TOWN OF SURPRISE

The Town of Surprise is a growing town in northwestern Maricopa County with a population
approaching 31,000. The Maricopa Community Colleges currently serve the Town of Surprise
through the Rio Salado College Lifelong Learning Center at 12535 West Smokey Drive and
at numerous teaching sites in adjoining areas such as Glendale and the Sun Cities. Surprise
residents also enjoy the educational and community services provided through other colleges
within the ten-college Maricopa County Community College District.

Employees living in city	155
Students living in city	2,938
Teaching sites in city	2

Many students access their educational services through the Internet and others attend
convenient teaching sites located near the Town of Surprise which provide evening and
weekend coursework and training, with students often being working adults. In addition,many
of the Maricopa Community Colleges maintain partnerships with corporations, industries and
non-profits organizations located in and near Surprise.

Rio Salado College is nationally known for its leadership in distance education and internet
coursework as well as its outreach programs to adult learners and corporate partnerships.
In 2001, Rio Salado College served approximately students in 5,000 square feet of facility
at the Sun Cities Education Center in Surprise. The annual budget of Rio Salado College
is approximately $25,000,000 with most of those funds being spent on salaries or on the
purchase of goods and materials from state and local merchants.

The Maricopa Community Colleges served more than 277,000 students in 2000-2001 and
maintained corporate partnerships with more than 1,000 businesses in the Valley. Of all high
school graduates in Maricopa County, 45% attend one of the community colleges within one
year of graduation.

A Community of Colleges …A World of Opportunity

Dr. Rufus Glasper
Chancellor
480.731.8100

Matt Ortega
Director of Government Relations
480.731.8154