Author Archive for R. Oliphant – Page 36

PAUL CHEVALIER RESIGNS SEAT AS THIRD DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD

His tireless advocacy for major community college improvement in Sedona and the Verde Valley  will  be missed

Sedona and the Verde Valley lost an important, tireless strong voice for improving their community college educational opportunities when Paul Chevalier resigned his seat on the Community College District Governing Board  effective Monday, January 30, 2023. 

Paul Chevalier

Despite sometimes ruffling the feathers of the Prescott-based executive who control the Community College in Sedona and the Verde Valley, Chevalier’s voice rang out during Board meetings as an east side advocate. Always thoroughly prepared, he raised questions about unfair expenditures of East County taxpayer funds, the absence of East County programs, and the 50-year failure of any commitment to seriously consider significant Community College development outside the Prescott area.

Unlike a majority on the Governing Board, he was never a rubber stamp ready to approve whatever the Prescott based executives recommended to the Governing Board.  He put the interests of students and the public in his district and the entire County ahead of silent acquiescence, even when he knew that the West side dominated board would mostly ignore him and rubber stamp whatever they were asked to approve.

In his resignation announcement Mr. Chevalier said: 

For four years I have served on the Yavapai College Governing Board as the elected representative of Yavapai County District 3. During this time I have tried my best to support or, alternatively, to recommend the best solutions for whole county college issues and the educational needs of the public of my district.

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. I am therefore resigning my position with the Board effective today.

Mr. Chevalier was superbly qualified for the position he held on the Governing Board.

EDUCATION 

HARVARD GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL – CAMBRIDGE, MA

ADVANCED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM GRADUATE (AMP), 1979

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS – NEW YORK, NY

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA), 1966

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW – NEW YORK, NY

BACHELOR OF LAW (LL.B), 1966 COLUMBIA COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – NEW YORK, NY

BACHELOR OF ARTS MAJOR IN GOVERNMENT (B.A.), 1960

CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ALUMNI COUNCIL, 1986-1989

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

                DIRECTOR, 1981-1989

                PRESIDENT, 1984-1985

ARIZONA HUMANITIES COUNCIL 2003-2004

CITY OF SEDONA

    1. ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSION, CHAIR 2000-2004 
    2. PERSONNEL BOARD 2001-2003 
    3. YOUTH COMMISSION STUDY COMMITTEE 2003

SEDONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 2008- 2013, CHAIR 2011-2013

YAVAPAI COLLEGE VERDE VALLEY BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEE,  CHAIR 2014-(Committee suspended by Board in late 2016)

SEDONA RED ROCK REVIEW NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST 2001 -2008

 CIVIL INVOLVEMENT PRIOR TO MOVING TO SEDONA

LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT. DIRECTOR, 1984-198

CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAW COUNCIL

                DIRECTOR, 1984-1991

                EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 1985-1990

                PRESIDENT, 1989

NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION – EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COMMITTEE

                MEMBER, 1972-1993

                CHAIR 1979-1982

NATIONAL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE – EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COMMITTEE

                STAFF REPRESENTATIVE, 1985-1993

JONATHAN ART FOUNDATION, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

(CURRENTLY THE FOUNDATION HAS  OVER 6 MILLION $ OF EARLY

 CALIFORNIA PAINTINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS THAT IT LOANS TO MUSEUMS,

AND SHOWS FOR THE PUBLIC.)

                FOUNDER, 1987

                PRESIDENT, 1987-1990

                CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, 1990-PRESENT

Military Experience

                ACTIVE DUTY UNITED STATES NAVY, 1960-1963

SERVED AS A NAVY OFFICER (FINAL RANK LT.) ON THE USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-63) MY MAIN DUTIES: FLEET OFFICER OF THE DECK UNDERWAY AND SHIP’S LEGAL OFFICER.

Career Experience

CONSULTANT, 1994-1998

                INVESTIGATIVE CONSULTING WITH REGARD TO DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT ISSUES.FOR DISNEY, DREAM WORKS, AND OTHER MULTI NATIONAL BUSINESSES AND NATIONAL LAW FIRMS

CARTER HAWLEY HALE STORES, INC. LOS ANGELES, CA, 1972-1993

(RENAMED BROADWAY STORES INC. AND TODAY MOSTLY PART OF MACY’S)

 AT THE TIME CHH WAS A $4 BILLION IN SALES RETAIL CORPORATION WITH OVER 40,000 REGULAR EMPLOYEES IN ITS BROADWAY, EMPORIUM, CAPWELLS, CONTEMPO CASUALS, WEINSTOCK’S, NEIMAN MARCUS, BERGDORF GOODMAN AND WALDENBOOKS STORES LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND HOLT-FENFREW IN CANADA.

