R. Oliphant :: Page 44 :: Eye on Yavapai College

Eye on Yavapai College

Yavapai Community College in Northern Arizona

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FOURTH DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE CHIS KUKNYO SAYS CAMP VERDE HAS OFFERED COMMUNITY COLLEGE A BUILDING FOR TEACHING

By R. Oliphant

Friday, May 6th, 2022

Quotes Camp Verde Council member as saying to Board at secret March meeting, “If you want to come teach here, you can use this building”

Fourth District Representative Chris Kuknyo

Details are sketchy but Fourth District Governing Board Representative Chris Kuknyo reminded the Community College District Governing Board at its April meeting of an offer by Camp Verde to provide a building. According to Mr. Kuknyo, the member of the Camp Verde Council said: “If you want to come teach here, you can use this building.”

Mr. Kuknyo said he was encouraged by the offer “because maybe we could expand services there without having to build something or maintain something.” He continued that it was a “nice out of the box thinking, which I was glad to see them come up with.” He also commented that in the future, “maybe that could be land.”

Second District Representative Deb McCasland, whose district encompasses Camp Verde, made no comment. Nor did any other members of the Board or the College administrators.

The exact details of the offer made at the secret March meeting are not known. No record was made of that meeting as it was an invitation only event where selected local Verde Valley representatives were invited. Members of the Sedona Council could not attend because the secret meeting was held at the same time as the Sedona Council meets for its regular Tuesday monthly session.

You may view Mr. Kuknyo’s comments to the Board on this topic at the April meeting by clicking here.

Categories : Camp Verde

COLLEGE EXECS ASKED TO GIVE BACK SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY OLLI PROGRAM ITS FULL-TIME DIRECTOR | (PRESCOTT OLLI KEPT ITS FULL-TIME DIRECTOR THREE YEARS AGO UNLIKE TREATMENT AFFORDED EAST SIDE OF MINGUS MOUNTAIN)

By R. Oliphant

Sunday, May 1st, 2022

Under scheme established by Administration, OLLI director spends only 40% of time on OLLI, remainder of time now spent on administration of separate College life-long learning programs; Claim is that Sedona staff is “overworked, stretched thin, under stress” and doing two jobs

Dr. Paul Friedman addressing Sedona City Council

One of the most respected voices in the Sedona/Verde Valley OLLI program, Dr. Paul Friedman, asked the Yavapai Community College Prescott-based executives at the Sedona Council meeting Tuesday, April 26 to return to the previous OLLI model where Sedona/Verde Valley OLLI had a full-time director.

Three years ago both sides of Mingus Mountain had a full-time OLLI Director. However, the Community College changed that model for the east side, as explained below. It kept a full-time OLLI Director in Prescott, Tricia Berlowe, while changing the Director’s responsibilities dramatically in Sedona.

Mr. Friedman is a 15 year volunteer who has facilitated well over 100 OLLI programs. He claimed in his presentation to the Sedona Council that the College made a big adverse administrative change three years ago involving the Sedona operation. That change, according to Dr. Friedman, has seriously damaged the growth and fundraising ability of Sedona/Verde Valley OLLI. He also claimed that the change is now interfering with plans the local Sedona OLLI group has for expansion and recruitment following a large loss of members and funds because of the pandemic.

Dr. Friedman explained that three years ago the full-time Sedona/Verde Valley OLLI Director resigned and the Yavapai Community College Dean of its Life-long learning program, Dennis Garvey, was about to retire. When Garvey retired, instead of replacing him with another full-time dean, the administration combined Gavey’s duties with those of the Sedona/Verde OLLI Director.

The result of the College’s decision to combine meant that Linda Shook, the current Sedona/Verde OLLI Director, initially spent at least 40% of her time on College administration for its Life-long learning program and only 60% of her time on OLLI. After a year or so, her administrative duties were increased so she now spends around 60% of her time on College administration and an estimated 40% on OLLI. The conclusion reached by Dr. Friedman was that the current Sedona/Verde Valley OLLI director simply does not have the time or opportunity to focus on developing the OLLI program in the Sedona/Verde Valley area.

