Author Archive for R. Oliphant – Page 101

UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA TO OPEN NEW COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE IN FALL 2020 IN RIMROCK

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 8th, 2019

Veterinary medicine home base remains in Oro Valley; Yavapai Community College has no relationship (as yet) with future facility

According to a story written by Bill Helm and appearing in the November 5, 2019 issue of the Verde Independent, the University of Arizona is preparing to open a new College of Veterinary Medicine at Rimrock on its V-Bar-V Ranch facility. Plans are to open it by the fall 2020, according to Marta Coursey, chief of staff to the dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Since 1995, the University has operated its College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at the V-Bar-V Ranch.

Yavapai Community College at this time has no involvement with the future University of Arizona Veterinary Medicine school.

More information about the College of Veterinary Medicine can be found at vetmed.arizona.edu.

Source:  Verde Independent, November 5, 2019.

Categories : Univ of Arizona

VERDE CAMPUS LIBRARY OFFERING SPECIAL PROGRAMS IN NOVEMBER

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 8th, 2019

Book discussions and healthcare seminars open to the public

The Yavapai Community College library on the Verde Campus will feature book discussions and healthcare programs during November.

At 2 p.m. Tuesday, November 12 at 2 p.m., the public may  join author Iris Yang for a discussion about her book, Wings of a Flying Tiger. Yang tells the story of one cousin’s courage and another’s determination to help a wounded American pilot during World War II in Japanese occupied China.

From noon until 1 p.m. Wednesday, November  13,  “Healthy Boundaries in Everyday Life” will be the topic discussed by licensed associate counselor and adjunct faculty member Chris Hout.  Hout’s presentation is on:  “How can I draw a line in the sand with someone I care about?” and “What are healthy and unhealthy boundaries?” The program is presented to the public  as part of the Distinguished Guest Lecture Series.

On Thursday, November 14 from 1:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. healthcare and ethics with nursing is the topic and will be presented by professors Cindy Schroeder and Elizabeth Franco.

Yavapai Community College’s Verde Valley campus is located at 601 Black Hills Drive in Clarkdale. The library is located in Building “M.”

Categories : Verde campus events

REPRESENTATIVE CHEVALIER QUESTIONS TRADITIONAL GOVERNING BOARD “MEANS” USED TO EVALUATE PRESIDENT’S OPERATION OF COLLEGE

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, November 2nd, 2019

Suggests that Arizona law requires more than holding meetings and receiving documents from president to satisfy legal mandate it examine “management, condition and needs” of college; attorney disagrees but says Board could change the “means” it uses to satisfy the law

Representative Paul Chevalier triggered a discussion at the October 8 District Governing Board meeting on the question of whether the Board was complying with a provision of state law in its oversight of the President’s operation of the college.  He suggested that the means being used by the Governing Board over the past several years to evaluate the management, conditions and needs of the College was too limited and possibly contrary to the intent of the legislature.

The current evaluation process relies entirely on Board meetings and documents given to the Board by the Administration to meet the evaluation standard set out by state law.  Chevalier contended that the language of AZ 15-444 (4) “orders us to visit each community college under our jurisdiction AND examine carefully INTO management, conditions and needs. If the President is our only link to operations we cannot do this effectively.” (Board members under current process cannot talk with staff.)

The Governing Board attorney disagreed with Chevalier but suggested that the Board could alter the traditional means it has used  to examine the management, conditions and needs of the College.  There was a suggestion at the end of the discussion that a local legislator ask the Arizona Attorney General for an opinion on the meaning of the statue to determine the nature and extent of the Board’s obligation to examine management, conditions, and needs under exiting law.  However, because it was a discussion item, no formal action (no vote) was taken.

You may view an edited version of the nine minute discussion below.  You can see the entire argument on video on the Governing Board web site when it is published.

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS DEPARTMENT TO PRESENT ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA NOV. 14-24

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 1st, 2019

More than 100 performers, designers, crew members, and community volunteers, as well as a live 29-piece orchestra in its most ambitious effort so far

Yavapai Community College’s Performing Arts Department will present  Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera on the Prescott Campus at the Performing Arts Center November 14-24.   The production is under the direction of Dr. Craig Ralston and features the combined efforts and artistry of more than 100 performers, designers, crew members, and community volunteers, as well as a live 29-piece orchestra comprised almost entirely of professional musicians from Northern Arizona.

Categories : Performing Arts Center

NEW VP DIANE RYAN TO SPEAK AT OLLI BROWN BAG BUZ NOV 7

By R. Oliphant
Friday, November 1st, 2019

Event at 12:30 in Room M-137 on Verde Campus

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute’s (OLLI) Brown Bag Brain Buzz will host Dr. Diane Ryan, Yavapai College’s vice president of strategic initiatives on Thursday, November 7 at the Verde Campus.  The program will be held in Room M-137 and begin at 12:30. The Verde Campus is located at 601 Black Hills Dr. in Clarkdale.

This free lunchtime forum is sponsored by Yavapai College. You may bring your brown bag or purchase lunch at the Snack Bar in Building “F” at the Verde Valley Campus.

Dr. Ryan’s presentation will focus on the Open Educational Resource movement. It is said to be spreading across college campuses and is an attempt to reduce or eliminate textbook or course material costs for students. This movement has been funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dr. Ryan was recently appointed to the newly created position of Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. The College describes the position as “created to bring vision and strategic leadership to a broad range of key initiatives.”

