Explains that while there is not equality between the two sides of the County, the needs and population are different

Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine conceded during the January 28 District Governing Board workshop at the Prescott Valley Center that there was not equality between the east and west  sides of the County, which is divided by Mingus Mountain.  However, she assured the District Governing Board  that the College is meeting the needs of the citizens on the east side. “They are just different,” she said.

She also explained that from her perspective “Equity is about giving people the things that they need. Not giving people the same thing on both sides of the mountain.”

You may view the short clip of Dr. Rhine making these statements during the Governing Board meeting below to assure accuracy of this Blog post.  You may view the entire Workshop video when it is finally posted on the Governing Board website, which will normally follow the February meeting of the Board and approval of the Workshop minutes.

Meeting at Sedona Council Chambers 102 Roadrunner Drive Sedona  to begin at 4:30 p.m.

Dean Tina Redd

Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Dean Dr. Tina Redd will address the Sedona City Council on Tuesday, January 25 at 4:30 p.m. She intends to update the Council on  activities and plans for the Verde Valley campuses and local programming.

The Sedona City Council chambers are located at 102 Roadrunner Drive Sedona, AZ 86336.  The meeting is also carried live webcast.  Please check the Sedona City website to view the live webcast.

Link to survey appears below 

Yavapai Community College is urging Yavapai County residents to take the Campus Master Plan Survey that is posted on the Community College website.  The survey will be used, it is thought, in preparing a capital development plan for the next ten years.

Following below is the notice sent by the Community College Friday, January 7 to some residents about taking the survey.  To take the survey, go to https://mapmy.smithgroup.com/Yavapai/.

You can reach the master plan website by going to https://masterplan.yc.edu/.

Offices and services were closed for winter break since December 18

Yavapai Community College offices and services will reopen Monday, January 3.  They were closed for the winter break from December 18.

Regular classes are scheduled to begin Tuesday, January 18.  The spring semester ends May 13. A full January schedule appears below.

Award  focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs worthy of replication

Yavapai Community College has been named a finalist for the prestigious National Bellwether award.  The award focuses on cutting-edge, trendsetting programs worthy of replication.  The Community College made the announcement in a press release authored by Tyler Rumsey on November 9.  

The following is the Community College’s press release explaining the program.

All award winning submissions of the nonprofits members are available for download on GFOA’s website.

In a press release issued October 11, 2021 by Yavapai Community College, it announced it had received a “Distinguished Budget Presentation Award” from the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA).  It was among 1,700 governments who are members of GFOA who received the award in 2020.

The award reflects the commitment of the governing body and staff to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting. To be considered for the budget award, Yavapai Community College had to be a member of  the GFOA and had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. The guidelines are intended to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as:

• A policy document
• A financial plan
• An operations guide
• A communications device

Budget documents must be rated “proficient” in all four categories, and in the fourteen mandatory criteria within those categories, to receive the award.

According to the Community College’s press release, “Yavapai [Community] College is one of only 8 community colleges in the nation with an active Distinguished Budget Presentation Award” from this nonprofit organization.

Dr. Tina Redd has been the Verde Valley Dean for a year and a half | Recent College in-person reports to elected officials around the  Verde Valley about the Verde Campus and Sedona Center  given solely by Prescott based executives; Dr. Redd omitted| What is   Redd’s authority and is she allowed to act  effectively as  “voice” of the Verde Valley residents | Were these merely  PR gaffs or has  Dr. Redd been shelved and acts essentially as window dressing in the Administration’s operational scheme?

The Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine and Vice President of  Community Relations and  Student Development, Rodney Jenkins, have been appearing at various city and town council meetings throughout the Verde Valley over the past few weeks.  The purpose of those visits is to update the elected officials on what is happening on the Verde Valley Campus and at the Sedona Center while also answering sometimes tough questions and providing details about those facilities.

Sedona Vice Mayor Scott Jablow.

Dr. Rhine is always personable and charming in her presentations and Mr.  Jenkins attempts to fill in details about various courses and projects on the east side of the County. The Community College officials are also accompanied by Deb McCasland, the Governing Board Chair, and Third District representative Paul Chevalier. 

However,  the one person in the past who has often provided additional detailed information about the happenings on this side of Mingus Mountain and considered the tough questions has been the Verde Valley Campus Dean. However, in the presentations recently given in Clarkdale, Cottonwood, and Sedona, the Verde Campus Dean,  Dr. Tina Redd, played no role at all.  She was not introduced to the listeners nor was she even present. The information came from all Prescott-based executives.  