DUTIES; CORPORATE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT-EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

                                 LITIGATED  BEFORE THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD AND                                                 STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS INCLUDING THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

                                RESOLVING EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS OF DISCRIMINATION OR                                                      HARASSMENT.

                                DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES.

                                HANDLING ALL LABOR RELATIONS WITH UNIONS.

                                DEVELOPING AND MANAGING THE CORPORATIONS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS INCLUDING MEDICAL AND PENSIONS                                                                 

MONTGOMERY WARD & CO. – CHICAGO ILLINOIS & OAKLAND, CA   1967-1972

AT THIS TIME MONTGOMERY WARD WAS A $2 BILLION IN SALES NATIONAL RETAILER WITH OVER 40,000 EMPLOYEES.

                DIRECTOR, LABOR RELATIONS, WESTERN REGION – 8 STATES

DEB MCCASLAND RETAINS SEAT ON DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD AS CHAIR FOR NEXT TWO YEARS

Chris Kuknyo elected as District Governing Board Secretary; Board remains firmly in hands of residents living in the Prescott area; Steve Bracety (Dist. 5) attends first meeting; Paul Chevalier (Dist. 3) resigns

Chair Deb McCasland

Chris Kuknyo

Deb McCasland was elected to continue her role as Chair of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board for another two years during the Board meeting  held January 31, 2023 at the College’s Prescott airport Career and Technical Education Center.  Chris Kuknyo was elected Board Secretary. 

This election marks a decade or more when the Board officers have been selected from residents of Yavapai County who live on the west side of the County.  While Ms. McCasland’s district covers a portion of the east and west sides of the County, she is a Prescott Valley resident.  Mr. Kuknyo’s district includes Antelope, Ashfork, Big Chino, Camp Wood, Chino Valley 1 and 2, Country Park, Cougar, Coyote Springs, Deep Well, Drake, Granite, Perkinsville, Pinon Oaks, Sandretto, Seligman, Shadow Valley, Spruce, Williamson Valley, West Chino, and Willow.

This was the first meeting for Steve Bacety, whose district encompasses Castle, Diamond Valley, Glassford, Granville, Groom Creek, Horseshoe, Lynx Creek, Mountain View, Prescott Valley 1/Navajo, Prescott Valley 2, Pronghorn View, Roundup, Superstition, and Yavapai Hills.  Mr. Paul Chevalier resigned one day before the meeting. Mr. Chevalier represented District 3, which encompasses Sedona and a large portion of the Verde Valley.

You may view a video of the election by clicking here.

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLANS TO EXPERIMENT WITH VIRTUAL REALITY CLASSROOM TEACHING

Receives 25 Meta Quest 2 headsets free plus initial training and classrooms as part of start-up Victory XR Corporation’s effort to obtain clients for its “Metaversity”

In a February 1, 2023 news release, Yavapai Community College said that it received 25 Meta Quest 2 headsets to be used by students and instructors. The Community College will also have ten branded classrooms at VictoryXR’s Virtual Academy and faculty and staff will receive training from VictoryXR. You may read the entire press release by clicking here. 

Although not mentioned in the press release, the free headsets are mostly likely a part of the marketing strategy of VictoryXR to obtain customers as it continues to experiment and develop its platform for delivering educational training via the use of the Quest headsets. 

College President Dr. Lisa Rhine appears to be a very strong advocate of virtual reality teaching and learning.  She is quoted in the February 1 Community College press release as follows:  “Yavapai College is poised to bring the future of education to our students and communities. Virtual and augmented reality is going to change almost every industry, including education, and YC plans to be on the cutting edge of that change.”

She added:  “I participated in classes at the VictoryXR Virtual Academy, and it is an incredible way to teach and learn. We must change the mindset that technology will eliminate the need for people to work or learn. It is not, but it will change how people work and learn.”

A January story from  Northern Illinois University provides some insight into how it is being used.  NIU is one of 10 pilot institutions as of January 2023 working with VictoryXR. Jason Rhode, Associate Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Education, explained that when using the headset he found “[i]t’s not the full campus — there’s still lots of open cyberspace. But, it includes a virtual version of Altgeld Hall, among a few other campus buildings. You can even go inside of the student center. The technology isn’t perfect. It’s not photorealistic — it looks more like high-end Nintendo Wii graphics. And, as I learned myself, a shaky WiFi connection or network error can boot you from a session.” NIU intends to continue developing classes using the technology. (Click here for full NIU story.)

Yavapai anticipates having its first virtual reality classes in the fall 2023.

Note a recent posting on the internet claimed the following:   VictoryXR was founded in 2016 by Steve Grubbs. The company began in Davenport, Iowa and has since opened a second office in Austin, Texas. The company began with three employees, and has since grown to over 25.

