Verde Campus :: Page 12 :: Eye on Yavapai College

Yavapai Community College in Northern Arizona

Archive for Verde Campus – Page 12

“Late” classes open for enrollment

By R. Oliphant

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014

You can still sign up for some “Late Start” courses; Prescott offerings dominate selection

OPEN COURSES Yavapai Community College says you can still sign up for some “late start” classes. Classes range from career skills building to health, fitness and recreation. For example, there are courses on learning internet essentials and business communication as well as pilates, mindfulness meditation and cross-training.

Of the 39 “late start” face-to-face classes being offered, 18 are on the Prescott campus, 2 on the Verde, and 2 in Prescott Valley. There are also online classes being offered with 14 on the Prescott campus, 1 on the Verde campus and 1 on the Prescott Valley campus. Please click here to see the list of courses being offered.

Verde Art Gallery “Radical Center” exhibit opens September 29

By R. Oliphant

Monday, September 22nd, 2014

“Radical Center” art exhibition featuring the works of artists Rose Moon, Cathy Gazda, and Paul Gazda to run from September 29 to October 23

Event 5 The Yavapai Community College Verde campus Art Gallery in Clarkdale will present the “Radical Center” exhibition from September 29 to October 23. The exhibit features the works of artists Rose Moon, Cathy Gazda, and Paul Gazda. ROSE MOON ETC

There will be an opening reception on Thursday, October 2 from 5-7 p.m. The Verde Valley campus Art Gallery’s hours are Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. until 3 p.m., and it is closed Friday through Sunday. For more information, please click here.

Categories : Art Gallery Event, Event, Verde Campus

Verde Valley Community College Advocates’ seek Administrative College

By R. Oliphant

Saturday, September 20th, 2014

Concerned Verde Valley Advocates continue seeking Administrative College

Ruth Wicks 1

Although there will eventually be two Verde Valley advisory committees bringing (hopefully) insight and information to the Community College Board and administration, Ms. Ruth Wicks says that Verde Valley Community College Citizens Advocates group will continue efforts to establish a separate Administrative College. In a story in the September 17 Verde Independent written by Yvonne Gonzales, Ms. Wicks says the Advocates have not “lost our focus on what we want.” She said that she was glad the two committees were being formed, however, the vision of the Advocates’ “is the right one for the Valley.”

The complete story in the Verde Independent may be found by clicking here.

Categories : Administrative College, Advisory Committees, Verde Campus

Governing Board focus on Verde Valley over next year

By R. Oliphant

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

Governing Board Chair Sigafoos’ summary of retreat puts focus on Verde campus and Sedona Center over next year

Ray sigafoos 2

Yavapai Community College Board Chair Ray Sigafoos summarized a portion of the recommendations being made as a part of the Board’s spring retreat. The retreat was held September 8-9 on the Prescott campus. The Board recommendations included the following:

A. Expand Career and Technical education in the Verde Valley.

B. Expand Community event opportunity in the Verde Valley.

C. Expand programming at the Sedona Center.

D. Work/educate the Verde Valley Advisory Committee to the Governing Board.

E. Board needs more information before deciding on an independent administrative college for the Verde Valley. Prefers to wait until the Verde Valley committees have time to work with the Board and College. The additional costs of setting up an independent Verde Valley campus was estimated by the College staff at $1.2 million dollars.

Mr. Sigafoos’ comments on this issue can be viewed as he delivered them at the September 9 Board meeting, by clicking here.

Categories : Administrative College, Advisory Committees, Sedona Campus, Survey results, Verde Campus

Verde Valley Operating Budget

By R. Oliphant

Tuesday, September 16th, 2014

Operating budget for Verde Valley for 2014 is set at $4.4 million; about $2.2 “allocated expenses” added to $4.4 million budget

Clint Ewell

The 2014-15 Yavapai Community College operating budget for the Verde Valley is about $4.4 million. The College allocates an addition $2.2 million for services it provides the Sedona Center and the Verde Campus. This brings total operating expenses for 2014 to an estimated $6.6 million dollars. If primary property tax revenue from the Verde Valley (including Sedona) is at the level collected in 2012, this leaves about $6 million dollars in excess property tax over total operating expenses.

The budget information was provided by Vice President Clint Ewell in an Email to Ms. Ruth Wicks. The following is the information provided by the College at a department level analysis included in Vice President Ewell’s email. 2014 BUDGET PAGE 1 VERDE VALLEY

2014 BUDGET PAGE 2 VERDE VALLEY

Note that the College reports that there are several “allocated” District Services costs that are incurred to support the Sedona Center and the Verde Campus in Clarkdale. Allocated expenses are not included in the operating expenses outlined above. Those costs are set by the College at approximately $2.2M of allocated expenses per year.

Categories : Budget, Verde Campus

Nature trail development only in Prescott

By R. Oliphant

Monday, August 25th, 2014

After more than 20 years of trying, nature trail on Verde campus remains primitive and undeveloped

The difference in treatment afforded the Verde campus in Clarkdale and the Prescott campus comes sharply into focus when you compare the effort at developing a nature trail on the two 100 acre facilities.

Photo from YCC web page advertising nature trail on Prescott campus.

