Yavapai Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine announced on her Friday, March 27 video update that the College will offer summer session classes online or through remote delivery. Registration for summer classes begins April 6.
The College posts it updates at https://www.yc.edu/v6/college-police/covid-19/.
You may view Dr. Rhine’s March 27 message in the short video below.
Yavapai Community College has issued an updated response to the Covid 19 pandemic on its web site. Click here to go to the following web site for daily updates. https://www.yc.edu/v6/college-police/covid-19/
It is recommended that you check its web site daily for updates. What follows below is the update issued March 23 by the College.
For the health and safety of students, faculty, staff and the college community, Yavapai College has announced that all classes and services will only be offered online for rest of the spring semester (May 10, 2020).
Academic Instruction
Student Services & Campus Operations
Work from Home
Events
Travel
If You Are Sick
More Information
COVID-19 is an emerging disease and the CDC is still continuing to study its transmissibility and severity to prevent spreading in the United States.
Further updates will be communicated as necessary.
For the most up-to-date information, please go to the Community College web site by clicking here.
Following is the information the Community College has provided staff, students and the public as of March 22
Academic Instruction
On March 23, face-to-face classes will move to online instruction with few exceptions until at least April 6. All classes will either be 100% online, or will have some online component. For some classes, face-to-face instruction will still occur periodically. If they have not already, students should receive communication from each of their instructors on the status of their class delivery.
Any instances of face-to-face meetings, including in-person instruction, will practice social distancing protocals and those areas will be cleaned and sanitized frequently.
Per Governor Ducey’s mandate, all physical education classes that require face-to-face meetings and cannot be moved online are cancelled. Please contact your instructor for the status of your class.
All OLLI and Community Education classes are cancelled and offices are closed for the remainder of the semester.
To keep our students safe, the YC FEC will follow the direction of Governor Ducey regarding k-12 closures. Accordingly, the FEC will not be in session until at least 4/10/20
Student Services & Campus Operations
All campuses and centers will remain open, but most buidlings on campuses will be closed beginning March 23. Only designated service and instructional areas will remain open. Please use this page for more information.
Specific services, including student and public services are being monitored on a case-by-case basis. Services will primarily be online, but in some cases will remain open, or will be closed. A listing of services can be found here.
Events
All college events, including student, and public events are being monitored on a case-by-case basis. A listing of events that have been cancelled or postponed can be found here.
Travel
Students and employees who have traveled to a country designated as a level 3 by the CDC are asked to stay home for 14 days from their time of exposure as per CDC guidelines.
Students staying home should contact their instructors.
Employees staying home should contact their supervisor and HR business partner.
At this time, all college sponsored travel outside of Arizona is suspended until further notice.
Work from Home
All non-essential employees should be telecommuting from home unless they have approval to work on campus from their supervisor. If you believe your job cannot be performed from home, please contact your supervisor and human resources business partner.
Supervisors should continue to update plans for the departments on how services will be covered and should share this information with their Vice President regularly.
Working on Campus
If you are working on campus, please practice social distancing. It has been observed that some staff who remain on campus are gathering in clusters and talking with one another.
Even if you are not sick, please use remote communication (phone, zoom, facetime) to communicate with one another or remain 6-8 feet apart.
Avoid contact closer than 6-8 feet, do not gather in groups, avoid face-to-face meetings where possible, sanitize surfaces regularly and often.
If You Are Sick
If you are experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, or are sick in any capacity, stay home and contact your healthcare provider. Students should contact their instructors if they are sick. Employees who are sick should contact their supervisors and their HR business partner.
More Information
Please communicate calmly and thoroughly through these difficult times. We encourage people to refer to the information on the CDC Website
Please direct all employee concerns to Human Resources (928) 776-2217
Please direct all student concerns to the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at tania.sheldahl@yc.edu (928) 776-2128 .
COVID-19 is an emerging disease and the CDC is still continuing to study its transmissibility and severity to prevent spreading in the United States.
Further updates will be communicated as necessary.
Maricopa Community Colleges have extended the spring break for all in-person classes one week through March 20, 2020.
All student activities and college events will also be postponed during this time period.
Source: https://www.maricopa.edu/coronavirus-2019-nCoV
Yavapai Community College is closed for spring break until March 16, 2020. All offices will be closed during this time.
