to establish a baseball scholarship in Tim Edwards' name."

Edwards was Central's first baseball coach, a longtime Central faculty member and an avid supporter of the college's athletic programs. He was murdered in late 2005 near his ranch north of Silver City, N.M. The Edwards family will be presented with a plaque of recognition. "A copy of that plaque will be placed on our dugout for all our players to see," Wente noted.

Further information about the weekend's activities is available from Wente at 494-5336 or his assistant coaches Drew Keehn, Josh Simpson or Jim Urquidez at 494-5301. Alumni association contacts are Victor Yubeta at 560-0808 or Jason Grabosch at 520-784-5041.

Central baseball will make its 2007 season debut on the road against Salt Lake City Community College during back-to-back doubleheaders Feb. 2 and 3 in St. George, Utah. Salt Lake was the team Central defeated to advance to the NJCAA World Series in 2002.

The Vaqueros will open at home Feb. 13 with a doubleheader against Glendale Community College.

Wente said the team is on track in pre-season practice to return to its 2004 season form, when Central won the ACCAC championship before advancing to win the NJCAA's Region 1 title. That team finished post-season competition as runner-up in the NJCAA Western District.

Looking ahead to the '07 season, Wente said, "We're going to be a much better team that will play very hard. We have an opportunity to be a very good team if we continue to do things right, both on and off the field. Pitching and defense should be the staple of this team."