As of October 2021, Dr. Redd has been the Dean of the Sedona/Verde Valley Center and Campus for a year and a half.  She was hired with a sterling background and excellent reputation as a shaker and mover.  But so far the Prescott-based administration has not seen fit, or so it seems pretty clear at this point, to give her much authority or to allow her to take a “shaker and mover” role in the Verde Valley.  While the pandemic may have been an excuse for  her non appearances,  there was no reason the most recent trips to the podium by the administration in the Valley did not include an introduction and allow her to seriously participate.  

There are unspoken and spoken questions about what appears to be iron-fisted informational control by the Prescott officials.  For example, during the Community College’s presentation before the Sedona City Council on September 28, 2021, the Vice Mayor asked if someone had replaced former East side Verde Campus Dean James Perey.  He was well-known to the Council and regularly made reports to it and the Governing Board. Dr. Rhine explained that Dr. Redd was the new Dean and had been since the beginning of the pandemic (see video below).

In a March 2021 in opinion piece on leadership, the Blog asked whether the Verde Valley would have a strong voice in the Prescott-dominated Yavapai Community College’s administrative organizational structure.  The piece pointed out that President Lisa Rhine was  doing a great job. For the first time since 2000-2004, it appeared that   legitimate efforts were being  initiated by her to begin the challenging task of bringing significantly increased  community college educational development for the 75,000 plus residents living on the east side of Yavapai County. However, the role of the new Sedona Center/Verde Campus Dean seemed on paper to be little more than a manager for Prescott  when the College announced its administrative structure. (See college administrative structure below).  Has the role of the Verde Campus Dean been  the diminished? Has she been collared?

In the same opinion piece, the Verde Campus  Dean’s marginal role was further illustrated by the fact she is not included in the Community College’s leadership team and was not reporting directly to the President.  The most recent events appear to confirm that Prescott is ensuring that there  will not be a  strong College administrative voice coming from the Verde Valley.

In letter from Community College  Governing Board nominating Dr. Rhine  she was praised for her work and accomplishments including making the Community College more accessible and affordable in her first three years as College president

Dr. Lisa Rhine

Dr. Lisa Rhine, President of Yavapai Community College, has just received national recognition for her leadership in higher education from  the Association of Community College Trustees . She was named the recipient of its Pacific Region Chief Executive Officer Award.

Annually, the Association, which is  a 52-year-old organization made-up  of trustees from over 1,200 colleges in North America,  honors a chief executive officer from each of its five regions in the United States who has exhibited exceptional leadership.

In the nomination letter from the Community College Governing Board, they wrote that: “In the midst of a pandemic, Dr. Rhine has initiated a remarkable number of key initiatives and innovative programs with an unrelenting focus on student success.”

The Community College Governing Board also  that: “In the midst of a pandemic, Dr. Rhine has initiated a remarkable number of key initiatives and innovative programs with an unrelenting focus on student success.” They also cited her work to increase the Community College’s Hispanic student population from 15% to 21.4% since taking office in 2019.  They lauded her efforts at targeting assistance toward Yavapai County’s “asset-limited, income-constrained, employed” (ALICE) population, which comprises an estimated 43% of Yavapai County.

The Governing Board was also impressed that Dr. Rhine, with the able assistance of Dr. Diane Ryan, has championed expansion of Open Educational Resources (OERs), a program that fights expensive textbook costs by developing free, public domain alternatives. So far, this effort last year  resulted in  164  courses with zero-cost textbooks. The savings in textbook costs came to  than $300,000 over two semesters.

Dr. Rhine has also led initiatives like The “Yavapai Community College  Promise,” which refunds tuition to qualified students who complete their degree programs on time. To date, the Community College has graduated more than 100 Promise students, with another 290 enrolled for 2021-22.

“I am so pleased that Dr. Rhine has won the ACCT Pacific Regional award,” said Yavapai Community College District Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland.  “I know we have an outstanding President and it’s excellent that her leadership and focus on student success is highly valued by other leaders in the Community College field.”

Source:  Yavapai Community College News Release dated July 29, 2021  by Tyler Rumsey. (Full article can be read at https://www.yc.edu/v6/news/2021/07/dr-rhine-acct.html?fbclid=IwAR39sTRGi2iiZk_HZu8fX5NK4YWOhT3rmWB8j-cD6wQ0v5P33BKTCInZ0Fk.