Archive for ADMINISTRATION – Page 10

PAUL CHEVALIER ASKS FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING $172,671 DISCREPANCY BETWEEN TWO REPORTS GIVEN TO GOVERNING BOARD

District Governing Board votes 4-1 to table accounting report to next meeting asking College to explain the difference

Paul Chevalier

While reviewing financial reports submitted to the Governing Board for its November meeting, Third District Yavapai Community College Governing Board Representative Paul Chevalier was the only Board member to discover a discrepancy in two financial reports  that apparently should have contained identical totals.    The difference between the totals in the two reports was $172,671. 

After Chevalier raised the issue of the discrepancy in the reports during the meeting, Dr. Clint Ewell, Vice President of  Finance & Administrative Services,  agreed that  the reports should have contained  identical totals. The matter was then tabled for further discussion to the next Governing Board meeting in January  with a request that the College  explain the difference at that  meeting.

The discrepancy showed up after the College had submitted its typical regular monthly financial report to the Board that showed expenditures of $10,527,828 for the first three months of the year.  In a second report that contained a list of  the top ten expenditures from the General Fund during the same period (which included an “other” category), the total came to only $10,355,157.  Sharp-eyed Chevalier realized the totals should have been the same, calculated  the $172,671 difference, and asked for an explanation.   With no immediate explanation coming from the College accounting department, the matter was then tabled to the next meeting for further explanation.

You may view the Governing Board conversation about discrepancy in the three-minute video clip below.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO EXPAND SELECTION OF HYBRID CLASSES WITH WINTER 2021 SEMESTER

More than 50 “hybrid” classes, each of which combine remote study with carefully supervised in-person learning, added

Yavapai Community College has announced that it will add more than 50 hybrid classes in the Winter semester, which begins in January, that combine remote study with “carefully supervised in-person learning.”  Classes that will be added range from “Ceramics to Zumba, from Big Band Music and Ballroom Dance to Competitive Swimming to Pickleball.” There will also be a selection of “Art, Dance, Music and Physical Education” courses.

You may view Community College President Lisa Rhine’s recent comment made during her November 11 update about  the hybrid offerings in the short video clip below.

Sources:  Yavapai Community College story by Michael Grady dated November 9, 1920; Video update by Dr. Lisa Rhine dated November 11, 2020.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE CONTINUES UNDER CODE ORANGE BECAUSE OF PANDEMIC

Most classes to remain on-line for the spring semester

Yavapai Community College continues in “Code Orange” status because of  the Covid-19 pandemic.   As a result, most classes, 75% or more, will be on-line in the spring semester.  It also means that all but its essential employees will work from home.

In an interview with Verde Independent reporter  Vyto Starinskas in the November 2 paper, Verde Campus Dean Dr. Tina Redd said that “courses related to first-responder, medical, and workforce training will be allowed to do in-person labs supplemented by online lecture materials” during the Spring semester. She also said that Viticulture and Enology students will have in-person classes and “pre-engineering students enrolled in VACTE will be taking 3-D printing courses,”

COLLEGE TO SEEK BOARD APPROVAL AT OCT 20 MEETING OF ADDITIONAL FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES IN SPRING SEMESTER

Recommending bringing back activity classes, in performing and visual arts, music, and physical education areas

Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine and her Executive Leadership team have decided to recommend to the Governing Board that more face-to-face classes be added to the spring semester, 2021. They are recommending the Community College  bring back activity class in performing and visual arts, music and physical education areas.

The recommendation will go to the Governing Board for formal approval at its next general meeting, which is scheduled for October 20, 2020. 

You may view the short announcement of this decision made by President Rhine in the video clip below.

COLLEGE WORKING ON DECIDING WHICH PROGRAMS AND CLASSES WILL BE OFFERED FACE-TO-FACE IN SPRING SEMESTER

When completed, administration will  take recommendations to Governing Board for approval

Yavapai Community College president Lisa Rhine and her executive leadership team are working on plans for how classes will be offered in the spring 2021 semester.  Once those plans are complete, they will be presented to the District Governing Board for approval.

For Dr. Rhine, the most important consideration for spring semester is the safety of students, staff and faculty.  She and her staff are looking at the experiences of other colleges with Covid-19 for ideas in how to approach spring semester. Many or them have seen a spike in Covid-19 among students once classes began.

 They are also using state, national and CDC guidelines in arriving at  any decisions.

Please see the video clip below for additional information on spring plans.

 

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO OFFER COVID-19 TESTING FOR ITS STUDENTS, EMPLOYEES AND THEIR FAMILIES

Drive-thru testing on Prescott Campus Sept 15, 22, and 29 from 9.a.m. to noon; testing on Verde Campus on September 15, 29 from 9 a.m. to noon

Yavapai Community College president Lisa Rhine has announced a Covid-19 testing program that will be available to its students, employees and their families.  The drive-thru testing on the Prescott Campus will be from 9 a.m. to noon on September 15, 22 and 29. The testing site is on Parking lot “A” in front of the Performing Arts Center.

 The drive-thru testing on the Verde Campus will be on September 15, 29 from 9 a.m. to noon. The testing site is on Parking lot #8, which is located on the backside of the campus near building “L.”

