Archive for Verde Campus – Page 2

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE OFFERS EXPLANATION FOR MOVING CONSTRUCTION OF PRESCOTT VALLEY HEALTH CENTER AHEAD BY YEARS – CRITICS PONDER WHETHER SCRAPPING/DELAYING TWO LARGE PROJECTS IN THE VERDE VALLEY MADE FUNDS SUDDENLY AVAILABLE FOR WEST SIDE DEVELOPMENT

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, November 4th, 2023

Total cost of potential new Prescott/Prescott Valley/CTEC projects  range from $55 to $65 million. Meanwhile most projects delayed or more likely abandoned on the Sedona/Verde Valley side of Mingus Mountain

Sedona, Cottonwood, Clarkdale, Camp Verde ask:

As we approach 2024, the Community College has decided to invest potentially in total between $55 million and $65 million in capital projects at the Prescott Campus, CTEC and the Prescott Valley Center. The proposed expenditures include:

  • $15 million to renovate the Prescott Campus library. (Approved.)

  • $10 million to expand CTEC at the Prescott airport. (Approved.)

  • $3 million for workforce housing, with some portion of the funds allegedly going to the Verde Valley Campus. (Approved.)

  • $30 million to $40 million to construct the Health Science building, which may also include a conference center as a part of it, at the Prescott Valley Center. (Pending final approval; concept approved.)

Meanwhile, projects at the Sedona Center and Verde Valley Campus on the east side of Mingus Mountain have been delayed and in some cases possibly abandoned.  The only major approved development project is $3 million to renovate Building “M” on the Verde Valley Campus. 

How did the enormous disparity occur?

Read More→

Categories : Career and Technical Education, Nursing, Sedona Campus, Verde Campus

VERDE CAMPUS AND SEDONA CENTER MAKE UP FOR LESS THAN 10% OF FOR CREDIT CLASS OFFERINGS ACCORDING TO YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE REGISTRATION WEBSITE

By R. Oliphant
Friday, July 21st, 2023

West County dominates; on-line courses now make up 37% of all for-credit offerings

Yavapai Community College’s Fall 2023 semester registration data reveals that the Prescott Campus offerings plus the  online courses together constitute approximately 72% of all of the total of 1035 classes being offered for credit. The online courses alone now make up about 37% of all for-credit classes being offered. Interestingly, the west side of Mingus Mountain dominates the credit course offerings.

The Sedona Center for Arts and Technology has a limited selection of only four for-credit classes, which has raised concerns among many individuals about the future of the Center. In contrast, the Career and Technical Education Center (CTEC), located at the Prescott airport, offers more for-credit classes than the Verde Campus.

This situation has raised troubling questions among those residing on the east side of Mingus Mountain, particularly due to the scarce availability of for-credit classes at the Verde Campus and the Sedona Center.

Categories : Enrollment data, Sedona Campus, Verde Campus

VERDE VALLEY CAMPUS TO BE CUT BY TEN FACULTY POSITIONS IN 2023-24 BUDGET ACCORDING TO DATA PRODUCED AT GOVERNING BOARD MEETING HELD APRIL 11

By R. Oliphant
Friday, April 21st, 2023

College increasing minimum wage for all employees plus an anticipated lower head count apparently led to drastic cut of Verde Valley  faculty

The Yavapai Community College Verde Valley Campus will suffer a major reduction in its teaching staff when the 2023-24 Community College budget is approved in May. According to data produced at the April 11 Governing Board meeting, it will lose at least ten faculty positions.

District One Representative Ray Sigafoos.

The information regarding the cuts came in the form of an explanation to District One Governing Board member Ray Sigafoos about a table presented during the meeting.  The table purports to provide a visual representation of the changes in positions at Yavapai College by Division and Major Business Unit.

Although there are more positions budgeted for next year, to support the Strategic Plan, the Verde Valley is scheduled to be reduced by 10.6 positions.

Vice President of Finance and Administrative services Clint Ewell justified the large cut of Verde Valley faculty by saying that  it was “because of the change in minimum wage” and also a “lower head count in the coming year.”  (See two minute tape of the brief discussion by clicking here.)

The only Governing Board member to query the chart and more clearly reveal the loss of faculty on the Verde Campus was First District Representative Ray Sigafoos.  Neither of the Board members who represent Sedona and the Verde Valley commented or questioned the decision to cut ten faculty from the Campus.  

You may view the brief two minute explanation of the faculty cuts given in response to Mr. Sigafoos’ query by clicking here.

Categories : Employment issues, Faculty, Verde Campus

A COUPLE OF ELECTRICAL VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS TO BE INSTALLED ON PRESCOTT AND VERDE VALLEY CAMPUSES

By R. Oliphant
Friday, January 20th, 2023

Near buildings 2, 19 on the Prescott Campus;  near building I on the Verde Valley Campus; will accommodate only a couple of cars at a time

Yavapai Community College is putting its toe into the Electrical Vehicle waters by establishing its first  charging stations for electrical vehicles on the Prescott and Verde Valley campuses.  The Verde Campus station will accommodate two EVs at a time.

It is not clear how much will be collected by the College, if anything,  for charging. It is also not clear  whether the charging stations are Level 1,  Level 2 or above. However,  it is suspected that they are Level 1 (slow) charge stations.

