Author Archive for R. Oliphant – Page 41

LITTLE INTEREST SHOWN AMONG RESIDENTS IN SELECTION OF NEXT VERDE CAMPUS DEAN

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 27th, 2022

Handful show up for live interview; no live questions or interaction allowed; not streamed on YouTube; poorly advertised; big change from when former Dean Tina Redd was interviewed

OPINION. Only a handful of residents showed up for the live interviews Tuesday, October 25 on the Verde Campus of the two potential Dean candidates one of whom will replace Dean Tina Redd.  Recall Dean Redd resigned her position because of frustration with her Prescott bosses and poor working conditions.

The Tuesday meeting was poorly advertised by the Yavapai Community College to east side residents. Moreover, residents are aware that whoever is chosen will have little or no actual decision making authority in the development and operation of the College on the east side of the County.  All decision-making is tightly controlled by the Prescott based executives who operate from their  headquarters on the Prescott Campus.

The College totally controlled the one-hour Tuesday interview of each candidate with residents not allowed to ask live questions.  Questions had to be submitted earlier in writing to the College over the internet, with the College filtering the submissions and deciding  what questions would be asked.

The College also did not live stream the event on YouTube.  In a County the size of the nation of Israel you would think the citizen tax supported institution would at least live-stream the event so residents didn’t have to take a day off work and/or travel miles and miles to attend the interview. In addition, the College shows a surprising disregard for those who are disabled, the elderly, and working folks when it refuses to live stream events like this.

The College  did provide internal access via zoom to College employees.  About six of the several hundred employees of the College looked in on the interviews if the zoom screen at the meeting was correct.

The process was in stark contrast to the interview of former Dean Tina Redd when dozens of residents showed up for her interview.  Moreover, residents were allowed to ask live questions of Redd and also allowed  to interact with her.  That process was dumped by the College this time,  apparently out of concern it could  not totally control the questions or interaction between  attendees and the candidates.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENT DR. RHINE REFUSES TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FROM COTTONWOOD JOURNAL EXTRA NEWSPAPER ABOUT VERDE CAMPUS LOSING ACCREDITATION DESIGNATION, FUTURE OF VERDE CAMPUS, $10 BREWERY, OR RESTORATION OF BRANCH CAMPUS DESIGNATION

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, October 26th, 2022

Front page October 26 article claims Rhine “did not return any calls or numerous emails asking for comments.” VP Jenkins confirms refusal of President to answer newspaper’s questions

Mr. Christoper Graham

Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine

A front page article in the Cottonwood Journal Extra newspaper  of October 26, 2022, stated that Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine refused to answer any questions put to her by the paper about the Verde Campus losing its accreditation designation, the future of the campus, or the $10 million proposed teaching Brewery.

The article, authored by Mr. Christoper Fox Graham, listed eleven questions put to Dr. Rhine who has refused to answer any of them.  Moreover, Dr. Rhine “did not return any calls or numerous emails” from the newspaper “asking for comment.”

Vice President Rodney Jenkins wrote to a member of the newspaper staff saying  that as a  “follow-up to my voicemail last week, I am informing you that Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine will not be responding to any of your staff’s requests.”  Aside from Jenkins’ confirming Dr. Rhine’s refusal to talk to the press, the newspaper reported it could find no record of a voicemail from him.  

A few of the 11 questions asked of Dean Rhine that received no response included the following:  “How and why did the college lose that [accreditation] status?”  “How does this [losing accreditation status] affect the educational status of students who take classes at the Verde Valley locations?”  “How will Yavapai College work to restore the branch’s status?” “Why is Yavapai College planning to build a brewery in the Verde Valley?”

You can read the entire article in the October 26 Cottonwood Journal Extra.  It most likely will be posted at the Journal’s website in about a week.

Categories : accreditation, ADMINISTRATION

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE INCREASES TUITION OVERALL BY AROUND FIVE PERCENT

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, October 23rd, 2022

Increase generally consistent with last few years; tuition and fees help pay off revenue bonds

The Yavapai Community College won approval from the Community College Governing Board at its Tuesday, October 18 meeting, to increase tuition  in general by around five percent.  The increase is similar to past tuition  increases.

Tuition and fees are one of the sources for paying off revenue bonds that are issued without taxpayer approval.  These bonds, for example, were used to help finance renovation of student housing on the Prescott Campus.

Fixed wing aviation fees of $525 per credit hour (not listed by College in its press release) are collected primarily from veterans who the Blog has been led to believe make up more than a majority of students taking the training.

The increases, according to the College press  release appear below. Because the College did not list the tuition for its aviation program in its press release, the Blog had added that amount to the list  below:

  • In-State tuition
    • Tier 1 (base/general education): +$5 ($103 per credit)
    • Tier 2 (lab-based): +$6 ($119 per credit)
    • Tier 3 (CTE/allied health): +$6 ($132 per credit)
  • Market Based
    • Commercial Driver Training +10 ($210 per credit)
    • Nursing +$8 ($168 per credit)
  • Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition
    • Tier 1 (base/general education): +$8 ($155 per credit)
    • Tier 2 (lab-based): +$9 ($179 per credit)
    • Tier 3 (CTE/allied health): +$8 ($196 per credit)
  • General fees
    • No changes to any general fees
  • Course Fees
    • Aviation Fixed Wing Pilot +2.5% ($525 per credit hour now)
  • Auxiliaries
    • Residence Halls +1% ($56 per year)
    • Meal Plan +3% ($130 per year)
    • Family Enrichment Center +5% ($49 per month for full-time)

    • Sources:  Governing Board meeting October 18, 2022; Yavapai Community College Press release dated October 19, 2022. 

