2007 State of Education Luncheon set for Oct. 3… The proceeds from the annual State of Education Luncheon go directly to the six Tucson Center for Cultural Enrichment (TCCE) scholarships. So, save this date on your calendar as we are expecting a record number of participants for this fabulous event. Education advocates and honored guest speakers will include University of Arizona President Robert Shelton, Pima Community College President Roy Flores, and Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup.

Speakers Bureau now includes several professional Career Focus speakers… The Planetary Science Institute (PSI) and astronomers working with Mark Sykes, Ph.D., have requested to be added to the Speakers Bureau to speak to Pima County high school students and address topics specific to astronomy. Jim Arnold of KOLD-TV has also been added to the list of Career Focus speakers. Pima County students will have the opportunity to listen to Arnold address specific topics related to the television industry and related career fields. Additional requests to join the Speakers Bureau have come from John Ravesloot, Ph.D., of William Self Associates, Inc., consultants in Archaeology and Historic Preservation. We will continue to add specific business and professional career focus speakers as requested by our TMCC business members and roll out a complete list of participating speakers for Pima County schools for the 2007-2008 academic school year. Contact Cheryll Frazier (cfrazier@tucsonchamber.org) for more information.

TMCC to host Guadalajara business visitors… Claudia Grossi, President and CEO of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Guadalajara, has asked that the Business Development Division of the Tucson Chamber put together a two-day meet and greet for a select group of AMCHAM’s business members. TMCC has included the U of A’s Global Advantage staff as well as representatives from the Department of Commerce (International Division) to help plan the event. The delegation will be here May 14 and 15, and will have an opportunity to visit with similar industries and companies, with the development of long-term relationships being the goal. If you would like more information on this or other international projects, please call Paula Stuht or Cheryll Frazier (792-2250, extensions 134 or 133).

Thirty-two scholarship applications received this year… Chamber staff is currently processing all of these scholarship applications; judges from the Business Education Partnership (BEP) will soon begin to narrow down the field to the eventual six winners. The scholarship award announcement will take place on Friday, April 13, while the award ceremony will be held on Thursday, May 10. This year’s scholarship judges are Lyn Olson from Pima Community College, Thom Redicks from Tutor Links, Mike Zakis from Higher Vistas, Donal Drayne from The Westin La Paloma, Del Arvayo from CitiGroup and Vaughn Croft from the Office of the Pima County School Superintendent. Total Resource Campaign update… The Total Resource Campaign continues to gather steam, with $65,690 in commitments thus far. We anticipate that by the end of next week we will be at the $100,000 mark, with approximately five weeks to go in the campaign. The Chairman and Vice Chairmen set lofty goals and we are working toward reaching those goals.