Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter announced March 10, 2023, the appointment of Mr. Alton “Toby” Payne to the Yavapai College Governing Board to represent District 3 (Sedona and the upper Verde Valley). Mr. Payne is a second-generation Arizona native, raised in Phoenix, who spent twenty-five years in Cave Creek/Carefree, and now lives permanently in Clarkdale.
The following is a portion of the press release regarding the appointment as released by Mr. Carter’s office:
Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Alton “Toby” Payne to the Yavapai College Governing Board to represent District 3 (Sedona and the upper Verde Valley).
Mr. Payne is a second-generation Arizona native, raised in Phoenix, who spent twenty-five years in Cave Creek/Carefree, and now lives permanently in Clarkdale. He spent thirty years as an entrepreneur in the audio-visual industry, as the founder of State Sound of Arizona. He has toured with Andy Williams, Sammy Davis Jr., Waylon Jennings, and designed and supplied the sound systems for the Papal Visit to Arizona State University. He also taught for ten years at the International Communications Industries Association Institute for Professional Development.
Mr. Payne has served on the Governing Board of the Cave Creek Unified School District, serving as President of the Board twice. The district spanned 144 square miles and included several municipalities including portions of Scottsdale, Phoenix, Carefree and Cave Creek. His service was at a time of rapid growth for the area when school construction was needed.
He has been working with various non-profits and community groups for many years, including Arizona Town Hall, Kiwanis, site survey for the Mabery Pavilion on the Clarkdale campus of Yavapai College, Growth Committee of the Clarkdale-Jerome School District, and the Verde Valley Amateur Radio Association.
Mr. Carter received a letter of resignation from Yavapai College Governing Board Member Paul Chevalier, effective January 30, 2023. Dr. Chevalier said, “today I turned 84 and, while my health is good, this is the moment for me to step down and let someone younger take my position.” Mr. Carter thanked Dr. Chevalier for his service to the residents of District 3. Mr. Carter posted the vacancy for this non-partisan seat for the remaining two years of the existing term. Prior to the deadline for receipt of letters of interest and the supporting information, Mr. Carter received the required materials from five qualified candidates.
Superintendent Carter makes use of a Candidate Review Committee in making community college appointments. This is a process which engages a cross section of community members from District 3 in the process.
He would like to express appreciation to the committee for their volunteer services to the community. County Supervisor Donna Michaels (Sedona) served as the elected official as she represents the same geographical area and residents within Yavapai County, Mrs. Barbara U’Ren (unincorporated areas) represented taxpayers, Chell Smart (Clarkdale) represented students, Kimberly Gould (Cottonwood) represented the college faculty, and Ruth Ellen Elinski (Cottonwood) represented economic development entities.
The committee reviewed the materials, prepared interview questions, decided who to interview and participated and evaluated the interviews. The committee also provides Mr. Carter with insight about their collective perception of each candidate, and they made very valuable recommendations for his consideration. The Superintendent and committee interviewed three finalists on Monday, March 6th in Sedona.
Mr. Carter hosted an opportunity for the public to meet with him personally in face-to-face meetings on March 9th in Sedona. He provided his email address and cell phone number for those individuals wishing to use one of those options. He spoke individually with many of the current Yavapai College Governing Board Members and college administration in person or on the phone prior to making the appointment. Forty-four (44) residents communicated with the Superintendent in one manner or another about their preferences. He appreciated and respected the responses.
Mr. Payne will be sworn in at a public event at Yavapai College, Sedona Campus at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, March 21, 2023. His term will end December 31, 2024. He has indicated an intent to run for the seat in the 2024 election cycle for a six-year term starting January 2025. He may be reached at 480.544.2290. Mr. Carter may be reached at 928.925.6560.
He has spent 100’s of hours outside of the workday getting the machines to function properly, while also battling COVID. Without this commitment, we would not be able to move forward with 3D house printing due to the complexity of the operation.