Dr. Friedman also said that the entire OLLI staff has been working at “two jobs” and they are ““overworked, stretched thin and under stress.” He asked that the College give back the full-time position of OLLI Director, a position that existed for 15 years prior to the dramatic change.

The College administrators appeared somewhat perplexed and unprepared to respond to Dr. Friedman. President Dr. Lisa Rhine claimed the College has to “fight for that grant.” (See video clip) Vice President Clint Ewell gently corrected Dr. Rhine by explaining the College has an endowment from OSHA that is permanent and the interest from that investment is what is used to support OLLI on an annual basis. (He did not provide any details such as the amount of the endowment, which is said to be $2 million or how much it annually generates in revenue for OLLI.) President Rhine said OLLI is not totally supported by the endowment and tuition it charges for its programs. The College supplements it. (No estimates of amount of supplement provided.)

Vice President Diane Ryan seemed to place blame, if there is blame, on former Verde Valley Dean James Perey. She did not know whether the Sedona/Verde Valley program had fully recovered from the pandemic but promised to look into the matter. She also said that OLLI Sedona/Verde Valley now had a full-time administrative assistant to help Dr. Shook and that arrangement appeared satisfactory. Shook had not complained to Ryan, according to Ryan.

Shook was hired in February 2019. The following is a portion of the Community College press release announcing her hiring issued February 2, 2019:

“The associate dean/OLLI direction position is a wonderful opportunity for me,” said Shook. “It is just the right marriage of my skillset, combining university outreach and continuing education with my first love, lifelong learning.

“I am well acquainted with the best lifelong learning programs in our country,” Shook continued. “Yavapai College and Sedona are at the top of the list. The opportunity to move to the beautiful Southwest and Arizona is the chance of a lifetime. My passion for nature and outdoor activities is perfectly suited for life here in Sedona and the Verde Valley.”

During her time as a director at Auburn, the university’s OLLI membership more than doubled, its financial growth and public profile both improved and its educational programming stretched out in a variety of new and creative directions. Most recently, Shook served as Summer Programs Director at the University of Montana. There, she worked with the provost to grow and strengthen course offerings. Summer enrollment grew by 17% during her tenure. She also led an employee committee that assisted the university’s student retention and mentoring efforts.

In addition to her duties as Sedona OLLI Director, Shook will supervise the coordinator of the College’s Community Education program in the Verde Valley and work with community members to develop appropriate higher education and economic development programming for the area.

A video clip of Dr. Friedman’s speech to the Sedona Council and the College’s response can be seen by clicking here. The entire hour and five minute presentation and discussion can be seen by going to the Sedona City Council website.

Categories : OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning)

NAU TO PROVIDE FREE TUITION TO ALL STUDENTS WITH HOUSEHOLD INCOME OF $65,000 OR LESS; PROGRAM APPEARS AT LEAST IN PART AIMED AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

By R. Oliphant

Saturday, April 30th, 2022

Yavapai Community College initiated a tuition free scholarship program beginning in the fall 2019 for full-time students who complete their degree in two years | Yavapai to expand program to some CTE next year | Most of tuition is paid via Federal Pell program

Starting in fall 2023, Northern Arizona University (NAU) will implement a new financial aid initiative to cover tuition expenses for every Arizona student who is admitted to the university and has a household income of $65,000 or less. To qualify, students must be Arizona residents. They also need to meet NAU admission requirements and have a household income of $65,000 or below.

NAU students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year to determine their family income. If they qualify for FAFSA, the Federal Government grant program will most likely be used to pay most if not all the tuition. However, it is unclear how much tuition might not be covered by FAFSA.

Online students won’t qualify for the NAU tuition free program regardless of where they live.

According to Anika Olsen, NAU’s vice president for enrollment management, this is the first financial aid program that’s applied to both Flagstaff and statewide locations. She told the Arizona Republic newspaper that she expects it will appeal to community college students who had wanted to transfer to NAU but didn’t due to costs.

