@PimaNews

April 30, 2026

College Updates
- Join the Commencement Team for the May 20 Ceremonies
- Commencement Regalia on Sale for Faculty
- Celebrate Our Students at HSE Graduation June 4
- Help Us Amplify Student Voices
- Media Production Extends Turnaround Times
- Minor Policy, Procedure Updates to View
- Liberatory Writing Across Curriculum Social May 8
- AI Community of Practice and Play Meets May 12
- Cababi Awards May 14 at Downtown Campus
- Review Added Proposed Employee Handbook Revisions
- Biometric Screening for Healthy Rewards Ends May 14
- Start Planning Your 2027-2028 Sabbatical Proposal
- Call to Present at Teaching Strategies Workshop
- Pima Foundation Golf Tourney, May 30
- Find Career Opportunities on Pima’s Jobs Webpages
- Share Your Suggestions with ODR
- Get Help with Your Community Engagement
Pima People
Pima Arts News
Pima Athletics News
Employee Wellness
- Sign Up for Virtual Workshops and Challenges

College Updates

Join the Commencement Team for the May 20 Ceremonies
The Commencement Committee needs a mighty team to assist at the College’s two commencement ceremonies on May 20. Ceremonies start at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.

To help ensure a celebratory, low-stress experience for our 2026 graduates and guests, consider pitching in ushering, guiding graduates and faculty, or checking in graduates.

Because the College will be open that day:

Staff members should check in with their supervisor to arrange their reassignment to the TCC for the day.
Supervisors are urged to extend reasonable professional flexibility to allow their team members to participate. See the Chancellor’s Pima-all email of April 6 for reference.

You can sign up to help in any of these roles – and at one or both ceremonies – by completing this form, which has details on duties and time commitments. Everyone who pitches in at one of the ceremonies will receive two Pima Healthy Rewards points.

Commencement Regalia on Sale for Faculty
Pima faculty can place 2026 Commencement cap and gown orders at any Pima Bookstore or online. Prices range from $100 to $162.

If you have questions about availability or ordering, email sm8471@bncollege.com.

Commencement Day 2026 is May 20, with ceremonies at 10:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., at the Tucson Convention Center Arena.

Celebrate Our Students at HSE Graduation June 4
Pima employees are encouraged to celebrate our graduates at this year’s High School Equivalency Graduation, 6:30 p.m., June 4 at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall at Tucson Convention Center, 260 S. Church Ave.

If you or someone you know has recently passed the GED test and received their HSE diploma, and would like to attend, RSVP here.

If you have questions, email adulted@pima.edu.

Help Us Amplify Student Voices
Pima’s marketing is putting real students front and center to showcase their unique Pima journeys and let their voices shine. Know a student or alum who’d be a great fit? Encourage them to fill out this short form! They can share as much about themselves as they’d like and let us know which marketing projects interest them. With your help, we can feature more students and highlight the wide range of academic paths, interests and goals that make our Pima community so diverse. If you have questions, contact marketing@pima.edu.

Media Production Extends Turnaround Times
The College’s Media Production team is currently managing a high volume of requests during a period of staffing transition. As a result, turnaround times for new projects may be longer than usual, typically three weeks or more.

The team will make every effort to accommodate time-sensitive needs; however, expedited or rush requests cannot be guaranteed at this time. To help ensure the best possible support, we encourage you to submit detailed project requests as early as possible when planning upcoming work with specific deadlines.

If you have questions or would like guidance on timing or project planning, please email marketing@pima.edu.

Minor Policy, Procedure Updates to View
These minor updates to Board Policies and Administrative procedures are available to view for 21 days (until May 15), but are not open for comments:

BP 2.06: Assessment & Development of College Facilities
BP 2.07: Architect Selection
BP 6.05: Copyright
AP 6.05.01: Copyright Practice and Compliance

Liberatory Writing Across Curriculum Social May 8
The Liberatory Writing Across the Curriculum Collective invites faculty and staff to its end-of-year social 2:30-3:30 p.m., May 8 in Room LB-153 at Downtown Campus.

We will discuss empowering students through liberatory curriculum and assessment. Meet current and former fellows, learn about upcoming fellowship opportunities and enjoy light snacks. Potluck items are welcome but optional.

Learn more about LWAC at its webpage on TLC’s website.

AI Community of Practice and Play Meets May 12
Join Pima’s AI Community of Practice and Play at 2 p.m., May 12 for a simple introduction to vibe coding with Gemini Canvas. See how easy it is to create on-screen interactives and custom dashboards using only natural language.

Bring an idea for something you’d like to visualize, and leave with a shareable working draft. Plus, hear updates on new Gemini and Notebook features, including improved integration of these tools.

