Cochise Newsroom

By Dr. James D. Perey

 

There is something special about the first gathering of a new academic year. At Cochise College’s recent convocation, faculty and staff came together before students returned to our classrooms and the fall semester began. We welcomed new employees, recognized faculty emeriti, and celebrated colleagues for their years of service to the college.

 

As I looked around the room on the Douglas Campus, I was reminded that Cochise College has endured and grown because generations of people have chosen to be part of its mission. For over sixty years, Cochise College has grown alongside the communities we serve throughout the County.

 

This year, we are beginning our next strategic planning process around the theme Resilience by Design, grounded in three pillars: Student-Centered, Community-Anchored, and Future-Ready.

 

We are entering another important period for Cochise College. The question before us is not simply how we respond to change, but how we prepare for it intentionally, thoughtfully, and together.

 

Higher education continues to change. Demographic shifts, evolving workforce needs, new technologies, and changing student expectations are reshaping how colleges serve their communities. At the same time, we must continue to provide an education that is affordable, accessible, and relevant to the people and communities we serve.

 

That is what Resilience by Design means to me.

 

Resilience is often thought of as the ability to recover when circumstances change. For Cochise College, I believe it means more than that. It means anticipating what is ahead, adapting when necessary, and making thoughtful decisions today that position the college and our communities for the future.

 

Our communities need nurses, first responders, skilled tradespeople, technicians, entrepreneurs, and future leaders who begin or continue their education at Cochise College. Ensuring those opportunities remain available is part of our responsibility as the community’s college.

 

One of our alumni personally understands the importance of opportunity.

 

Before Humberto Lopez became a successful business leader, he was a young man who began working full-time after his father died to help his mother support five siblings.

 

He eventually enrolled at Cochise College in 1967, where financial assistance helped make his education possible.

 

Decades later, when Cochise College inducted Humberto into its Hall of Fame, he chose to create that same kind of opportunity for others. He pledged $250,000 for scholarships if we raised an equal amount.

 

The Cochise College Foundation responded by launching the LIFT (Local Investment for Transformation) Matching Gift Campaign. If the community meets Humberto’s challenge, together we will generate $500,000 to help future students pursue their education.

 

To me, that is Resilience by Design.

 

It is recognizing what made a difference for one student and creating the opportunity for the next.

 

The future of Cochise College will not be secured by resisting change. It will be shaped by how well we prepare for it together, as faculty, staff, students, alumni, employers, donors, and community members.

 

Cochise College has always been a place where possibility becomes practical: a classroom, a credential, a new skill, a second chance, or a career.

 

Our responsibility now is to ensure those possibilities remain available for the people who will need them next.

 

Dr. James D. Perey is president of Cochise College.