The current requirements for the Yavapai Community College Promise Program appear below as described by the College on its web. The College is expanding this program to cover some Career and Technical Education programs next year.

The Yavapai Community College Promise is a financial aid program offering Yavapai County residents who complete their high school diploma or Graduate Equivalency Degree (GED) an opportunity to earn a tuition-free degree at Yavapai College, if they complete the degree within seven semesters after graduation. It provides eligible students a last dollar scholarship, meaning the scholarship will cover tuition not otherwise covered by Federal, State, Yavapai College, or other 3rd party (egs. high school, Yavapai College Foundation, Tribe, employer) grants, discounts, or scholarships.

Provides tuition reimbursement when eligible students complete their degree within seven semesters of their high school or GED graduation

Does not reimburse other related expenses including, but not limited to, books, course and program fees, or other cost of living expenses such as transportation, food, and housing

Reimburses eligible students for the tuition they paid to Yavapai College after all other gift aid has been credited toward tuition. “Gift aid” is defined as Federal, State, Yavapai College, or 3rd party grants, discounts or scholarships. In other words, Yavapai Community College will reimburse qualified students for any out of pocket expenses they incurred to pay for Yavapai Community College tuition.

When the student completes an Associate Degree, the Yavapai Community College Promise Scholarship will reimburse up to 61 credits of the tuition paid by the student.

Courses must have been paid for by the student or the student’s family, not any other source including Federal Government, State Government, Yavapai Community College, or other 3rd party (e.g., Yavapai College Foundation, high school, Tribe, employer)

Courses must have been taken from YCC (reimbursement does not apply for transfer credits) after high school graduation or GED completion

No reimbursements for repeated courses

No reimbursements for Developmental Education credits

Credits are reimbursed at the rate paid, not the current rate

Aerospace Science majors and courses are not eligible (including Fixed Wing, Rotor, Unmanned, and Air Traffic)

Students are responsible to pay all their expenses up front (tuition and fees, books, cost of living). Payment plan options are available.

Source: Alison Steinbach, Arizona Republic, April 30, 2022, p. 1.; Yavapai Community College Registration website.

Categories : Tuition

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO HOST FIRST PUBLIC SAFETY DISPATCHER ACADEMY ON JUNE 6TH THROUGH THE 17TH

By R. Oliphant

Friday, April 29th, 2022

Prescott Campus to provide Dispatcher Academy Training this summer

Yavapai Community College will be training the next generation of dispatchers at their first Public Safety Dispatcher Academy, June 6-17 at the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARTA). The training will take place on Yavapai Community College’s Prescott Campus.

The Public Safety Dispatcher Academy has been in development since last Fall. It was created by local law enforcement professionals to address a shortage of skilled dispatchers.

According to Mr. Jim DeLung, Ph.D., Director of the Prescott Regional Communications Center, “A good dispatcher knows how to read, listen and speak in a first-responder role. They need incredible communication skills to collect and relay information in a timely and often urgent manner.” Dispatchers are multi-taskers, ready to assist at a moment’s notice, assessing emergency situations in real-time, coaxing out actionable details, controlling the emotions of the person on-scene, and relaying clear instructions to the proper authorities.

The Community College hopes to develop the academy into a six-credit certificate course under its Administration of Justice Studies (AJS) Program.

Categories : Career and Technical Education

VERDE CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE TO BE HELD SATURDAY, APRIL 30

By R. Oliphant

Wednesday, April 27th, 2022

Hours from 9:30 a.m. to noon

OPEN HOUSE SATURDAY APRIL 30 ON VERDE CAMPUS

The Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Campus will hold an open House on Saturday, April 30th from 9:30 a.m. to noon. The campus is located in Clarkdale, Arizona at 601 West Black Hills.

Those attending the Open House may tour facilities, seek assistance with registration, financial aid, and academic advising. They can also learn about the various programs on the campus, from construction, HVAC technician, and plumbing to nursing, art, winemaking during the Open House.