Director Mintzmeyer has been successful at putting together a good team to keep going with the ongoing learning curve involved in 3D house printing. His easy going and “can do” attitude have been very noticeable. He has communicated well with the 3D team, and has them coming in to run test prints on a regular basis. As we inch closer to building a house, those skills will continue to be needed, and he will have to keep that team motivated in his role as Director.
Matt has spent many a late night working on improvements to the 3D printing lab at CTEC, as well as mastering the 3D house printing machine as part of the construction program. He has reached out to industry concerning directions we need to go in 3D printing, and has gleaned some good ideas that he has helped incorporate into the classroom. At a time when frustrations have been high, Matt has continued to work through problems pertaining to 3D house printing.
Here is a photo shown to the Governing Board of the original two 3D printers purchased for a half million. Dean Morgan said the manufacturer stood by its warranties on the machines. Although able to function, they are apparently serving no purpose at the present time.
Here is a photo of the two 3D printers that the College built at its own cost after it concluded the two it had purchased were not adequate to perform the tasks it thought they could.
Yavapai Community College Vice President of Finance and Administrative Serves Dr Clint Ewell reported to the District Governing Board at its Budget Workshop Meeting, Friday, February 24, 2023, that the State of Arizona has increased its annual financial support for Yavapai Community College to $6.4 million.
According to Dr. Ewell, Dr. Rhine and her colleagues deserve recognition for their successful lobbying efforts, which resulted in the passing of Prop 207 and Rural Aid, securing nearly $4 million in funding for the college. However, Dr. Ewell pointed out that a significant portion of the new financial aid comes with restrictions on how it can be used, limiting it to specific programs. Additionally, Dr. Ewell noted that the state’s financial support for Operations and Maintenance is minimal.
You may view Dr. Ewell’s short one minute report (video clip) by clicking here.
Total of current state funding by program.
Yavapai County School Superintendent Tim Carter has announced the finalists to fill the Third District Yavapai Community College Governing Board seat. They are Dr. Jack Dillenberg of Jerome, Mrs. Stephanie Harrison of Sedona, and Mr. Toby Payne of Clarkdale; Cathy Ransom from Cottonwood didn’t make the final cut; winner to be announced March 10.
The following is a portion of Mr. Carter’s press release regarding the selection:
As has been the historical precedent for community college appointments, Superintendent Carter has appointed a five (5) member Candidate Review Committee. Committee members reside in District 3. The committee is made up of a taxpayer, a faculty member, a student, an elected official, and a person who works in the area of workforce development.
The committee met on Tuesday, February 28th in Cottonwood to review letters of interest, resumes, and letters of recommendation. The committee drafted a set of questions to be used for the interviews and determined three finalists who will be interviewed in Sedona on March 6th.
The candidates are listed in alphabetical order:
Dr. Jack Dillenberg of Jerome. Bachelor of Science from Tulane University, Masters Degree in Public Health from Harvard and Doctorate at New York University, College of Dentistry. Previous Assistant Director and Director with both the Arizona and California Department of Health Services and Dean Emeritus of the A.T. Still’s University’s Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health. Former Mayor of Jerome. Serves on the Arizona State Supreme Court Attorney Discipline Committee.
Mrs. Stephanie Harrison of Sedona. Bachelor of Science from Old Dominion University in Dental Hygiene and a Masters of Arts in Health Services Management from Webster University. Previous administrative work with both Delta College and the Community College of Denver, holding several senior leadership positions. Currently working part time with Dr. Whetman’s Dental Office in Sedona. She and her husband enjoy an active lifestyle. She is active with several outdoor groups.
Mr. Toby Payne of Clarkdale. A native of Phoenix. Attended Phoenix College. As an entrepreneur, founded Stage Sound and began touring with Andy Williams, Sammy Davis Jr., Waylon Jennings, etc. Designed and supplied the sound system for The Papal Visit at ASU. Clients include major sports arenas and churches of all sizes. Served on the Cave Creek Unified School District Governing Board, serving as President twice. Married 41 years. Member Clarkdale-Verde Kiwanis Club.
