2025 IMPACT REPORT
January - December
LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT
Hello!
I’m pleased to share Scottsdale Community College’s latest Impact Report, highlighting how we supported student success and served our community, from January to December 2025.
Every day, I’m inspired by the dedication and achievements of our faculty, staff, and students – on campus and beyond. SCC is known for a c aring, welcoming environment where people are encouraged to succeed and empowered to make a meaningful impact.
As one of 10 colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District, SCC benefits from the strength of a large, collaborative system – expanding opportunity for learners and strengthening the communities we serve.
We offer rigorous, hands-on learning and accessible educational pathways for students at every stage – whether they’re starting college with plans to tr ansfer, or returning to build new skills, advance in their careers, or pursue a new direction. Be cause the workforce continues to evolve, we partner closely with local employers to help ensure our programs prepare students with practical, in-demand skills.
This year , we’ve experienced strong enrollment gains stemming from:
• The Bachelor of Business Administration – Management debuted in the Fall 2025 semester with robust enrollment of more than 520 students.
• Early College Enrollment: Continues to post strong gains, with 1,218 students enrolled in the Fall 2025 semester.
• Student Retention: Continues to improve, helping more students persist and complete their studies at SCC.
Thank you for your continued support of SCC. I invite you to ex plore this report and the results we’re achieving together.
Dr. Eric Leshinskie
OUR VISION
Excellence in education for a better world.
OUR COLLEGE MISSION
SCC empowers learners to achieve personal, professional, and academic goals in a supportive environment where we value, respect, and celebrate all people. SCC fosters lifelong learning, civic engagement, and personal growth while honoring its connection to local and tribal communities.
OUR SHARED VALUES
SCC supports the Maricopa County Community College District’s values of Student Centric, Integrity, Collaboration, Community, Innovation, and Respect. View the description of our comprehensive institutional values by clicking the QR code.
bit.ly/scc-vmv
SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA
INDIAN COMMUNITY
379
TOTAL STUDENTS 2025
SCC is located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the traditional lands of the O’odham and Piipaash peoples. The College is grateful for its unique location on Tribal land and is constantly seeking new opportunities for partnerships with our hosts.
CONSERVATION
Each year, and in partnership with SRPMIC’s Environmental Protection and Natural Resources Division (EPNR), SCC participates in conservation projects, community events, educational outreach and meetings. In addition to volunteering at SRPMIC’s Earth Day Celebration and Fall Overhaul events, SCC provided live native animal exhibits and service projects along with interactive nature activities. CNUW also cultivated seedlings of native plants and trees that were planted during the events to help with regrowth in areas impacted by flooding along the banks of the converging Salt and Verde rivers.
SCC FINE & PERFORMING ARTS
Students in SCC’s Theatre, Music, Dance, and Art programs show off their many talents during multiple performances and events each semester. Be inspired and experience the energy of live performance right here on campus – whether it’s a mainstage theatre production, a dynamic dance concert, a live music showcase, or an art exhibition featuring emerging local creatives.
WAY OF LIFE FACILITY
SCC offers non-credit, short-term classes at the Way of Life Facility (WOLF) for SRPMIC. These lifelong learning courses have evolved to cover topics such as dance, creative writing, local animals, bird watching, astronomy, and baking. Each class fosters a sense of community and creativity while offering useful learning opportunities for members ranging in age from 14 to 95.
INDIGENOUS STUDENT ASSOCIATION
SCC revitalized and relaunched this important student club in 2024 to offer leadership, networking and community involvement opportunities. Seventy-five percent of club leaders represent SRPMIC.
SCC ATHLETICS
Come cheer on the Fighting Artichokes! From the crack of the bat to the final buzzer, our teams deliver energy, pride, and exciting competition to every game. Bring family and friends, support student-athletes, and enjoy an affordable night out on campus. Catch Men’s Baseball, Basketball, and Soccer, plus Women’s Basketball, Soccer, Softball, and Volleyball. Learn more at gochokes.com
2025 IMPACT SUMMARY
7,565
CREDIT STUDENTS
714 NON-CREDIT STUDENTS
1,160 DUAL ENROLLMENT STUDENTS
STUDENT INTENT
PER LOWER -DIVISION CREDIT CURRENT TUITION
SCC STUDENTS HAVE SAVED $1.7M ON TEXTBOOK COSTS THROUGH OPEN EDUCATION RESOURCES OVER $1.4M IN SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED TO STUDENTS
AWARDS CONFERRED
1,364 364 359 641 TRANSFER DEGREES TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OCCUPATIONAL AWARDS
Awards from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2024-2025
515 NEW STUDENTS TRANSFERED TO AN ARIZONA PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN 2024-2025
222 STUDENTS SELECTED FOR INTERNSHIPS Partnering with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, SCC is the only two-year public college located on designated Tribal land.
95% OF STUDENTS WOULD RECOMMEND THEIR COLLEGE TO FAMILY OR FRIENDS (2023 Community College Survey of Student Engagement)
DEGREE OR HIGHER
MAJOR SPOTLIGHTS
SERVICE LEARNING
623 Student Participants
Service Learning combines academic instruction with meaningful community engagement for nonprofits in the larger community. Learning is intentional, communityidentified, reflective, and celebratory. Students made a difference at Feed My Starving Children, Artie Has Heart, Artie’s Farmers Market, Letters Against Isolation, and the YMCA, to name a few.