Categories : Tuition

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO INTERVIEW DR. CAROL P. RICHARDSON AT 9:30 A.M. OCTOBER 25 FOR VERDE VALLEY DEAN IN BUILDING “M” ON THE VERDE CAMPUS

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 20th, 2022

Dr. Richardson has degrees  from Valparaiso University (BME), Northwestern University (MMus) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (EdD).  According to her  Linked in post, from 2013 to 2021, she led the academic operations within the College of Letters and Sciences at National University, a private, non-profit Hispanic serving institution.

Dr. Richardson will be interviewed for the position of Verde Valley Dean on October 25, 2022 at 9:30 on Tuesday, October 25.  The interview will be held in building “M”  on the Verde Campus.  Her resume, as posted by the Community College, appears below.

 

Categories : ADMINISTRATION

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO INTERVIEW DR. IRINA DEL GENIO AT 8:30 A.M. OCTOBER 25 FOR VERDE VALLEY DEAN IN BUILDING “M” ON THE VERDE CAMPUS

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 20th, 2022

Now Associate Dean at Elgin Community College in Elgin, Illinois.  Holds a Master of Arts focused in Political Science from Loyola University of Chicago, and a M.A. in History and PhD in Political Philosophy from Ural Federal University of Russia

Dr. Irina Del Genio will be interviewed for the position of Verde Valley Dean on October 25, 2022 at 8:30 on Tuesday, October 25.  The interview will be held in building “M”  on the Verde Campus.  Her resume, as posted by the Community College, appears below.

 

Categories : ADMINISTRATION

HAVING LOST ITS DESIGNATION AS A “VERDE CAMPUS,” OFFICIALS DON’T KNOW YET WHAT TO CALL IT

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, October 20th, 2022

College says just keep calling it the “Verde Campus” although it is no longer considered a campus or branch campus for accreditation purposes.  Is this a psychological blow to the respect and admiration of the Verde Campus?

Recall that the Blog informed its readers in a story September 1 on the fact that after 50 years, the Verde Campus will no longer be considered a branch campus of Yavapai Community College.  It is an “additional location.”  The change in designation was brought about by a new definition of a “campus” or “branch campus” by the Federal Department of Education.

Raquel Henderson, a reporter for the Verde Independent, did a story about the designation change, which  appeared in the Verde Independent October 18 issue of that newspaper.

In an interview for her story in the Independent, she asked the College’s Outreach Director Tyler Rumsey about the designation.  She asked: If the Verde Campus  doesn’t fit the definition of a “campus” or a “branch campus,” what is it?   He responded saying, “we don’t know yet.”

According to Rumsey, so far as college officials are concerned, everyone can keep calling it the “Verde Valley campus.”

Dr. Rhine told Ms. Hendrickson that “the change in designation has absolutely no effect on the academic offerings, student or public services, cultural enrichment activities, or the college’s commitment to investing in the Verde Valley Campus to provide accessible, affordable education to our students,” Rhine said. “In fact, despite the designation change for accreditation, the College plans to continue to refer to the Verde Valley location as the ‘Verde Valley Campus.”

As pointed out by the Blog September 1, Dr. Rhine has not suggested  what changes could be made on the Verde Campus that would return it to a more prestigious” campus” or “branch campus” designation.

Critics argue that the change adds a psychological arrow to the quiver of the Prescott based administration  in its effort to maintain the tightest possible control  of the Verde Valley Campus.  Lowering its prestige, goes this argument, may lower the value of the college in the eyes of local and regional potential student applicants who will choose other institutions to attend.  

Critics also argue that removal of the Verde Campus designation sends a clear message to everyone in Yavapai County that the Prescott location is the only true campus in the County and, therefore, its most prestigious learning center.

Categories : Politics

PIMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERS WITH GLOBAL AUTONOMOUS DRIVING TECHNOLOGY COMPANY

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, October 16th, 2022

Company will base its operations at the community college’s new Automotive Technology and Innovation Center| Shouldn’t Yavapai invest the $10 million on such a center on a smaller scale on the Verde Campus rather than a brewery? If you missed it, the future is here.

Editor Robert Oliphant

OPINION. Pony.ai announced on Oct. 12, 2022, a partnership with Pima Community College to test drive its autonomous electrical vehicles in Tucson on Oct. 12, 2022. A global autonomous driving technology company, Pony.ai,  will open its first Arizona location in Tucson to test its electric vehicles. The company will base its operations at the Pima Community College’s new Automotive Technology and Innovation Center on its downtown campus.