Planning for a nature trail on the Prescott campus began in 2004. Prescott administrators moved ahead with the plans and today the nature trail is fully developed and is 1.5 miles long.

Discarded hoses on what is left of failed trail effort on Verde campus in 2007.

In contrast, the idea of a nature trail began on the 100 acre Verde campus eleven years earlier, in 1993, with a grant to a Verde faculty member. Despite this start, after twenty years of student, faculty, and Verde community members efforts to persuade the Community College administrators in Prescott, the Verde trail remains as it is described in the ten year $119 million dollar development plan: It is “poorly defined” and has “safety concerns.” Nothing in the 10 year proposal addresses this fundamental need expressed by the community over a 20 year period as a part of the development of the Verde campus. Read More→

Categories : Nature trail, Verde Campus

Poor management of program on Verde campus

By R. Oliphant

Saturday, August 23rd, 2014

College administrator reflects on “loss of continuity” of programming on Verde Campus for College for Kids

Ms. Linda Buchanan, the newest Yavapai Community College Community Education Program Director, reflected on management and a “loss of continuity” of programming on the Verde campus over the past years in a recent interview in the Verde Independent.(Click here for Verde Independent interview.)

YCC Summer 2014 ad for program on Prescott campus.

She said, for example, that the summer program called College for Kids “had been growing in offerings and enrollment, but took a hiatus in 2012 when the school’s bond-funded construction pushed operations completely off campus.” [Query: Were there no other summer facilities available for the summer College for Kids program such as Mingus High School or the Cottonwood-Oak Creek school? Or the Sedona Center?]

Although an effort was made to revive and rebuild the program following completion of construction, the management position became vacant and it took the College, according to Ms. Buchanan, “about a year before a new director came on board.” Consequently, the College for Kids program was not offered on the East side of the County this year because of the College one-year delay in filling the management position. In comparison, the program thrived on the West side of the County this summer.

The YCC has posted an excellent video explaining the College for Kids programs offered this summer on the Prescott campus. It can be found by clicking here.

Categories : Verde Campus, Yavapai Community College

Raku Ceramics exhibit on Verde campus

By R. Oliphant

Friday, August 22nd, 2014

Art Galley to present Professor Emeritus Jim Romberg Raku Ceramics exhibit

The Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Campus Art Gallery will present an exhibit on Raku Ceramics by Emeritus Professor Jim Romberg. The show is entitled, “A Look Beyond . . . Raku Ceramics by Jim Romberg.”

Artist Jim Romberg is a Professor Emeritus from Southern Oregon University. At the University he headed the Raku ceremics 1 Ceramics Department for nineteen years. He lives and maintains his studio in Sedona, and is program director for the Eagleheart Center for Art and Inquiry.

The show runs August 25 through September 18 with an opening Reception on Thursday, August 28, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Verde campus Art Gallery is open from Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It is closed Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Categories : Art programs, Verde Campus

College yields to Verde Valley resident pressure

By R. Oliphant

Friday, August 22nd, 2014

College announces series of programs in response to criticism over excluding Verde Valley from major cultural events

Pressure cartoon In response to increasing pressure by Verde Valley residents over Prescott based administrators concentrating almost all major cultural events on the Prescott campus, the Community College has announced it will bring a series of cultural performances to the “East Yavapai County” during the 2014-15 academic year. The first of these performances is the T.S. Monk Jr. Jazz Trio, which is scheduled to perform Friday evening, August 22 on the Verde campus. The College has said that later in the season, performances such as The Man in the Arena: Theodore Roosevelt, Moscow Nights & The Golden Gates, Ahn Trio and Reveille 3, and an Andrews Sisters Tribute will be brought to “East Yavapai County.”

Whether the future performances are free or a fee will be charged has not been made public. (There was general confusion over the Monk Jazz concert when the College first announced a ticket fee and then a week before the concert changed its mind and offered the concert free.) The College has also not made public where the various future performances will be held.

Categories : Performing Arts Center, Verde Campus, Yavapai Community College

“Free” concert advertising a little confusing

By R. Oliphant

Sunday, August 17th, 2014

Late change in whether to charge for event explains confusion

Flyer for Verde Monk concert Yavap mond cencert newspaper advertisement ai Community College is sponsoring one of those rare concerts on the Verde campus on Friday, August 22 at 7 p.m. at the Maybery Pavilion with the T.S. Monk Jr. Jazz Trio. In a Community College flyer tickets for the concert were advertised at $20 and $10 dollars. In an advertisement in the Sunday, August 17 Verde Independent, readers were urged to go to www.ycpac.com for tickets. Once there, you learn the tickets are FREE. However, nothing in the newspaper advertisement suggests they are free. An email sent by the College on Saturday, August 16 to a number of Verde residents informed them that the concert is free.

Reliable sources say that the decision was made Friday afternoon, August 15 to change the concert from one with paid tickets to a free event. Therefore, the confusing print advertising. We have been assured that the event is FREE to the public on the Verde campus.

However, if you want to see the trio a day earlier (August 21), they will perform at 7:30 at the Performing Arts Center on the Prescott campus. Tickets for the performance in Prescott are $25 and $48 dollars per seat.

Categories : Performing Arts Center, Verde Campus