Yavapai Community College ran a half-price sale on food at the Rider Dinner on the Prescott campus from September 20 through September 24.
It is not clear whether the sale was made possible through the use of a portion of government funding received as a part of the COBIT – 19 money provided the Community College or it was an introduction to the facility to encourage students to use it.
Anyway, it was delightful for the students on the Prescott Campus.
There were a number of brochures at the entry table for the September 14 Governing Board meeting at the Verde Valley Campus describing in detail the Hotel and Restaurant Management certificate program at the Sedona Center. Among other matters in the brochure was a list of 11 courses that would lead to a certificate in Hotel and Restaurant management.
Unfortunately, the entire program is on hold. This decision is based on the Community College’s experience with COVID– 19 this past year and the industry. There were no classes offered in fall 2021 and no classes will be offered in spring 2022.
The Community College feels the program needs to be revamped and is looking forward to a new and more up-two-date approach to the Hospitality courses at the Sedona Center in the future.
The Community College has not announced a new date for restarting the program.
You may recall that in December 2017 that the Community College reported that the culinary program opened at the Sedona Center that fall had got off to a strong start. However, because of low enrollment, the hospitality programs offered on the Verde Valley Campus failed to open in the fall of 2017. During questioning by the Sedona Council at a December 2017 meeting, Verde Valley Campus Executive Dean James Perey said that he is meeting with the Yavapai-Apache Nation in December to explore the possibility of using the Nation’s new hotel as a facility to provide real life training in hospitality.
Perey said he has been told by businesses in the area that they are seeking employees who have both culinary and hospitality training. He sees a partnership with the Nation as an answer to the low enrollment in hospitality courses. The hotel offers the possibility of real life clinical training in hospitality management.
The program was moved to the Culinary Institute in 2018 at the Community College’s Sedona Center. That is where it now resides.
You may also recall that in 2019 the Community College announced that the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management would be available at the Prescott Campus as a second location for the program beginning September 2019. There is no indication it will be offered at the Prescott Campus this academic year.
Yavapai Community College is observing National Hispanic Heritage month from September 15 through October 15. The Community College is hosting a variety of activities and events for its students and residents in Yavapai County.
The four-week Hispanic Heritage celebration began on Wednesday, September 15, with a fiesta of Mexican food all day at the Prescott campus rider diner, and a photo booth for celebrity images with friends.
On September 22 and September 23, the Prescott and Verde Valley campuses respectively, hosted outdoor screenings of the animated feature “Coco.” Pinatas were a part of each movie night, which began at 7 PM.
On September 30, Verde Valley students will host a Hispanic Heritage Month game night. Game night began at 6 p.m. in Building M-Room 137 on the Verde Valley campus.
On Friday, October 1, Yavapai Community College Spanish Professor Dr. Curtis Kleinman will deliver a talk about how to “embrace your inner bilingualism” and sharply improve your language learning ability. Kleinman’s talk is at noon in B-19, Room 147, on the Prescott campus.
Thursday, October 7 is a big HHM celebration day at the both the Verde Valley and Prescott campuses. A salsa dance party, hosted by Latin dance instructor Daniel Garcia, will take place at noon on the Prescott campus courtyard.
Also, on the evening of October 7, both the Prescott and the Verde Valley campuses will present an evening screening of the film, “Tortilla Soup.”
The community college will close out Hispanic Heritage Month on the Prescott Campus with a community celebration Wednesday, October 13, featuring community college President Dr. Lisa Rhine and renowned mask artist Zarco Guerrero sharing his art, his process and his influence: the late Cesar Chavez.
All activities and events are free and open to the public.
Yavapai Community College is currently upgrading its parking lot lighting with LED lamps at the Prescott Campus and the Prescott Valley Center. According to the College, experts have indicated it should expect to see brighter lighting with an 80% reduction in energy consumption over the existing metal halide and high-pressure sodium lights.
Lighting is one of the most significant energy costs incurred by the Community College.
Yavapai Community College’s concert series at the Prescott Valley’s Theatre on the Green that began in May will wrap up October 3. Eight performances were scheduled. From every indication, it appears the series was successful. Turnouts for the concerts were good and the audiences appreciative. The concerts were “generously” sponsored by Findlay Toyota of Prescott and CASA of Yavapai County.
Those attending the concerts could bring their own lawn chairs or blankets for seating on the Green. A food truck was available for concessions, and members of the audience could bring their own food and beverage (no alcohol or glass containers).
Porta-johns and hand-washing stations were available. Restrictions including no smoking, no weapons, no pop-up tents, skateboards/ride-on scooters, or pets (trained service animals permitted). Wheelchairs were available for those who need assistance from the parking lot to the green.
Tickets for the concerts were generally $20 for adults, $5 for youths 9-7, and free to children 8 and under.
Past concerts
The director of the Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) located at the Yavapai Community College Prescott Valley Center, met with the District Governing Board on September 8 during the Board’s special Work Session. During the meeting, Mr. Richard Hernandez outlined the plans for a major expansion of REDC at the Prescott Valley Center.
As he described the plan, the first phase of the expansion would be based on obtaining a $9.7 million dollar grant that the REDC has already applied for. He anticipates receiving information about the grant decision as early as October of this year.
Mr. Hernandez provided the Governing Board with a video sketch of what the expansion might eventually look like. A portion of the video shown to the public and the Governing Board appears below with Mr. Hernandez narrating how various spaces could be utilized. You are encouraged to spend about ten minutes with the video and the potential plans for this exciting project are outlined.
Yavapai Community College met in a secret Executive session on September 7, 2021, to consider the purchase of additional land for the Community College in the town of Prescott Valley. How much land or the purpose for the purchase were not disclosed.
To meet the legal requirement regarding a statement to the public following an executive session, the Board stated that “we confirm the direction provided to administration in the executive session.”
The public remains completely in the dark about this land deal. You may view a verbatim transcript of the statement to the public made following the Executive session below provided in the video record of proceedings.
A new marquee has been installed at the Prescott Valley Center. The marquee is similar to the one recently installed at the Prescott Campus.
Work on the marquee was completed in September 2021. It is now fully operational.
Yavapai Community College has partnered with the Fain Signature Group to construct what is described as a “deceleration lane” off Glassford Hill Road (southbound) and a shared drive at the south end of the Prescott Valley Center. According to the College, this will create another ingress/egress point at the center, allowing southbound traffic to enter and exit the Prescott Valley Center directly from and to Glassford Hill Road.
This deceleration lane is scheduled by the Community College to be complete in October 2021 and the shared drive within six months from September 2021.
The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board met in executive session at its September 14 meeting on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale to discuss the multi-million dollar lawsuit brought eight years ago by former Community College Director of Aviation, Dan Hamilton, against Yavapai Community College, NorthAire, and Guidance Academy. The case was tried from June 8, 2021 to June 26, 2021 before a federal district court jury.
The jury acquitted all defendants of allegations that they engaged in a fraudulent scheme to obtain funding from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (“VA”). Plaintiff had essentially asserted that the Defendants defrauded the VA by obtaining funding in violation of 38 C.F.R. § 21.4201, otherwise known as Regulation 4201 or the 85/15 Rule.
The Plaintiff brought a motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law following the jury verdict, which was reported dismissed on August 19. Hamilton v. Yavapai Cmty. Coll. Dist., CV-12-08193-PCT-GMS, (D. Ariz. Aug. 19, 2021). It is surmised that the Executive Session held September 14 was intended to give instructions to the Community College’s defense team should the Plaintiff appeal the jury’s verdict.
The information supplied the public at the meeting about the lawsuit is contained in the below video.