Dr. Ryan earned a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Communication from Western Illinois University and graduate hours in English from Old Dominion University. Her academic research focuses on open educational resources and academic outcomes in the community college classroom.

Source:  Yavapai Community College press release Oct 31.

Categories : OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning)

ADVOCATE RUTH WICKS ARGUES TUITION SHOULD BE LOWERED AT COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 31st, 2019

Says that reducing tuition emulates typical business approach when there is a supply over demand problem and may help generate larger enrollment in a tough market

East Valley education advocate Ruth Wicks suggested to the Community College Governing Board at its October 8 meeting that it consider reducing the cost of tuition.  Wicks’ noted that during the last few years the College had seen a “dramatic drop in enrollment.”  Enrollment has dropped despite increased population growth in Yavapai County and “sister institutions have flourished,” she said.

Wicks argued that dropping tuition to attract students would be a “daring” step by the College.  She also argued that if you have an excess supply of a product in business because of few buyers, you commonly drop the price to gain buyers. The College should emulate this model, she said.

She also said that there is concern that students who are not eligible for government assistance because of their assets, might still be unable to afford college. By reducing tuition, those students might be attracted to enroll and improve their marketable skills.

Wicks noted that there may be excess funds in the Community College budget that could be used to make up for the loss of revenue.

You my view all of her interesting argument in the video below.

 

Categories : Tuition

VACTE SUPERINTENDENT BOB WIER SAYS RELATIONSHIP WITH COMMUNITY COLLEGE HAS TRIPLED CTE ENROLLMENT

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 31st, 2019

Central CTE Campus in Cottonwood enrolled 110 students in fall 2019; enrolled only 30 three years ago

The Valley Academy Career and Technology Education (VACTE)Superintendent Bob Wier thanked the College Governing Board and President for the ongoing, improving  relationship between the two institutions. He stressed the need for a centralized Community College Career and Technology Center that would work closely and cooperatively with VACTE and the other schools in the East Region of Yavapai County.

Wier reported that VACTE enrolled a record number of 110 students in its central campus in fall 2019.  This he compared with just 30 students three years ago.

He also reported that there are 24 students enrolled in the new fall construction program who will receive 16 credits upon completion of the training.  He also reported that sports medicine was a course being offered as a part of the dual enrollment program with the Community College.  He said that this was a program that he had hoped would be established for more than a dozen years.

You may view all of Superintendent Wier’s report to the October 8, 2019 Governing Board in the video below.

Categories : Career and Technical Education

CONSTRUCTION OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOUNDATION OFFICES IN PRESCOTT CAMPUS LIBRARY CONTINUES

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, October 26th, 2019

Offices moving from Building 32 to Campus library, Building 19

Construction on the Yavapai Community College Foundation offices at  the Prescott Campus library, Building 19, is well along the way.  The Foundation is moving its offices from Building 32, which has been shared with the Administration, to Building 19.  No information about the cost associated with the move has at this time been provided.

Source for photo and sketch below:  Yavapai Community College Facilities Management newsletter.

 

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, Foundation

REPRESENTATIVE CHEVALIER CHALLENGES GOVERNING BOARD TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE ETHICAL ISSUE OVER ALLOCATION OF POWER AMONG BOARD MEMBERS WITH WEST HOLDING POWER FOR THE LAST DOZEN YEARS

By R. Oliphant
Friday, October 25th, 2019

“It’s a matter of ethics . . . and we should discuss it,” he said; but Board members refused to discuss the issue

Yavapai Community College District Governing Board member Paul Chevalier challenged the District Governing Board at its October meeting to openly discuss whether there had been discrimination in some form between the East and West regions of Yavapai County over the past several years.  He asserted that under the Governance model adopted by the Governing Board, the members were supposed to discuss disagreements. He argued in his contribution to the Governing Board September evaluation (see below) that the allocation of power among the Board members over the years raised a possible “ethical” issue for the Board and was in his view discriminatory.

Chevalier gave a specific example at the meeting in support of his claim. He said  that over the past twelve years no one from the east side of the County had been District Governing Board Chair, the most powerful position on the Board.  He argued that with the east side having 40% of the population, it should in theory have had someone as chair 40% of the time.

Despite his challenge to members to discuss the issue, the Governing Board remained silent.  No one would discuss whether his view was correct.  You may view his challenge to the Board in the very short video clip below. The issue was made at the October 8, 2019 Board meeting.

Categories : Politics

DEFAULT RATE ON STUDENT LOANS AT YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE APPEARS DOUBLE THE NATIONAL AVERAGE

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 24th, 2019

U.S. Department of Education says national student federal loan default rate in 2016 decreased to 10.1% (9.6% for public institutions); Yavapai at 22.4%

The U.S. Department of Education reported in late September 2019 that the federal student loan default rate had dropped to 10.1% nationally.  (See Government press release by clicking here.) For public institutions, the rate fell from 10.3% in FY 2015 to 9.6% in FY 2016.

According to the Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics, Yavapai Community College reported a default loan rate of 22.4% in 2016. (Please click here to see cohort report.)  The default rate at Yavapai appears about double the national rate.

Following below is the official report on Yavapai Community College from the USDE Center for Education Statics.

Categories : Tuition
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