“At our open house, we’re excited to assist people with fall registration.” Said Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management, Diana Dowling. “We will be showcasing and answering questions about our Verde programs, and we’ll also be doing campus tours, giving away YC branded items, and helping students register for the upcoming fall semester.”

Visitors will also have the opportunity to take part in scholarship giveaways during the open house.

Source: Yavapai Community College press release by Tim Diesch dated April 21, 2022

Categories : Meeting Notice

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO OFFER TOTAL OF 241 SUMMER CREDIT CLASSES IN DISTRICT; 93 FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES; 141 (63%) ONLINE CLASSES AND SEVEN OFF CAMPUS OFFERINGS

By R. Oliphant

Wednesday, April 27th, 2022

79 face-to-face offered on west side of County; 15 on east side of County; no face-to-face credit classes to be held at Sedona Center; well over half of all classes to be offered online

Yavapai Community College has posted its summer credit class schedule. According to its registration website, it will offer a total of 241 summer credit courses. Of those classes, 93 will be face-to-face classes in the District and seven face-to-face classes off campus.

The largest number of classes, 141, are offered online.

The College has scheduled 79 face-to-face credit classes for students on the west side of Yavapai County and 15 face-to-face credit classes for students on the east side of Yavapai County. The Prescott Campus has the largest number of face-to-face classes with 67 classes being offered. Chino Valley has eight, and Prescott Valley four.

There will be 15 summer credit face-to-face classes offered on the east side of the County, all on the Verde Valley Campus In Clarkdale. There are no summer credit classes being offered at the Sedona Center, which includes the Culinary Institute.

The reason for not offering any credit classes at the Sedona Center is not clear. It may have something to do with the termination of the Culinary and Hospitality Program Director at the Sedona Culinary Institute, Robert K. Barr. Mr. Barr, was notified by Yavapai Community College that his contract with the College will end May 14.

In addition to the face-to-face classes at the two campuses and three centers, its largest enrollment, as noted earlier, is online. It will offer a total of 141 online classes compared to a total of 93 face-to-face classes. There are seven classes that will be offered off-campus, six of which are in aviation.

Below are the registration results of a search for summer classes run by the Blog on April 26, 2022.

Categories : SUMMER CLASSES

DISTRICT THREE REPRESENTATIVE RESPONDS TO PERSONAL ATTACK BY UNKNOWN BOARD MEMBER

By R. Oliphant

Monday, April 25th, 2022

Chevalier asserts that a majority of written comments made by one Board member on Board evaluation form were “false,“ others were “misleading,” and all of them “mean spirited” and “intended to hurt” him

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board members routinely conduct a self-evaluation about the workings of the Board. The evaluation may include one Board member’s view of another Board member’s participation and conduct. The evaluations are not intended to be used for personal attacks and the evaluations are seldom discussed or debated at any length at a Board meeting.

However, that was not the case with the self-evaluations distributed at the April 2022 meeting to Board members and apparently College president Dr. Lisa Rhine.

When Third District Representative Paul Chevalier read the comments in the evaluation from one Board member, whose name was not disclosed, about his alleged conduct, he was obviously upset. So upset that he felt the need to publicly respond generally to the perceived “false,” “misleading,” and “mean spirited” comments made in writing by the Board member.

Chevalier believed that the series of comments were aimed directly at him by a single member of the Board and were intended to “hurt” him.

Chevalier responded to the allegations by explaining that he discusses “issues” at Board meetings, which may sometimes present a different (diverse) view than that held by others on the Board. Chevalier reminded the Board of its adopted policy regarding diversity of views, which is found in Policy Manual, section 304. That section, Chevalier said, encourages diversity of viewpoint among Board members.

Regarding the accuser’s behavior, Chevalier said that “we live in a democracy” and professional behavior is expected of government officials and by implication the unnamed Board member’s comment were unprofessional. He also noted that he had never made personal comments about any Board member during any public meeting.