Cababi Awards May 14 at Downtown Campus
Celebrate the creative work of your colleagues from across the College at the Cababi Art & Literary Magazine Award Ceremony, 5-6 p.m., May 14 in the Amethyst Room at Downtown Campus.

Printed issues of the 2025/26 issue, plus cupcakes and soda, will be available. Writers will read from their selections and Cababi artists will discuss their influences and processes. Cababi features works by Pima employees at all levels.

Review Added Proposed Employee Handbook Revisions
Based on employee input, the All Employee Representative Council proposes these Employee Handbook revisions, which are available for review and feedback through the noted dates:

Annual Leave: posted, April 9; comment period ends today
Adjunct Faculty Supplemental Compensation: posted April 23; comment period ends May 21

The revised policies are on the Employee Page in MyPima and you may give feedback using the Feedback Form, linked in the Draft to Review section.

Biometric Screening for Healthy Rewards Ends May 14
Employees in the Pima Healthy Rewards Program can have a biometric screening and earn Pima Healthy Rewards points:

You may request a biometric screening at-home test kit or a voucher to visit a local lab anytime through May 15. The flyer has details. You can register here.

If you have questions, contact the Employee Service Center Benefits Team, esc-benefits@pima.edu or 520-206-4945.

Start Planning Your 2027-2028 Sabbatical Proposal
Full-time faculty are urged to begin preparing sabbatical proposals for the 2027-2028 academic year. Oct. 19 is the submission deadline.

To be eligible, full-time faculty must complete five consecutive academic or fiscal years of full-time service at the College in order to apply for their first one-semester (six-month) full-pay or half-pay sabbatical. For guidelines, visit Faculty Professional Development: Sabbaticals. If you have questions or need help applying, contact a Faculty Professional Development & Sabbatical Committee member.

Call to Present at Teaching Strategies Workshop
Calling all instructors: Have you done something new and exciting in the classroom this past year or two? Did you change your teaching in a way that better supports student success? Then, please consider showcasing your talent and expertise this fall in the Teaching Strategies Workshop.

What: Teaching Strategies Workshop 2026
When: 8 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Aug. 15 (lunch included)
Where: Azurite Room (M390) and nearby classrooms, Downtown Campus
Details: Propose a session using this form; register to attend through Precipio
Questions: pcc-tlc@pima.edu

Selected faculty presenters and facilitators are compensated at a total of $140 (50-minute session preparation and presenting).

Pima Foundation Golf Tourney, May 30
Register today for Pima Foundation’s 30th Annual Golf Tournament at Skyline Country Club. For details, call 520-206-4809 or email golf@pimafoundation.org.

Find Career Opportunities on Pima’s Jobs Webpages
If you are looking to expand your career with the College, check out our recently posted positions on the Internal Careers Jobs Page.

FYI: Regarding Promotional (Non-Lateral) Internal Competitive Selection – An employee is placed on the appropriate step resulting in a 7.5% increase in their base pay, adjusted to the next higher step, or Step 1 of the appropriate salary range, whichever is greater, subject to the maximum of the pay range.

If you are looking for additional opportunities or know someone who may be interested in working at Pima, please visit the External Jobs Page.

Share Your Suggestions with ODR
The Office of Dispute Resources welcomes your ideas and feedback. If you have suggestions that are not formal complaints, email pcc-suggestions@pima.edu. ODR staff will review and share it with the appropriate department. Learn more on the ODR page in MyPima or call 520-206-4686.

Get Help with Your Community Engagement
The Community Engagement dashboard is accessible on MyPima. There you can:

Learn more about Pima’s collegewide community engagement and the resources available to you.
Report your community engagement for posting to the collegewide calendar.
Sign up for volunteer opportunities to share your subject-matter expertise.
Share your volunteer opportunities and outreach photos.

If you have questions, contact Joi Stirrup, jstirrup@pima.edu.

Pima People
The College’s Compliance and Ethics office congratulates Joey Spray Dotolo, Director of Organizational Effectiveness and Development, as its Compliance Superstar for April. She is recognized for incentivizing ethical behavior by developing this year’s respectful workplace training. Her nominator noted her “impressive strides” in updating training modules and providing greater clarity on underlying values and expectations. Honoree stories can be found on the MyPima Compliance Superstars page. Any employee can nominate a colleague for the monthly award.

