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For Immediate Release
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DR. RAÚL CÁRDENAS TO RETIRE AFTER FOUR DECADES IN EDUCATION
Esteemed Vice Chancellor plans “active” retirement

March 7, 2002 – Raúl Cárdenas, Ph.D., Vice Chancellor of Student Development and Community Affairs, has announced his retirement as of July 2002. Cárdenas has served as a distinguished college President, Interim Chancellor and Vice Chancellor in the Maricopa Community Colleges during his twenty-four years with the district. Known as a team builder and advocate for diversity, Cárdenas has a reputation as a fair-minded possibility thinker, dedicated to creating learning opportunities and providing workforce development programs.

“Dr. Cárdenas has made significant contributions to the district during his tenure,” said Dr. Fred Gaskin, Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges. “His leadership is appreciated and will be missed.”

As the Vice Chancellor of Student Development and Community Affairs, Cárdenas oversees Facilities Planning and Development, Government Relations and External Affairs, Maricopa Community Colleges Foundation, Marketing and Public Relations, and Student Services. He was the founding President of South Mountain Community College where he served for 14 years. He took the helm at Paradise Valley Community College for 7 years before coming to the District Office as Interim Chancellor and his appointment as Vice Chancellor.

“Serving students, to make sure they have access to a quality learning environment, starts from the top and must be nurtured,” says Cárdenas. “I feel fortunate to have spent my entire career doing what I love to do, and not many people can say that,”

His academic career spans three decades and all levels of education - as an elementary, junior high and high school teacher, a high school vice principal, community college dean of students in El Paso, Texas, and as an Assistant Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at the University of California at Berkeley.

Dr. Cárdenas' participation in international, national, state and local education organizations is quite extensive and includes having served as a trustee of the College Entrance Examination Board, a director of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), a member of the President’s Academy Executive Committee of the AACC, chair of the Executive Committee of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, the Commission on Education Credit and Credentials of the American Council on Education, and member of the Board of Directors of the American Council on Education. He is currently a council member of the Coordinating Council for the Hispanic Border Leadership Institute, is a member of the North Central Accreditation-Institutions Action Council, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the International Consortium for Educational and Economic Development.

Cárdenas holds a B.A. from St. Mary’s University, an M.Ed. from the University at Texas-El Paso, and a Ph.D. in educational administration personnel from the University of Arizona.

Cárdenas plans to remain with the Maricopa family in the active retirement program and would like to teach at the university level. He also plans to spend more time with his wife, three daughters, one son and six grandchildren.

The Vice Chancellor is a native of Del Rio, Texas.

The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest community college districts in the nation. It includes 10 colleges – Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Estrella Mountain Community College, GateWay Community College, Glendale Community College, Mesa Community College, Paradise Valley Community College, Phoenix College, Rio Salado College, Scottsdale Community College and South Mountain Community College. The District also includes the Maricopa Skill Center, Southwest Skill Center, several satellite campuses and business/industry, technical and customized training institutes and serves more than 277,000 students annually. For more information: 480-731-8000 or www.maricopa.edu

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March 13, 2002