According to a Yavapai Community College news release of January 29, Dr. Tina Redd has been selected as the new Dean for the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center. It is anticipated that she will begin her duties in the Verde Valley as soon as March 2, 2020. Her role “will be to plan, direct, evaluate, and oversee administration of academic affairs for the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center. She is also expected to serve on district committees relating to academics, instruction, curriculum, and faculty affairs.”
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Tina Redd join Yavapai College” said Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine. “Her passion and enthusiasm for education are apparent and we believe she will excel in leading our academic programs in the Verde Valley.”
Dr. Redd said that she is “excited to be in a leadership role at the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center during a time of exceptional growth and connection to our communities. I am excited to work with faculty who have expertise in such a wide variety of disciplines. I look forward to making the Verde Valley my new home and can’t wait to explore the beauty of the area.”
Dr. Diane Ryan, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, said that “Dr. Redd brings a diverse and experienced background to our academic programs in the Verde Valley and Sedona. She has a history of successful implementation and expansion of academic offerings at the community college level. We are so lucky to have someone with her knowledge and experience joining YC.”
Dr. Redd comes to Yavapai Community College from Central Oregon Community College where she served as the first Director of the Redmond Campus. Prior to becoming a branch campus director, Dr. Redd taught humanities, women’s studies, and literature at Central Oregon and Portland Community College for twelve years. She also taught for several years at two major universities.
Tuesday’s Governing Board meeting of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board saw a member of the Board, Deb McCasland, who represents a large portion of the East County in the Verde Valley, appointed as its Chair for 2020. It took West County representative Steve Irwin’s decision to abandon his West County colleagues in order for this occur.
The issue was one of the first items listed on the agenda for the Tuesday morning retreat. It opened with Paul Chevalier making an impassioned speech on behalf of representative Deb McCasland for the position. He carefully outlined her years of outstanding service on behalf of the Community College and several of her recent community projects. McCasland’s impressive record on behalf of the College begins at a time when she and her mother went door-to-door with a petition that was used to gather signatures in support of creating the Community College. Since then, she has been student, employee, Foundation executive, and member of the Governing Board.
After a second for McCasland by Representative Steve Irwin, Chair Sigafoos asked if there were any additional candidates. This was followed by an awkward silence.
Then in a somewhat high pitched voice, , West County representative Pat McCarver spoke up and nominated herself for the position. Both candidates then addressed the Board. McCarver said she should be appointed because she “had not been Board Chair for quite some time.” McCarver omitted reminding the Board that she had been chairperson from 2009-2010 and 2015-2016, in addition to serving as the Board secretary at various times.
The group then voted with McCarver and Sigafoos casting their ballot for McCarver but with three Board members in opposition. However, as a shock to some, West County representative Steve Irwin broke from the West County voting bloc (Sigafoos, McCarver, Irwin) and swung his support to McCasland on the second vote. Following that vote, which was 3-1 (Sigafoos not voting; McCarver voting “no”), there was a brief silence in the Boardroom. The fact that the West County voting bloc had been cracked sunk in with Irwin’s vote for McCasland. Finally, the Board attorney announced McCasland as the new Governing Board Chair.
The meeting proceeded under the gavel of Ms. McCasland. Most observers perceived an almost immediate increase in discussion among all Board members and a perceived reduction in the tension among Board members once McCasland was handling the gavel. Despite the fact that this was her first time as chair, the meeting moved along efficiently and smoothly for the entire day.
You may view Representative Chevalier’s nomination speech and vote on the video below.
Here is Mr. Chevalier’s speech in full in support of Ms. McCasland.
Today I will nominate Deb McCasland to be Chair of the Yavapai College Governing Board for the year 2020. My nomination of Deb is based on her ability and history with the Board and the College.
First she has Proven Leadership Ability:
Deb has served in numerous leadership positions on non-profit boards throughout her adult life. Currently she is the Board President of the Adult Center of Prescott. In addition, she is the Yavapai County Republican Women’s Club Treasurer, and she is the Vice Chair of the City of Prescott Library Advisory Board.
Second she has significant Past Experience on the Yavapai Community College Board:
For the last six consecutive years, Deb has been an active member of the Yavapai Community College Governing Board. She is the only current member of the Board elected twice, consecutively, to her current Board position. Each time, she was elected over her competition. During the six years as a Board member, she has attended six professional conferences focused on improving her skills as a Board member. Deb comes to Board meetings prepared to participate and contribute ideas.
Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lesa Rhine is hoping to make an offer to one of the two finalists in the Dean’s search for the Verde Campus/Sedona Center within a week. That is according to a story in the Verde Independent of January 19, 2020 by Bill Helm where the President is quoted.
It is anticipated that either Tina Redd or Emily McRobbie will be chosen. They attended a meet-and-greet session on Friday where each gave a 25 minute presentation about their qualifications for the job, which was followed by a series of written questions. You can review the biographical information each of the two candidates supplied the College by clicking here.
After eight years as Executive Dean for the Verde Valley Campus and Sedona Center, Dr. James Perey will be shortly moving to the Prescott Campus where he will 
assume the duties as Associate Vice President for Strategic Initiatives. His new duties will include supporting online learning and Open Educational Resources efforts throughout the District.
Perey will also partner with other faculty to re-imagine the college’s career services and integrate career exploration and planning into Yavapai’s pathways model, according to President Lisa Rhine.
The move to Prescott will occur once his successor on the Verde Campus/Sedona Center is announced. Two candidates for that position were interviewed on Friday, January 17, 2020.
Yavapai Community College has selected two finalists for the position of Verde Valley/Sedona Dean. They will be interviewed by faculty at a forum to be held Friday, January 17. Dr. Tina Redd will give a presentation and then answer faculty questions at 8:30 a.m. Dr. Emily McRobbie weill follow at 9:30 a.m.
The best information about the background the Blog has been obtained on the two candidates follows below:
Dr. Tina Redd
Dr. Tina Redd: She earned her doctorate at the University of Washington and her MA at Southern Illinois University, teaching at two large research universities for over a decade before focusing her time and energy on community college education. Dr. Redd has served as Regional President for the Community College Humanities Association and is a graduate of the AACC Roueche Future Leaders Institute.
Dr. Tina Redd currently serves as the first Director of Central Oregon Community College’s Redmond Campus. Prior to becoming a branch campus director, Dr. Redd taught humanities, women’s studies, and literature at Central Oregon and Portland Community College for twelve years.
She serves on the boards of her local Chamber of Commerce, Redmond Executive Leaders Association, and Saving Grace, Central Oregon’s only domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organization. A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Redd is passionate about access to quality education in rural communities and is committed to promoting the positive impact community colleges make in those communities.
Dr. Emily McRobbie
Dr. Emily McRobbie: Dr. Emily McRobbie is currently employed as Assistant Professor of Adult and Higher Education at the University of Southern Maine. She teaches online graduate courses, including Facilitating Adult Learning, Leadership in Adult and Higher Education, and a support seminar for students completing internships and directed studies.
Prior college teaching experience includes a wide variety of topics, including diversity in education, curriculum and instruction, science education, and the community college.
Emily began her career in K-12 education as a teacher in the Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District (B.S. in Elementary Education and Natural Sciences from State University of New York at Geneseo) specializing in experiential science learning (M.A. in Science Education from University of Texas at Austin). She became interested in adult learning while working in the Northern Arizona University-Sedona partnership program as faculty and mentor teacher.
At Coconino Community College in Flagstaff, AZ she served as Professional Development Coordinator and later Education Faculty leading three teacher education certificate and degree programs. The first Teaching and Learning Center was established and she led the Training and Development Committee for five years.
While completing a doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction (Ed.D. with a focus in Higher Education) at Northern Arizona University, she merged her interest in mindfulness and educator professional growth. She also mentored beginning teachers and managed a statewide online continuing education program for educators in Arizona.
Dr. McRobbie has participated in professional organizations and activities that embrace holistic development, learner-centered focus, and transformative adult learning. These include the Center for Courage and Renewal’s Circles of Trust facilitator training, Teaching for a Change conferences, International Symposia for Contemplative Research, and the Association for Contemplative Mind in Higher Education.
Bios of the candidates may be found at https://www.yc.edu/v6/human-resources/verde-dean-search/