The company said that it chose Tucson because it already had a strong relationship with the City of Tucson and Pima Community College’s new Automotive and Technology and Innovation Center.

In a press release, Pima County Supervisor Sharon Bronson said that with Pony.ai’s vision, under-resourced populations will have access to more reliable transportation for persons with disabilities. According to a 2017 report published by the Ruderman Family Foundation, self-driving cars offer potential for reducing transportation obstacles for people with disabilities.  The report points to government transportation survey data from 2003 that found six million people with disabilities have difficulties getting the transportation they need.

Wouldn’t it be much wiser for Yavapai Community College to invest the $10 million it’s decided to spend on the Verde Campus in developing an electric automotive and technology center rather that a brewery?  I think so.  After all, in case you missed it, the future is here.

Categories : Career and Technical Education

GOVERNING BOARD REJECTS 3-2 REQUEST FOR GREATER DETAIL IN GOVERNING BD MINUTES AND REMOVES COMMENTS CONSIDERED TREATING MEMBERS UNEQUALLY

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, October 16th, 2022

Majority says video of Board minutes is sufficient record of what members say as ironically mikes fail to pick up members speaking during parts of meeting;  efficiency wins out over  “man hours” and producing more detailed paper record of Board minutes

The Governing Board’s long agenda and overworked administrative staff have caused the minutes of Board meetings to be shorter  and more succinct than in the past.  They no longer, for example,  contain brief summaries of positions taken by Board members. This has been a concern of Representative Ray Sigafoos. 

Ray Sigafoos

Representative Sigafoos urged the Board to adopt a policy that would require the minutes to contain in brief summary fashion relevant comments and positions taken by Board members during a Board meeting. He viewed a paper record as a more reliable historical record of various decisions made by the Governing Board.

Representative Chevalier agreed with Mr. Sigafoos regarding adding relevant comments and  in addition argued he was concerned with equality as  some Board member comments were included in the minutes but  some of his comments were not.  (See video tape link in re this discussion.)

A majority (Ms. McCasland, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Kuknyo) disagreed.  Mr. Padilla argued that a video recording of the meeting was sufficient for historical purposes.  When he weighed the number of hours it might take for an administrator to properly prepare minutes that included relevant summaries of positions taken by Board members against the availability of a video record, he came out on the side of the video record and administrative efficiency.  His arguments carried the day.

On the question of treating comments of Board members equally, the majority decided to remove comments from a May 17 meeting made by Mr. Sigafoos rather than include the comments of Mr. Chevalier made at the same meeting.

You may view the video of the meeting and discussion on this issue with audio missing in part because of microphone failure by clicking here.

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD

MARYLOU MERCADO NAMED DEAN OF THE SCHOOLS OF HEALTH & WELLNESS, SCIENCE & ENGINEERING AT YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By R. Oliphant
Friday, October 14th, 2022

Will oversee health sciences, math, science, physical education, and the Adult Basic Education program| Will also launch new four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program

In an October 6, 2022, press release, Yavapai College announced it has  named Dr. Marylou Mercado as the new Dean of the schools of Health and Wellness and Science and Engineering, effective October 10, 2022.  As Dean, Dr. Mercado will oversee health sciences, math, science, physical education, and the Adult Basic Education program

Although she has academic oversight of the departments, her role as a Health Sciences Dean will focus on launching  a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. She is also expected to create  partnerships with healthcare institutions to bring new, in-demand programs to Yavapai Community College.

You may read the entire October 6, 2022, press release authored by Tyler Rumsey by clicking here.

Categories : Nursing

FOUR NORTHERN ARIZONA COMMUNITY COLLEGES (INCLUDING YAVAPAI) SIGN PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, October 12th, 2022

Goal is to work together to benefit students and communities

The presidents of Coconino Community College, Mohave Community College, Northland Pioneer College, and Yavapai College recently signed an intergovernmental agreement called the Northern Arizona Community College Partnership (NACCP). According to a press release from Yavapai Community College, the agreement calls on the districts to collaborate and combine resources to better serve citizens and communities throughout northern Arizona. This includes sharing college courses to improve student success and completion and enhancing workforce development by utilizing each district’s vast array of unique programs.

The agreement states that the districts will “exercise efficient and maximal use of available educational resources through common and complementary resources of each institution.”

The colleges will specifically focus efforts to collaborate in areas of credit and non-credit offerings, curriculum development, data sharing, business functions, student services, and other support services to provide a cooperative higher education network for residents of Northern Arizona which includes Mohave, Navajo, Apache, Yavapai and Coconino Counties. 

It is not clear how they will carry out their collaboration and no examples were given at the September Governing Board meeting.

The four northern Arizona college districts claim they will also work together to strengthen their partnerships with K-12 institutions, universities, and workforce development partners.

Board members from each district approved the agreement, and the districts began working together under the agreement on October 1, 2022. The issue was placed on the September 27 consent agenda for approval by the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board. It was approved without comment by the President or discussion. 

Sources:  Yavapai Community College Governing Board meeting September 27, 2022; Yavapai Community College press release dated October 3, 2022.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, GOVERNING BOARD
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