Pima Arts News
Here are ongoing and upcoming Pima Arts events:

Through May 3: Pima Theater’s “Fairview,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning play challenging perspectives on race and privilege; Proscenium Theatre, West Campus Center for the Arts; Thu.-Sat., 7 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.; Tickets: $15, $10 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC students receive one free ticket
May 1 and 2: “Lift” The Spring dance concert, directed by Julie Andrews, featuring student and faculty choreography across contemporary, jazz, ballet, modern, and hip-hop styles; 7 p.m., both days; Proscenium Theatre, CFA; Tickets: $10, $8 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC Students receive one free ticket.
May 4, 6 p.m.: Jazz Band, big band jazz standards led by Scott Black, special guests Tucson Jazz Institute Basie & Ellington Big Bands; Proscenium Theatre, CFA; Tickets: $6, $5 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC Students receive one free ticket.
May 7, 6 p.m.: String Ensemble, Directed by Fang Fang Li, performing classical and popular selections; Recital Hall, CFA
May 7, 7 p.m.: Concert Band, Directed by Victor Valenzuela, performing full band classics; Proscenium Theatre, CFA; Tickets: $6, $5 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, Pima students receive one free ticket.
May 8, 7 p.m.: Mariachi Ensemble, Pima Mariachi Azteca performs traditional and modern styles; Proscenium Theatre, CFA; Tickets: $6, $5 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC students receive one free ticket.
Through May 8: Annual Juried Student Art Exhibition, featuring top juried-selected student works; Louis Carlos Bernal Gallery, CFA
May 9, 3 p.m.: Orchestra, Directed by Dr. Anne Grimes, performing classical and cinematic pieces; Proscenium Theatre, CFA; Tickets: $6, $5 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC students receive one free ticket.
May 9, 7 p.m.: Guitar Ensemble, Directed by Michael Lich, featuring solo and group classical guitar works; Recital Hall, CFA; Tickets: $6, $5 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC students receive one free ticket.
May 10, 3 p.m.: Chorale & College Singers, Directed by Jonathan Ng, D.M.A., performing choral and a cappella works; Recital Hall, CFA; Tickets: $6, $5 Students/Seniors/Military/Groups, PCC students receive one free ticket.
May 12, 4 p.m.: Musical Theater Workshop, directed by Anne Grimes and Chris Will, students perform scenes from musical productions Recital Hall, CFA
May 14: The Digital Arts Awards, Showcase and Reception, 6 p.m.; Awards Ceremony, 7 p.m.; celebrating top student filmmakers, animators, designers and illustrators with portfolio showcases and game demos; Proscenium Theatre, CFA
May 16, 7 p.m.: “Elements of Fashion” Spring 2026 Fashion Runway Show, directed by Dulce Douglas, featuring student and alumni collections, plus a sustainable design collaboration with Goodwill Industries; Proscenium Theatre, CFA; Tickets: $15 General Admission; $60 VIP; the first 100 PCC students receive a free ticket.
Through May 27: “Adam Gilliland – Osculation” exhibition, Desert Vista Campus Art Gallery, dandres@pima.edu
Through Aug. 30: “Many Truths” student art exhibition, The Art Gallery@Downtown Campus, mcarreras@pima.edu
Through Sept. 4: “Marietta Bernstorff: PatchWork Women from Oaxaca, Mexico,” exhibition uniting women artists, curators, educators and community leaders from Mexico and the U.S. to address violence against women, children and Mother Earth; West Campus Visual Arts Gallery
Through Oct. 31: “Michael Cajero – Dying Is an Integral Part of Life: Father” Exhibition, West Campus Health Science Art Gallery, dandres@pima.edu

Unless noted, Pima Arts programs and exhibitions are free to the public.

Stay up to date on Pima Arts events and get more details on individual events by checking the Pima Arts Calendar of Events. If you have questions, contact 520-206-6986 or centerforthearts@pima.edu.

Pima Athletics News
No Pima teams have home games this week.

To see the latest winter sports playoff results, plus spring sports scores, news and more, visit pimaaztecs.com.

Employee Wellness
Sign Up for Virtual Workshops and Challenges
Sign up online for Employee Wellness virtual workshops and challenges.

Visit the Employee Wellness Intranet page to access free resources and tools. Employees also are encouraged to visit the Employee Wellness website for additional resources, news and information on the Pima Healthy Rewards Program and wellness-related activities that qualify for Pima Wellness Activity points.

@PimaNews is an electronic newsletter for employee news of Pima Community College. The Marketing Office publishes this e-newsletter every Thursday, except when the College is closed for a holiday or break, during the semester and every other week during the summer. Please send announcements and news items – 75 words or fewer – to pimanews@pima.edu by noon on Monday. Check any links before sending your item. Back issues are available on the @PimaNews webpage. The newsletter also accepts submissions about Pima employee accomplishments.