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Show THE SAN JUAN RECORD Wednesday November 5, 1997 - Pape 5 a) ing Spirit of San Juan again became apparent as dedi-cate- d instructors drove lonely dark hours to reach distant classrooms located on the Navajo Reservation. Through the years every point in the county has been encircled by the delights of higher education, including Navajo Mountain, two marinas on Lake Powell, the county jail, and even mining camps. The college found a permanent home in 1982, with the acquisition of the Dr. DeLamar Gibbons home, a 6,000 square foot edifice built on acres of ground. It just happened to be adjacent to BLM land, which has provided land for a growing college campus. The campus now consists of nine buildings, two additional homes having been converted to use; and three instructional buildings, two dormitories, two-and-one-h- alf and a cafeteria having been constructed. An Arts and Center is Conference presently being planned. The college campus also borders Nation of the Four Comers Cultural Center. Unconventional from the outset, the CEO-Sa- n Juan Campus has reached many individuals who would not have otherwise considered a college education. In the past students were primarNaily tive Americans, women, and older students taking night classes. The first official graduating class of non-traditiona- l": was in 1980, and consisted of 12 women. The 1981 graduating class of 21 was again all female. In the past decade the college has evolved into a more conventional college setting, appealing to newly graduated high school students. Currently there is an CEU-SJ- C enrollment of approxi- - sc mately 500 students, roughly sixty percent female and fifty percent Native American, which accu- rately reflects the demo- graphics of the college service area. The 1997 graduating class was the second largest with 99 graduates. Nearly half of all graduates have been Native American. Many of them went on to obtain Bachelors degrees. They are now nurses, teachers, counselors, and social workers. They are filling in the professional gap for which the college was first initiated. A unique blessing that has come naturally with the ethnic cultural mix found on the San Juan campus is a gaining of friendship, understanding, and greater appreciation by all students for one anothers cultures. The Spirit of San Juan has reached out to many over the past twenty years. One state education official wrote, Thank you for the invitation to be at your graduation exercise... I think for the first time I really caught the spirit of the San Juan Center. As an analyst, perhaps I should never make that kind of confession, but I can't help but be honest." Current CEU President Grace Sawyer Jones also acknowledges the mission of the San Juan Campus. Lynn Lee, Dean of Development and lifelong educator, will soon retire, after giving more than two decades to the development of the San Juan Campus. Under his guidance, the college has grown from 57 students in a vacant church building to a 125 acre campus with an enrollment of over 500 students. Dr. Kay Shumway, former Dean of Instruction, returned for a day of remibefore niscing about the 20 years of service he gave CEU-SJlast The is word service almost inadequate when retiring spring. one realizes the scope of Dr. Shumways involvement. Innovative and resourceful, Dr. Shumway knew and cared about everything connected to the college, especially the students. Dr. Shumway's replacement is Dr. Don C. Larson. C She calls the faculty romantic and then ex- always dangerous to try to acknowledge contributions made in an effort of such magnanimous proportions as individuals by the development of the San Juan Campus. The whole story can never be told, nor the complete history written. But Dr. Robert McPherson took on such a responsibility with about three months in which to do it and, true to his nature, compiled a well written history. Entitled Together, The Building of a Community College. The 84 page book sells for $5 and can be obtained at the college bookstore. Dr. McPherson was the first full time instructor hired at SJC, and has been an invaluable asset to the It is plains, I say romantic because they love the land, they love what they are doing, and they love with whom they are doing it." Just as Walter C. Lyman prophesied, this unpretentious town of 4,000 is becoming a center of culture and education, the fruits of which extend far beyond San Juan County. The vision is unfolding. college. Helping compile the book was an unsung hero", Stan Byrd, Director of Community Relations. Stan is always behind the scenes,' behind the camera, and behind the computer; but never behind the times. Stan keeps abreast of the latest media technology and uses if to the colleges advantage. He doesn't put his name on his photos or text he writes, its just part of his job. But he is incredibly good at what he does, whether he takes credit or not. The dream begins, most of the time, with a teacher who believes in you, who tugs and pushes and leads you on to the next plateau, sometimes poking you with a Dan sharp stick called truth. Rather Mary Jane Cantsee and granddaughter, DeeDee Rose a traditional Ute tepee, one of several dis- in front of Pacheco, plays of Native American culture. DeeDee claims heritage from four Native American tribes: Ute, Navajo, Sioux, and Pueblo. |