Members of the public from District 3, will have an opportunity to email their views of the candidates to Mr. Carter ([email protected]) or to meet personally with him for a 10-minute meeting from noon to 4 pm on Thursday, March 9th at the Sedona Campus of Yavapai College. The meetings will be on a first come, first basis. Prior to making the final selection, the Superintendent will also meet separately with each of the currently seated Yavapai College Board Members for their input on the finalists.
The appointment should be announced by Friday, March 10th. The term begins upon taking the Oath of Office on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 and will be valid through December 31, 2024. To continue beyond that date, the successful candidate will need to run for the seat in the 2024 general election for a new six-year term beginning January 1, 2025. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Carter at 928-925-6560 (cell).
CHART CREATED BY COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND SHOWN TO GOVERNING BOARD TO ILLUSTRATE CHALLENGES.
Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine outlined to the College District Governing Board during its February Workshop the increasing competition for tradition community college students that is coming from a wide variety of sources. She noted that over the last decade, enrollment in four-year public and private colleges and universities has brown by 12 and five percent respectively. Meanwhile, community college enrollment nationally had declined by 41% FTSE during this same period.
Arizona four-year college enrollment grew by 53% since 2011 (67,000 FTSE) while Arizona community college enrollment fell by 37% FTSE since 2011.
Arizona State University is moving into community college territory with its experimental Associate Degree in professional studies being offered to students at three high school groups. Northern Arizona University is likewise expanding its regional efforts to attract traditional community college students to its campuses.
There were many additional challenges coming from employers who, for example, want courses on specific topics immediately available to employees. Employers are also looking to private education providers who design educational programs specifically to meet their individual needs.
Technology is another challenge as it is changing rapidly and improving rapidly so the community colleges must harness these changes.
The Blog has listed below some of the areas of concern touched upon by Dr. Rhine during her presentation. You may view her short presentation on this topic to the Governing Board by clicking here.
AN OUTLINE OF CHALLENGES TO COMMUNITY COLLEGES
At its meeting on February 21, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board gave unanimous approval to name the Performing Arts Center (PAC) on the Prescott Campus in honor of Jim and Linda Lee. The decision to rename the PAC was made to acknowledge the generous endowment recently established by the Lees, which will be exclusively used to ensure the Center’s ongoing sustainability.
Community College Vice President of Community Relations Rodney Jenkins explained that the endowment will ensure that “top of line talent” is brought to the Community through the Performing Arts Center. The College approximates that more than 100,000 attendees now visit the Center every year.
Due to their generous philanthropic contributions to numerous community organizations, Jim and Linda Lee are widely recognized in the greater Prescott area. Among their notable endeavors, they have provided support for the Prescott POPS Symphony Orchestra School Grants, aimed at financing instrumental music in local schools, as well as the annual Music Memory program, benefiting third through fifth graders across the county. Additionally, they have pledged substantial assistance to the Prescott Chorale, which showcases masterpieces by renowned composers, and offer scholarships for eligible students in music and performing arts programs at Yavapai College.
Their contributions resulted in the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium located at the STEM Education Center on the at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott. The 47-foot-diameter dome — the only planetarium north of Phoenix — has become a popular destination for domestic and international visitors.
They are major donors to the Arizona Opera and have underwritten several major opera performances over the years. They also are major supporters of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. They established the Jim and Linda Lee Memorial Endowment for Cardiovascular Disease. The purpose — to benefit the Sarver Heart Center founded at the U of A Medical Center in 1986, and now recognized as one of the world’s leading cardiovascular research institutions.
You may view the announcement made at the Governing Board meeting by clicking here.
Below is a mock-up shown to the Governing Board of how the Center will look once the names are in place.
Editor: Robert Oliphant