Aims Overview / Campuses / Centers

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Aims Overview

History

In 1965 a citizen’s committee representing all of Weld County’s school districts recommended the formation of a junior college district. In January of 1967, voters of the district overwhelmingly approved the establishment of Aims Community College. Two months later a governing board was elected and it, in turn, selected Dr. Ed Beaty as the College’s first president.

Aims has continued to grow and expand to serve the needs of a student population which has increased from 900 in the fall of 1967 to more than 14,000 served annually by the three Aims campuses in Greeley, Fort Lupton and Loveland, as well as the Windsor Automotive & Technology Center and the Continuing Education Division.

Aims continues to prepare for the future by expanding and remodeling facilities and by constantly updating the technology that is available to students in the classroom, around the campuses and online.

Board of Trustees’ Mission Statement

The mission of Aims Community College is to help students achieve their learning goals and objectives through effective and efficient program options and services, and to develop partnerships that support economic development and global understanding.

Branding Platform

Whatever the goal—from starting a degree to finishing one, learning an occupation to securing one, a career boost to a career change, a hobby to a life skill—Aims Community College is the wise choice. Students receive personal attention from supportive, professional faculty and staff. Using advanced technology, they pursue individual goals through flexible courses of study, affordable tuition, convenient class options, and friendly campus environments. Aims provides quality educational opportunities for people to live and learn simultaneously.

Purposes

Aims Community College was established in accordance with the laws of Colorado as a post-secondary educational institution whose purposes are to provide:

1. General educational offerings designed to prepare students to make intelligent choices in all aspects of life, integrating skills, knowledge, and values to promote personal and community growth;
2. College parallel courses preparing students to transfer to four-year colleges or universities;
3. Career and technical education courses preparing students for initial employment, further education, or advancement in employment;
4. Developmental education for those needing to advance their skills in preparation for college level study or advancement in the work place;
5. Advising and assessment services to enable students to more clearly define their educational goals; and
6. Community services and continuing educational offerings for adults of all ages.

Values

The educational offerings and services of Aims Community College are based upon the belief that the primary obligation of the public educational system is to assist in the development of individuals for meaningful, productive lives in a democratic society. As part of this goal, the college embraces the following values:

1. We focus on supporting learning and innovation. Aims is a Learning-Centered College, meaning that all actions and decisions by administration, faculty and staff are based on how they will affect student learning.
2. We believe in building relationships, both with students and with members of our greater community. The strength of these ties enhances the ability of the college to fulfill its mission
3. We are a community college, and we’re here to serve the community. Aims is ready to meet the educational needs of our ever-changing society, through academic programs and workplace training.

Tuition

Aims tuition is typically one-half the cost of most Colorado 4 year colleges. For specific information, see the Tuition and Fees  section, www.aims.edu/compare.

Greeley Campus

The Greeley Campus in west Greeley is the center of Aims Community College. The 180-acre campus is home to a dozen academic buildings, including several general classroom buildings, a physical education center, administrative services complex, and the College Center, which houses almost all student services including Financial Aid, Admissions, Advising and the Learning Commons.

Of the thousands of students who attend Aims annually, the majority of them take classes on the Greeley Campus.

For a comprehensive look of the campus, refer to the map.

Aims Community College is a single educational institution consisting of the main campus in Greeley (including the Corporate Education Center), campuses in Fort Lupton and Loveland and the Automotive & Technology Center in Windsor. Degrees and certificates are conferred by Aims Community College. The College does not offer all programs at all campuses. Students who begin their education Online, in Fort Lupton, Loveland or Windsor may need to complete program requirements on the Greeley campus. The matrix below identifies programs available at each campus.

L = limited offerings: not all general education, math or science courses available.

Wireless Technology At Aims Community College

Nearly all buildings on all the Aims campuses have wireless access; College Center, Ed Beaty Hall, Westview, Horizon Hall, General Services, Mildred S. Hansen, Aviation Building, and Allied Health & Science Building. The Corporate Education Building, Loveland and Fort Lupton campuses also have wireless access, with the service concentrated in student study and congregation areas.

The system uses Wireless Local Area Networks or WLANs to connect to the Internet using IEEE standard 802.11 b or g, which is compatible with the most common standard used with laptop computers.

This technology allows students to collaborate on classroom assignments in more casual settings like the Campus Bistro, study lounges and the College Center atrium. Plans include coverage to outdoor areas of the campus.

The initial wireless project was made possible by funding from a Title III grant and support from the Aims Foundation.

Fort Lupton Campus

Location:

260 College Avenue
Fort Lupton, CO 80621

Telephone: 303.857.4022, ext. 4300

Greeley - 970.330.8008, ext. 4300
FAX - 970.352.6950

Associate Dean:

Heather Lelchook, Ext. 5907

Staff Executive:

Diane Seeley, Ext. 5916

Student Services:

Mary Tucker, Ext. 5903

Admissions & Records:

Connie Nagel, Ext. 5913

Staff Assistant I, Bookstore:

Twila Cullum, Ext. 5915

Academic Resource Center:

Ext. 5905

The Fort Lupton Campus opened in September 1984. We serve the community and educational needs of southern Weld County and northern Adams County.  Located one and one-half miles east of downtown Fort Lupton, the 27,000 square foot, passive solar design building is a state-of-the-art teaching facility. Students may complete a degree in Associate of Arts, and/or certificates in Construction Trades, Nurse Aide, Sustainable Industrial Technology and Energy (SITE), and Preschool Candidate under Early Childhood Education.  In addition, certificates in Business Technologies and Accounting are available through a combination of online courses and traditional face to face courses.

Other programs available at the Fort Lupton Campus are non-credit continuing education courses, customized corporate training, GED, College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), and the High School Diploma Program. 

The Fort Lupton Campus is proud to partner with area high schools and with University of Colorado, Boulder to offer additional educational opportunities. Our relationship with surrounding school districts makes it possible for high school students to attend Aims Community College for dual credit towards high school graduation as well as college credit.

The Fort Lupton Campus is a full-service campus with services for students in admissions and records, assessment/testing, financial aid, academic advising, career counseling, bookstore and the Academic Resource Center including testing, computer lab, library, and tutorial services. Furthermore, meeting and training rooms are available for organizations looking for alternative meeting space.

Loveland Campus

Location:

104 E. Fourth Street
Loveland, CO 80537

Telephone: 970.667.4611

Greeley - 970.330.8008

FAX: 970.635.9022

TTY: 970.667.2387

Campus Dean:

Heather Lelchook, Ext. 3311

Student Services:

Kara Tripician, Ext. 3306

Staff Executive:

Ext. 3336

Learning Commons:

Ext. 3304

Aims Community College’s west campus is in downtown Loveland at 104 East 4th Street. The Loveland Campus, donated by the McKee Charitable Trust, opened in the fall of 1990. The Loveland Campus is a full-service campus with Admissions and Records, Assessment, Advising, bookstore, The Learning Commons (computer lab, library, testing, and tutoring), and financial aid advising.

Aims Loveland offers courses in various formats: face-to-face traditional semester-long courses, accelerated courses, online courses, and hybrid courses (combination online and face-to-face). In addition, we offer both credit and non-credit courses during the day and evening to accommodate different schedules and interests. Non-credit courses may include corporate or customized training, workshops, and career classes.

With advising and proper planning, students may complete an Associate of Arts degree on the Loveland Campus. Several of the classes needed to complete an Associate of Science degree are offered on the Loveland Campus with students traveling to the Greeley Campus to complete the higher-level science courses.

Finally, students will find a rich campus life with Student Life programming from I-Focus workshops on learning techniques to holiday celebrations, to Peer Educators promoting health and wellness activities.

Continuing Education

Location:

5590 W. 11th St.,
Greeley, CO 80634

Telephone: 970.339.6213

FAX: 970.339.6564

WEB Site: www.aimsced.com

Chief Administrative Officer:

Mike Kelly, 970.339.6509
mike.kelly@aims.edu
 

Program Directors:

John Hutson, 970.339.6549
john.hutson@aims.edu

Russ Smith, 970-339-6407
russ.smith@aims.edu
 

A Bridge to Your Future

The Continuing Education Division at Aims Community College is an exciting and dynamic unit of the institution that brings the resources of the college to the community. The goal of Continuing Education is to provide life-long learning opportunities by providing:

1. Educational activities for professional growth and recreational interests to individual members of the community with a low-cost, high-benefit ratio;
2. Customized training programs to meet the educational needs of local industries;
3. Life-long learning for all levels of students;
4. A community-based environment that creates and supports a focus on the principles of quality improvement;
5. Distance learning options for the public, and through teleconferences.

To reach these goals, the Continuing Education Division offers a wide variety of services. (aimsced.com)

Facilities/Aims Event Center

The Aims College Corporate Education Center is an ideal full-service conference center for business, educational, professional and personal use. Use our facilities for:

• Corporate conferences and retreats
• Workshops and seminars
• Customized training sessions
• Community gatherings
• Banquets, proms, social events, weddings and receptions (special events) www.aimsced.com/Events.html.

Aims Automotive & Technology Center

Windsor Center

Location:

Aims Automotive & Technology Center
1120 South Gate Drive
Windsor, CO. 80550

Telephone: 970.339.6286

FAX: 970.506.6942

Director:

Fred Brown, 970.339.6640

Staff Specialist:

Margaret Carleton, 970.339.6286

The Aims Automotive & Technology Center opened in January of 2010 as a state-of-the-art technology and education center. This brand new, centrally located, multifaceted, 45,000-square-foot facility and its surrounding 7 acres offers convenient drive times from Windsor, Greeley, Loveland, Berthoud, Mead, and Fort Collins.

The Aims Automotive & Technology Center offers career and technical education programs as well as an array of standard academic classes. The technology-packed facility is a learning environment which includes Smart technology academic classrooms, wired and wireless computer labs, fully functional science laboratory, and conference room capacity. The general academic classrooms await students of all educational areas. The Aims Automotive & Technology Center is home to the Aims Community College Automotive Programs.

The Aims Automotive & Technology Center will be the center of transportation education and training across the spectrum in all aspects of Automotive Service Technology, Collision Repair and Refinishing, Light Diesel Repair, and Upholstery. These programs are nationally recognized and certified in both secondary and post-secondary educational systems with accreditation provided by the National Automotive Technicians and Education Foundation (NATEF). Participation in these programs is region wide with students attending from the entire Northern Colorado Front Range and outlying areas.

Emphasis at the Aims Automotive & Technology Center is placed on a full educational experience. In addition to the automotive education courses there will be classes in Biology, Chemistry, Art History, Humanities, Math, and English, held day and night at the newest Aims Community College location.

The convenience factor is at the top of the list of student wants and desires, and the new location fulfills that “within 15 minutes travel time” from many locations. Your educational world awaits you at the Aims Automotive & Technology Center, so get behind the wheel and drive your way to success!

Aims Online

Location:

Online Learning Office
Ed Beaty Hall 126B
5401 W. 20th Street
Greeley, CO 80632

Telephone: 970.339.6476

FAX: 970.506.6940

TTY: 970.339.6388

Director:

Jean Otte, 970.339.6476

Staff Specialist:

Patti Campbell, 970.339.6252

Online

Online learning is an increasingly popular way for people to get access to the courses and knowledge they need. Online classes appeal to students with rigid schedules or transportation barriers that might prevent them from attending on-campus classes on a regular basis. With advising and proper planning, students can complete an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree on the Online Campus.

In Aims online courses, you learn using your computer with Internet access. Some classes require one on-campus orientation session and/or testing in an on-campus lab or at another proctored site.

The course content is presented through web pages, audio/video presentations and other means.

Communication tools, such as web-based chat rooms, message boards, and e-mail, allow students to interact with the instructor and other classmates.

You will cover the same material in the same amount of time as students in a traditional classroom setting, but your learning experience will be no less demanding; you’ll have to be disciplined and motivated to get the most out of your online learning experience.

Before you enroll in an online class, consider the following:

People who learn effectively in an online setting are:

• Self-motivating and willing to accept responsibility for their own learning,
• Self-disciplined, able to budget their time effectively and willing to stick to deadlines,
• Comfortable with technology, especially web-based and Internet technologies,
• Willing to accept the challenge of being an independent learner,
• Willing to take the initiative and contact their instructor when they have questions or concerns regarding the course,
• Able to communicate well in writing,
• Aware that the flexibility inherent in many online courses does not mean the course will be easy.
  In addition, to be successful at online learning you must have:
• Reliable access to the Internet, including an up-to-date web browser such as Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firefox, Safari, or Chrome.
• Access to other technologies as required for each course. These technologies may include a microphone and/or web camera. Consult the instructor for details.

Online tutoring is available for students enrolled in selected online courses. Please visit the Student Resources link on the Academics tab for additional information. Other student services, such as advising, financial aid, admissions, registration, library, and bookstore are also available to the online student through the Aims web site.

If online learning suits your style and meets your needs, then consider enrolling in courses in Aims Community College’s Online Campus.

Online Course Curriculum Standards

Aims uses existing academic structures in the development of distance education courses and curricula. The college follows the Colorado state mandated common course descriptions, competencies, and outlines for any course offered, regardless of the method of delivery. When an online course is presented to the Aims Curriculum Committee, the syllabus must reflect the content and learning outcomes of the same face-to-face course. Our online faculty training includes the CCHE recommendations “that for every hour of credit, students must engage in a minimum of 12.5 hours of instructional time” (15 week semester = 50 minutes per week per credit). Therefore, our online faculty design and facilitate their online courses so that students have the opportunity to devote enough time on task to meet course objectives.