Chevalier promised that despite the hurtful comments, he would continue to speak up for the people he represents.

You may view/listen to Mr. Chevalier’s response to the unknown criticism by clicking here.

Categories : Politics

ANNUAL AUDIT BY STATE OF ARIZONA AUDITOR GENERAL GIVES YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE HIGH MARKS

By R. Oliphant

Monday, April 25th, 2022

Says that working relationship over the years has been strong; no adverse findings for 2021; adverse policy finding made in 2020 was corrected

The Arizona Auditor General’s office reported on the 2021 audit it conducted of Yavapai Community College at the Governing Board meeting April 12. The Auditor gave the Community College high marks for the excellent cooperation of its staff in helping with the report. Moreover, it found no irregularities in its audit of 2021.

There was one adverse finding in the 2020 report concerning the College’s procurement policies. The College corrected its policy and the Auditor General at this meeting agreed with the correction.

Overall, the Auditor General’s office praised the Community College for its cooperation in the audit process during the past several years. It was a totally clean audit.

You may view an edited video clip of the report being made to the Governing Board by clicking here. The full report on video will be available after the Governing Board approves the April minutes in May.

Categories : Audit

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER HONORS THREE SUCCESS AWARDS WINNERS

By R. Oliphant

Thursday, April 21st, 2022

Success Awards

Verde Valley/Sedona businesses honored for their achievements

The Annual Success Awards event was hosted April 14 by the Arizona Small Business Development Network at the Arizona Capitol lawn April 14^th2022. The event was to honor businesses from across the state.

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Yavapai Community College honored three Success Award Winners this year from its region because of the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events.

Those who were awarded for their entrepreneurial success were the following: Bryan and Lema Nowicki, owners of Farm A Go Go in Cornville; Adam and Chris Bean of TAC Fabrication in Cottonwood; and Anita Marcus, owner of LaserGirl Skincare Superhero™ with locations in Prescott and Sedona.

These entrepreneurs were described as contributing greatly “to our area economy, growing their businesses in spite of the challenges brought on by the pandemic.”

Farm A Go Go owners Lema and Bryan Nowicki started their business with minimal resources and a vision of a true Farm to Table experience in rural Arizona. They grew their business through one of the most challenging times for small businesses. They were able to reframe their product delivery and retain their employees, never wavering from their core values, now establishing themselves as a real Farm to Table destination.

TAC Fabrication owners Adam Bean and Chris Bean were recognized for their outstanding business achievement and expansion efforts in the region. Both are experienced welders and metal fabricators. Their team has grown the company with welding, CNC plasma cutting, sheet metal bending, tubular structure and general fabrication services, and meeting exponential demand for fabrication across Arizona.

LaserGirl Skincare Superhero™ owner Anita Marcus worked tirelessly to build and expand her brand and services. Through her growing business now in two locations, she provides what is described as “exceptional care and attention to a long list of clients, particularly those with extreme skin problems that other medical treatments have left unresolved.” She has also established key relationships with medical professionals who value her ethical standards and dedication to effective solutions for patients’ specific medical needs.

The three Award winners worked with the Yavapai Community College SBDC team, on multiple aspects of their business including marketing, branding, expansion, organization, and strategy, to name a few.

Source: Jennifer McCormack, Yavapai College news release, April 15, 2022; Prescott|eNews Yavapai College Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Honors Three Success Award Winners | Prescott eNews.

Categories : Small Business Development

ANNUAL AUDIT BY STATE OF ARIZONA AUDITOR GENERAL GIVES YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE HIGH MARKS

By R. Oliphant

Wednesday, April 20th, 2022

Says that working relationship over the years has been strong; no adverse findings for 2021; adverse policy finding made in 2020 was corrected

There was one adverse finding in the 2020 report concerning the College’s procurement policies. The College corrected its policy and the Auditor General at this meeting agreed with the correction.

Overall, the Auditor General’s office praised the Community College for its cooperation in the audit process during the past several years. It was a totally clean audit.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION