About Us

New Frontiers is an organization dedicated to helping adults to continue their discovery of knowledge, advance their learning, and pursue new experiences in a fun and friendly setting. Founded in 1995, New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning was created through the auspices of the Mesa Community College, which is located in Mesa, Arizona and serves the communities of the East Valley of metropolitan Phoenix. We are a peer-led, self-governing organization with interests in volunteer opportunities, travel, hiking, healthy life styles, and learning for fun on a variety of topics.

Among our accomplishments:

Class Enrollment

Members enroll as noncredit students through Mesa Community College. Class registration is processed by an external, online service paid for by New Frontiers. Class registration handles over 4,000 registrants a year for the up to 200 classes offered in the Spring, Fall and Summer semesters.

Our Partnership with Mesa Community College

Mesa Community College supports New Frontiers with enrollment services, room scheduling, and financial reports from the District office. The College processes New Frontiers purchase orders, and petty cash. New Frontiers is grateful for the assistance provided by Dr. Nora Reyes, Vice Provost-Red Mountain; Neva Hansen, Administrative Specialist Senior; and Jeanie Shurwin, Office Assistant . New Frontiers members recognize the vital support of the College is key to their ability to age successfully by expanding their learning horizons.

Contributing to the Community

Over the years, New Frontiers members have served on the Mesa Community College Commission on Excellence in Education, Center for Community and Civic Engagement and the Red Mountain Campus Advisory Committee. Members routinely volunteer with College programs such as Empty Bowls, Learning across the Generations, Human Library and Connect for Success. Learn more about our Community Outreach programs!

Helping Others Further Their Education

This past year, 133 New Frontiers members volunteered over 7,600 hours to support the curriculum, membership, social, communications, volunteers and the New Frontiers Council. The Council is the leadership arm and is composed of officers, committee chairs and at-large members.  In addition, New Frontiers awarded four $1,000 student scholarships this past year working with the College Scholarship office.

Alternative Solution for Enrolling and Paying for New Frontiers

The Spring/Summer enrollment fee for the 2021 school year has been reduced to $40!

Those having problems attempting to enroll (pay your New Frontiers fees), whether it be the SIS system, the Ad-Blocker, or calling the cashier to pay, here is a solution.

Fill out and submit this Google FORM. Neva and Michelle will enroll you into the SIS system (for New Frontiers). You will receive a follow up call from the MCC cashier for credit card payment.

Additional information is on the form.

Welcome to New Frontiers!

Welcome to New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning! We hope you enjoy every moment you spend with us, whether it be attending classes or participating in a social group or attending a function like our annual picnic. Sit back, relax and enjoy. Since this is a totally volunteer organization, we also ask you to think about assisting with the planning, presenting, organizing at some point in the future when you are comfortable doing so. When each of us does a little, we can accomplish a lot!

Office of Community Partnerships

• New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning is a peer-led membership organization
• New Frontiers is a program of Mesa Community College's Office of Community Partnerships
• There are about 500 New Frontiers members
• New Frontiers offers over a hundred Non-Credit classes each semester at Mesa Community College campuses of Southern & Dobson and Red Mountain along with other East Valley locations
• New Frontiers provides numerous volunteer hours for Mesa Community College as well as in the community
  

Among the many benefits of being part of our organization are:

• Classes offered year-round during three semesters
• Social activities, including our holiday party and annual picnic
• Volunteer opportunities with New Frontiers organization and Mesa Community College
• Discounts to local museums
• Discovering new, lifelong friendships!
• Free Microsoft Office 365 for Students

New members are always welcomed!

Thank you for clicking on this website. One way we measure the pulse of our members is through surveys. The most recent one had 50% of our membership responding with the following information:

• 50% of our members learned about New Frontiers from friends
• 93% consider it relevant to them
• 95% feel that it meets their needs
• In terms of classes many of our members want more technology-based classes, i.e., cell phones, computer software and photo organizing

In order to continue to be successful we have developed a direction for the future:

1. Increase methods of communication among the membership, Council and MCC to enhance the role of lifelong learning in the East Valley.
2. Continue to expand the range of classes through innovation, technology and vision.
3. Focus on making New Frontiers the ultimate volunteer experience.
4. Enhance the New Frontiers Council structure and experience to foster leadership and sustain the vision.
5. Expand the relationship and connection with Mesa Community College.

Welcoming letter from Roland Tanner, President of New Frontiers

Dear New Frontier Friends,

In response to the current Pandemic, New Frontiers for Lifelong Learning (NFLL), in coordination with MCC requirements, will not have any on-site classes at either Dobson or Red Mountain Campuses for Fall of 2020. Your volunteer NFLL curriculum team in conjunction with some hustle from other volunteers within NFLL have put together over 50 online Video Classes hosted in Zoom or WebEx.

MCC has been kind enough to allow us use of their enterprise WebEx Meeting license for most of the presenters of the classes. We will have training for both Video Applications for folks taking the courses and for hosts (facilitators) or presenters. The training schedule for Zoom and WebEx will be forthcoming. We understand that this is a huge leap for many of you and we will make every effort to make it work so all of you can continue on your lifelong learning path.

All current NFLL members have an MEID login (which typically is the first three letters of you first name followed by numbers) and access to an MCC Gmail free account at maricopa.edu. This allows ALL of you access to Office 365 which is currently sold at $99.00 per year.

All of you also have access to student discounts on educational products and the Google Suite of software under your MCC account. This includes Google Meet (comparable to ZOOM) which is now free under your MCC student status. To the general public this Google Meet will no longer be free after September 30, 2020.

I am encouraging all of you to support NFLL in these times of uncertainty and join NFLL for this fall and next spring session. NFLL will continue to abide with MCC guidelines regarding face to face classes. I am sure we will have more exciting online classes as we become more accustomed to them.

Kind regards to all of you,
Roland Tanner
President NFLL

Come Join Us!

Joining New Frontiers is one of the best decisions you can make for your life-long learning and social well-being as well as for meeting new friends and having fun!

You may become a member anytime, although we especially recommend joining in September or January so that you can enjoy an entire semester of classes and social events. You may sign up online, call the Mesa Community College Continuing and Community Education Center at (480) 461-7497(480) 461-7497, or become a member in person at our Open House events held at the beginning of each semester.

A New Members Coffee is offered in the Fall and Spring semesters, providing newcomers with an overview of New Frontiers and an opportunity to meet other members. Check our Calendar for dates and times.

An annual 2020/2021 membership (includes the fall, spring and summer semesters) costs $60.00 starting on September 1^st and ending on August 31^st.

A Spring-Summer 2021 semester membership costs $40.00 starting on January 1^st and ending on August 31^st.

Have Questions? Please see our FAQs page!