CENTER FOR NATIVE AND URBAN WILDLIFE
10,804 Individuals Served
In 2025, SCC proudly celebrated 25 years of biodiversity, conservation, and education through its award-winning Center for Native & Urban Wildlife (CNUW). Since its founding, CNUW has served more than 50,000 students and community members through hands-on learning, outreach, habitat restoration, and citizen science – offering experiences like observing burrowing owls, exploring pollinator gardens, accessing a native seed library, and engaging learners of all ages in environmental discovery.
ARTIE’S FIT MARKET
824 Student Participants
Artie’s Fit Market is a comprehensive support hub for students, offering food, hygiene products, baby items, and kitchen supplies, to support their well-being, happiness, and academic success. The pantry’s mission is to be a reliable resource for students facing food insecurity or simply seeking a quick snack, making it a crucial one-stop shop for basic needs.
SUPPORTING COMMUNITY NONPROFITS
SCC’s deep roots in the community can be found in the long-standing relationship with Scottsdale Leadership and the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce, to name a few. SCC employees serve on the boards of Partners for Paiute, Blue Zones Project of Scottsdale, and the Scottsdale/Paradise Valley YMCA. The College is committed to supporting local high-impact service organizations with resources, facilities, and personnel as part of its overall mission.
Course success rates increased from 74.2% to 76.1% in 2024-2025, reflecting our campus-wide efforts to improve student success and retention. Source: SCC Maricopa Trend
POINTS OF PRIDE
HELPING STUDENTS STAY ON TRACK
SCC students are starting stronger and sticking with their goals thanks to the college’s expanded First Year Experience (FYE) courses. The curriculum welcomes new students, connects them with advisors and tutors, and helps them build a clear plan from day one. Early results indicate that students who completed the FYE course in their first year were retained at rates 24-percentage-points higher than the overall cohort.
ENCOURAGING CAREERS IN IT
SCC was again the sponsoring host of the annual Go Get IT Conference in 2025, helping inspire more than 200 middle and high school students to pursue careers in information technology through hands-on experiential learning and networking with industry professionals.
SCC PLANETARIUM REOPENS WITH PUBLIC EVENTS
The SCC Planetarium offers free, live astronomy shows – inspiring a new generation of stargazers.
BUILDING HEALTHIER SENIORS AND STRONGER STUDENTS
Thanks to support from HonorHealth and Blue Zones Project of Scottsdale, Forever Fit returned to the SCC campus, blending group exercise classes, personalized training, and nutritional guidance, to create lasting health benefits and build meaningful connections among seniors, while also giving SCC’s Exercise Science and Nutrition students hands-on internship experiences.
SCHOLARSHIPS
SCOTTSDALE PROMISE PROGRAM
19 Student Participants | $16,943
Developed in partnership with the City of Scottsdale and Scottsdale Unified School District, this program covers Arizona resident tuition and fees for qualifying students attending SCC. Offered as “last dollar” funding, the scholarship helps offset any remaining college expenses after using all other sources of funding.
CORONADO PROMISE PROGRAM
49 Student Participants | $62,944
Sponsored by the Coronado Foundation for the Future organization, this scholarship encourages Coronado High School students to continue their education beyond high school and enhance their career opportunities.
GEHLER STUDENT EMERGENCY FUND
5 Students Served | $3,689 Awarded
Established by retired SCC President Dr. Jan Gehler and her husband Bill, the fund provides SCC students with financial support during a crisis. By offering assistance for essential expenses like rent, transportation, food, or childcare, a student is less likely to take the drastic step of dropping out of school. The fund is also resourced by generous contributions from SCC faculty and staff.
SCC STUDENTS WIN BIG AT THE 2025 STUDENT EMMYS
Three SCC filmmakers took home top honors at the 2025 Rocky Mountain Student Emmy Awards, earning welldeserved recognition for their original work, storytelling skills, and creative ambition. Stephanie Perkinson and Roman Treppa won for their powerful piece, Mental Health PSA, and Jake Walker was recognized for his standout commercial, Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce.
SUPPORTING SCC ALUMNI
The SCC Alumni Engagement program encourages its network of 17,000+ alumni contacts to remain actively connected with the college. The program helped sponsor 16 campus events in 2025 and produces a newsletter of campus activities, all designed to positively impact SCC and the students we serve.
$1,479,580 in scholarships awarded to students
PRESIDENTS’ HONORS SCHOLARSHIP
• 318 scholarships
• $470,839 awarded HONORS ACHIEVEMENT SCHOLARSHIP
• 134 scholarships
• $57,599 awarded
DECABOOTER SCHOLARSHIP
• 29 scholarships
• $21,390 awarded
NOTEWORTHY
SCC Alumni overwhelmingly report SCC prepared them for additional study in a 4-year college/university and prepared them for a job in their field.
Source: SCC Alumni Survey
SCC launched its Bachelor of Business Administration - Management in the Fall 2025 semester, with a record 520 students enrolling. We are seeing continued strong interest in the program.
“ This program gave me the flexibility to pursue my degree while continuing to work in a career I’m passionate about. The professors truly invested in me, both academically and personally, and created an environment where I felt supported and encouraged. I’m so grateful for the strong sense of community and growth I found here . ”
- Jasmine Jackson
Cheer on the SCC Fighting Artichokes athletics teams – visit gochokes.com for schedules and information.
NOTEWORTHY
For a second year in a row, the number of graduates and awards earned increased, with 790 students completing 1,364 degrees and certificates in the 2024-2025 academic year.
Source: Maricopa Trends