If you are interested in learning a little bit more about virtual reality education, you can click on some of the sites below for more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4bDOgjLIks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qtTbCOrlaE

https://www.victoryxr.com/healthcare-health-sciences/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTdOU0vcEyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF6BhJDeWtg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocqg5TDOm-c

HOME SCHOOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLjU7Z54iGo

HIGHER LEARNING COMMISSION REACCREDITS YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR TEN YEARS

The Community College complies with HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and other HLC requirements necessary for its operation and delivery of educational programs

Yavapai Community College was notified in January 2023 that it has been reaccredited by the Higher Learning Commission following HCL’s examination in September 2022.  The reaccreditation runs for ten years.

Accreditation is a process used in higher education that is intended to assure students that the classes and services they receive are high quality. It is necessary before  Community College students can apply for federal grants and financial aid.  It also aids in certifying that the Community College meets academic quality standards, and ensures that it has qualified and credentialed faculty at all teaching levels.

Yavapai Community College’s reaccreditation encompasses all six College locations, including Prescott and Verde Valley Campuses, Chino Valley, Prescott Valley, Sedona, and the Career and Technical Education Center. It also includes all delivery methods, including in-person, online, hybrid, and any other distance learning, as well as early college programs in Yavapai County high schools.

GOVERNING BOARD SCHEDULED TO HOLD ALL DAY WORKSHOP TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 2023 WITH BOARD ELECTIONS AND POLICY DISCUSSIONS

Workshop to be held at the Career and Technical Education Center at Prescott airport to begin at 9 a.m. and run to 4 p.m.

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board is scheduled to hold an all-day workshop on Tuesday, January 2023.  The Board’s meeting schedule calendar shows the workshop is to be held at the Career and Technical Education Center at the Prescott airport. It  will begin at 9 a.m. and run to 4 p.m.  This will be the first meeting of the District Board since November 2022.

The agenda for the workshop is posted on the Governing Board website, which you may reach by clicking here.

One of the first items of business will be nominations and election of Board officers. There is no Open Call to the public noted on the Agenda for this meeting.

Under Arizona law, the public has a right to attend, listen, tape record, or videotape these meetings. The public may not disrupt, but may speak during the call to the public at the beginning of this meeting if the call is on the agenda. See Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. No. I78-001.

YAVAPAI COLLEGE HIRES NEW ASSOCIATE DEAN OF SCIENCE, MATH AND ADULT BASIC EDUCATION

Dr. William Perry Baker joined the Community College in January with a long and distinguished career

Dr. William Perry Baker joined Yavapai Community College in January as its new Associate Dean of Science, Math and Adult Education.  He has a long and distinguished career. His position is classified as “Associate Dean, Division 2.”

Dr. William Perry Baker (Yavapai Community College photo)

He graduated from the Des Moines, Washington Highline Community College in 1980 after two years of study. He then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Washington. He earned a master’s degree in education at Grand Canyon University and a doctorate in zoology at Arizona State University. He has worked a several institutions before coming to Yavapai Community College including  Arizona Christian University, Midwestern University and Maricopa Community College District’s Office of Public Schools Program.

He is the author or co-author of 31 articles in a variety of journals including: The American Biology TeacherThe Science TeacherScience ActivitiesScience ScopeThe Journal of College Science TeachingJournal of Research in Science Teaching and Professional Development in Education. He has supervised 12 postgraduate and 21 undergraduate research projects for medical and science students including projects of seven students who received grant funding. He has given numerous regional and national presentations, as well as two invited international lectures.

Dr. Baker has served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Alliance for Science, Mathematics & Technology Education and as board member and president of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. He was editor of the, Journal of the Arizona Nevada Academy of Science, from 2006-2008.

According to the Community College staff directory, Dr. Baker has been assigned to the Prescott Campus. It is believed that he will reside in Prescott.

OLLI AT YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESENTS FREE TO PUBLIC “WINEMAKING AT THE SOUTHWEST WINE CENTER” PROGRAM

Verde Campus, Room M-137, Tuesday, January 24, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. | Learn about the scientific process of how grapes are turned into wine, and how the winemaking culture is forming in Arizona

Michael Pierce, director of Viticulture and Enology at the Southwest Wine Center, will discuss “The Fruits of Our Labor” at Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Campus, 601 Black Hills Drive, Room M-137, Tuesday, January 24, from 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Learn about the scientific process of how grapes are turned into wine, and how the winemaking culture is forming in Arizona with the help of the Viticulture and Enology program at Yavapai Community College and the Southwest Wine Center. Pierce will cover a brief overview of the science of winemaking with a focus on what makes the Verde Valley special. Attendees will be provided with information on the program and the graduates who are leading the Arizona wine industry.

Is the Verde Valley beginning to look like the NAPA Valley as more and more grape vines and wine tasting rooms are opened throughout the area?

