DAC Award for Excellence: Glendale Community College

Remodel of the Glendale Community College Student Union

The forty year old GCC Student Union has been redesigned to make students the center of the building, create a “College Living Room” where students study collaboratively and become engaged in the community of clubs and activities that foster retention, and serve as a showcase for student achievements and community connections to the College.

Students, faculty, staff and community all are benefiting from the transformed building.  The building is alive with activity.  Recently, Channel 3 Good Morning Arizona described the atmosphere as creating the feeling of a hometown community, and that is accurate.

The wireless environment attracts students of all ages and ethnicity.  You will find students with notebook computers working in groups at tables, curled in chairs near the fireplace, or even working in the game room while friends play pool or table tennis.  For those without laptops, there is a cybercafé space with Macintosh computers available from 6:00 am until 11:00 pm daily where they can use their free student email accounts to access course work or spend time on sites like My Space. The study spaces contain white boards for impromptu study groups and movable furniture with “tablet” surfaces on which to write, place a book or hold a computer. 

Our Student Leadership Center provides a home to student organizations that range from scholastic (Phi Theta Kappa and Psi Beta) to special interest (chess or ceramics) to religious (Newman Club and Young Life) to those that represent race, ethnicity and gender diversity (MEChA and Compass).  All these diverse groups of students feel included.  The message sent with our professional meeting rooms, spaces for activities, and Student Life staff support has made an incredible difference in the level of involvement and collaboration in our student organizations. 

Students enrolled in our Student Leadership classes helped with the design of the furnishings and the elements of the game room and lounge space.  They spoke to the student community to find out what students want in their out of class spaces.  This involvement helped us reach out to our diverse range of students so that we could create spaces that meet their needs.

The former outdoor atrium of approximately 3,000 square feet has been capped with glass and incorporated into the open space of the Union.  Faculty and staff have abandoned lunch in the employee dining room and are now found dining under the glass roof.  This has further fostered the sense of community among and between employees and students.

And finally, a conference center exists where once was a 6,000 square foot dining area that was cold, sterile, and noisy.  Now we have space to celebrate and meet.  In the one month since we opened, we have held a student diversity workshop, an employee ethics workshop, a scholarship luncheon, a student recognition day luncheon and an AACHE conference.  What a statement in service to the diverse staff and students we have at Glendale Community College!

We have had one portion of the Student Union open for two semesters.  Our data shows that participation in student organizations is up this year, and students in clubs are more participatory with student government.  We were also able to add a 200 level leadership course to our Leadership Center because of the increased participation from student organizations.

The number of tables and chairs for dining is the same as existed in the building prior to remodel.  After one full semester of operation, we are ordering seating for an additional 60 people. 

Student success can be defined as the attainment of educational goals.  We know from research that when students connect to faculty, staff and other students, their persistence rises dramatically.  This building fosters that connection. The message is one that says ‘you are important to us, and we want to make your time with us a successful one.’

Strategic Directions: Maximizing Access, Creating Dynamic Learning Environments, Maximizing Collaboration