The tests will be conducted by Spectrum health.  Students, faculty or their families are encouraged to pre-register online before driving to the testing site.  This may reduce wait time for up to 10-15 minutes.

Spectrum Health says it will take most insurance and will work with those who do not have health insurance.

You may view Dr. Rhine’s announcement to the students, faculty and their families in the video below.

VERDE VALLEY CAMPUS DEAN TINA REDD SELECTED AS FIRST FELLOW BY NATIONAL ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COUNCIL

NAPIC Fellowship includes a stipend allowing  Dr. Redd to participate in national meetings and seminars relevant to her professional development

Dr. Tina Redd

Verde Valley Campus Dean Dr. Tina Redd has been selected as the first National Asian Pacific Islander Council (NAPIC)  Fellow. The NAPIC Fellowship includes a stipend that will allow  Dr. Redd to participate in national meetings and seminars relevant  to her professional development. Yavapai College will also support  Dr. Redd’s Fellowship  by providing internal professional support and additional funds so she can take advantage of leadership development opportunities.

When notified of the award, Dr. Redd said that she was “ very proud to be the first NAPIC Fellow. Diversity in community college leadership is essential in building bridges to all the communities we serve. My heritage, combined with being a first-generation college graduate, grounds my understanding of the struggles students face. I am honored to be offered mentorship in removing barriers to success and creating a welcoming environment for everyone at YC.”

When Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine learned of the award, she said that “We are proud and excited that Dr. Redd is the first to receive this honor. In her short time at YC, Dr. Redd has cultivated many relationships within the Verde Valley communities and her efforts have increased awareness of the College’s programs. This Fellowship will undoubtably enhance her efforts and will help create access and equity for historically underserved students at YC’s Verde Valley Campus.”

Source:  Press announcement, Yavapai Community College, August 2020 story by Cynthia Heneage. You may view the entire announcement by clicking here.

PRESCOTT LIVING MAGAZINE CONDUCTS IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE PRESIDENT LISA RHINE

A must read for Yavapai citizens interested in the College and its future

The recent edition of “Prescott Living Magazine” provides an in-depth interview of Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine.  It should be a must read for anyone in Yavapai County interested in the leader of its Community College and the College’s future. 

The entire article can be found online by clicking here

The interview, conducted and then written by Mr. Ray Newton, explores Dr. Rhine’s early childhood, her educational achievements, and her vision of the future for Yavapai Community College. As Mr. Newton points out, Dr. Rhine  represents  a major philosophical shift about the role of higher education in a dynamically changing social and economic marketplace.

Dr. Rhine explained in the article that  “We’ve a new view of how post-secondary education should be structured to meet personal and societal needs. We’re putting that vision into place at Yavapai College. Classes and curricula now fit the needs of students instead of making students fit what for years have been academic policies based on centuries-old tradition.”

Aside from philosophy and expansive information about the College, the article provides some back-grounding that most readers should find fun and interesting.  For example, did you know that Dr. Rhine was nominated to dance for the Dancing with the Stars fundraiser for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northern Arizona? A charity event. This caused her and her husband to sign up  for dance lessons. Dr. Rhine says they now “do Latin dances — the bachata and salsa — several times a week, and we love it.”

 

 

 

 

 

COVID-19 WILL CAUSE RESIDENCE HALL REVENUE LOSS OF FROM $800,000 TO $1 MILLION

No athletes in residence in the fall; Rooms occupied by only one student, not two, for those limited programs such as NARDA that are operating

Covid-19 will cause a loss of from $800,000 to $1 million dollars in revenue from the Yavapai Community College residence halls located on the Prescott Campus.  One of the reasons for the loss is that there apparently will not be any  athletes occupying the residence facilities  in the fall. It is estimated that athletes take up about 60% of the residence hall space.

For those programs such as the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy (NARDA), that will have students, the Community College has reduced room occupancy from two students to one. 

During the presentation by the College to the Governing Board, Third District Representative Paul Chevalier asked about student athletic scholarships and their impact on the revenue for residence halls.  Although not entirely clear, it appears the loss may be somewhat less because a small portion of the scholarships might be  returned to the College by payment of residence hall fees.  

You may view the Governing Board discussion regarding residence hall fees in the video clip below.

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE TO TRY OUT #CAMPUSCLEAR APP WITH GOAL OF MAKING CAMPUSES AND CENTERS SAFER

This computer app is being used by several colleges to help them  make informed decisions about on-campus activity related to Covid-19

Yavapai Community College is trying out a new computer app that is designed to help it identify and trace persons in the college community who may have become infected with Covid-19.  The idea is to encourage the Community College  community to self-screen. The app is described as having the goal of creating “a culture of awareness and social responsibility. It also helps to scale the availability of care providers by reducing the volume of worried students and employees returning to campus.”

The #CampusClear app is said to be “a partnership initiative between Ivy.ai, Creighton University and Stony Brook University that formed to provide a technological solution to the challenge of self-screening (or self-surveying) as a foundational strategy of the return-to-campus initiative.”

From the Blog’s perspective, the app is still in pretty early development but may prove useful.

Below is the statement by President Lisa Rhine made August 18 about the app. It contains more details.