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) is sponsoring the program. OLLI is a program of the Division of Lifelong Learning at Yavapai Community College. For information call 928-649-4275 or email [email protected] or visit the website at YC.edu/ollisedonaverde.

KUDOS TO VP DIANE RYAN FOR HER TREMENDOUS SUCCESS WITH DEVELOPING THE USE OF OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES COURSE MATERIALS, WHICH ARE NOW SAVING STUDENTS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN BOOK COSTS

Put in charge of OER development in 2019, Ryan’s accomplishment stands out as new four-year Bachelor of Science program announced it will use all free open source textbooks in all four years

In November 2019, Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine tasked Dr. Diane Ryan with leading the initiative to lower the cost of student textbooks. At an Osher Brown Bag Buzz program on the Verde Campus, Dr. Ryan announced the plan to utilize open educational resources (OER) for course materials in an effort to reduce costs. The program, if successful, could save students up to $1,600 annually on textbook expenses.

Dr. Diane Ryan

The initiative was a part of President Dr. Lisa Rhine’s effort to make post-secondary education available to everyone in the County at the lowest possible cost. It was estimated in 2019 that the OER program would take from three to four years before it was fully implemented.

After taking charge, Dr. Ryan quickly moved forward with developing the OER plan. At the February 2020 meeting of the Community College Governing Board, she informed the Board that faculty had already begun training in the use of OER and expected some classes to use these materials in fall 2020.

Dr. Ryan’s cost reduction plan made a noticeable impact on the cost of student textbooks in just one year. On September 14, 2021, College President Dr. Lisa Rhine reported to the District Governing Board that the project has already saved students over $300,000.

As Dr. Ryan progressed with training faculty and implementing the cost reduction plan, the project received additional funding. In August 2022, the College announced that it was awarded a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education Fund. The funds were to be used in partnership with seven other community colleges to further develop OER materials.

Dr. Ryan’s success with developing OER was demonstrated on January 11, 2023, when she announced that the Community College had created and approved a four-year online Bachelor of Science (B.S.) program. The B.S. program was also developed under Dr. Ryan’s guidance.

The Bachelor of Science program offers many benefits, one of which is the cost of textbooks for the entire four-year program. Dr. Ryan announced that all books for all four years will be free. This is made possible by the use of Open Resources materials that have been integrated into the curriculum, thanks to her efforts.

Kudos to Dr. Ryan for her outstanding work on OER! 

A COUPLE OF ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS TO BE INSTALLED ON PRESCOTT AND VERDE VALLEY CAMPUSES

Near buildings 2, 19 on the Prescott Campus;  near building I on the Verde Valley Campus; will accommodate only a couple of cars at a time

Yavapai Community College is putting its toe into the Electrical Vehicle waters by establishing its first  charging stations for electrical vehicles on the Prescott and Verde Valley campuses.  The Verde Campus station will accommodate two EVs at a time.

It is not clear how much will be collected by the College, if anything,  for charging. It is also not clear  whether the charging stations are Level 1,  Level 2 or above. However,  it is suspected that they are Level 1 (slow) charge stations.

Level 1 charging stations provide a low-power (12-20 Amp), which is generally used for long-term charging. It is sometimes referred to as slow or ‘trickle’ charging.  Level 1 long-term charging is found at some airports and hotels. It is also found at some universities and casinos.

 Level 2 charging stations use  a 240 volt outlet (like a clothes dryer or oven) and deliver more power to a car to charge it faster.

Level 3 chargers are still quite rare in the United States. It is claimed that a level 3 charger can  fill a battery at a rate of 75 – 1,200 miles per hour. It would top off an empty battery in 30 minutes.

There are a number of small Tesla destination charging stations in the Verde Valley, with the largest number in the Sedona area.

 

TEN MILLION DOLLAR VERDE VALLEY BREWERY PROJECT REMAINS ON “HOLD” FOR REASONS YET TO BE DIVULGED BY THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESCOTT-BASED EXECUTIVES

“Postponement” announcement found in Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletters of October and December 2022 | Length of postponement unclear | District Governing Board and public await an explanation

The exact status of the proposed and approved $8 to $10 million Verde Valley beer brewery project remains unclear.  Although the Prescott-based executives who decide major Community College issues for the Verde Valley  have made no formal announcement, the postponement notice appears in the October and December Community College Facilities Newsletter.  (See below)

The project was approved in May 2022 by the District Governing Board by a 4-1 vote.

The nature of the postponement remains a mystery.  Neither the public nor the District Governing Board have so far been informed of the postponement and the reasons for it.  The President of the College, Dr. Lisa Rhine, had an opportunity to explain the postponement at the October and November 2022 District Governing Board meetings but said nothing.

 The District Governing Board is not expected to hold a business meeting until February where an explanation regarding the postponement might be forthcoming.