Level 1 charging stations provide a low-power (12-20 Amp), which is generally used for long-term charging. It is sometimes referred to as slow or ‘trickle’ charging.  Level 1 long-term charging is found at some airports and hotels. It is also found at some universities and casinos.

 Level 2 charging stations use  a 240 volt outlet (like a clothes dryer or oven) and deliver more power to a car to charge it faster.

Level 3 chargers are still quite rare in the United States. It is claimed that a level 3 charger can  fill a battery at a rate of 75 – 1,200 miles per hour. It would top off an empty battery in 30 minutes.

There are a number of small Tesla destination charging stations in the Verde Valley, with the largest number in the Sedona area.

 

Categories : Prescott Campus, Verde Campus

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE CHOOSES DR. IRINA DEL GENIO AS VERDE CAMPUS AND SEDONA CENTER DEAN

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, November 9th, 2022

First-generation immigrant who came to the United States in 2000 as an adult learner leaves position as associate dean of the Liberal, Visual, and Performing Arts Division at Elgin, Illinois Community College to join Yavapai | Replacing Dr. Tina Redd who resigned in frustration with Prescott based College executives

Yavapai Community College announced on November 8, 2022,  that Dr. Irina Del Genio would become the next  Verde Valley Dean at Yavapai Community College.  She is leaving Elgin, Illinois Community College, where she has the position of Associate Dean of the Liberal, Visual, and Performing Arts Division.

Del Genio replaces Tina Redd who resigned as Verde Valley Dean earlier this year out of frustration with the Prescott based executives who control the Verde Campus and Sedona Center.  The announcement was made by Prescott based Vice President Dr. Diane Ryan, Vice President of Academic Affairs. Most likely, Del Genio will report to and be supervised by Ryan.

Community College Prescott based president Dr. Diane Rhine did not make a public statement regarding the decision to hire Del Genio. Del Genio  will start her position at the Verde Valley Campus on January 9, 2023. The College said she will provide “leadership and administrative oversight of the Verde Valley campus, Sedona Center, Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs, and three academic departments college-wide.

Adding the academic college-wide departments to her work requirements ensures she will be away from the Verde Campus and Sedona  Center once or twice each week, thus significantly diluting her work on the east side of Yavapai County.

Del Genio earned her Ph.D. in Political Philosophy and her master’s degrees in History and Political Science.  She has lived  lived, studied, and worked in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and most recently in the U.S. as a college instructor, grant manager, and college administrator. She is a frequent guest speaker on Russian American relations, asymmetrical warfare, the political impact of radical ideologies, and the global consequences of social unrest in contemporary societies.

She is described as an avid traveler and a healthy lifestyle advocate. She is a certified NIA (non-impact mind-body fitness) instructor. Del Genio enjoys sailing, skiing, dancing, and hiking in her free time with her partner George, her friends, and her family.

Sources:  Yavapai Community College press release dated November 8, 2022; Independent Blog research.
Categories : ADMINISTRATION, Sedona Campus, Verde Campus

CLARKDALE NEIGHBORS KILL OFF COMMUNITY COLLEGE PARTNERSHIP WITH PRIVATE DEVELOPER TO BUILD STUDENT AND STAFF LIVING FACILITIES ADJACENT VERDE CAMPUS

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, October 1st, 2022

Developer bails because of neighborhood opposition; College looks to its vacant 75 acres for possible new location

A Yavapai Community College tentative agreement with a Clarkdale private developer to build a housing project on five acres adjacent the Verde Valley Campus collapsed because of neighborhood opposition to the project (see sketch below). The private/government partnership would have provided badly needed housing for the first time in 50 years for Yavapai Community College students attending classes on the Verde Campus and staff working there. It would also have included housing for private families. The exact details of the proposed relationship between the developer and the College were not revealed by the at the September 27 Governing Board meeting.

Based on information supplied the Blog, the apparent strong “not in my neighborhood” reaction to the developer’s plan came during a meeting by Clarkdale retirees with town officials, college administrators, and the developer several weeks ago. The retirees seem to think the project would bring unwanted travel by autos on Black Hills Drive.

 However, the Community College intends to construct housing on its own 75 acres of vacant property for students and possibly staff. As noted by the College President at the September 27 meeting, “the need for housing continues and we know if we plan to grow or add destination programs, we must have housing. So, we have decided to move housing up in the priority order” of budget expenditures.

The following is a concept sketch of the proposed housing project killed off by neighborhood opposition.

You may listen and view the entire discussion in full about this issue at the September 27 Board meeting by clicking here. The video is about 16 minutes long.

Categories : Housing, Verde Campus

VERDE VALLEY CAMPUS CAFE TO TRY NEW APPROACH

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, June 29th, 2022

Will exclude from menu  all things frozen and fried, instead offering grilled cheese and other specialty sandwiches and salads, coffee and pastries

The effort to operate a Café/restaurant on the Verde Campus has a checkered history of starts, stops and closings.  When it reopens this year, most likely for fall semester, it will try something different. 

According to a news release issued by the College on June 22, 2022, it will now operate the Café/restaurant on the Verde Campus as a “laboratory for aspiring culinary artists and entrepreneurs as well as a showcase for the vegetables and herbs that horticulture students cultivate in an one-campus greenhouse.” 

It has hired an experienced restaurateur, Kelley Foy, to direct the operation.  She will be the manager and instructor for the “reimagined café.” The new café is “dubbed YCGC for YC Grilled Cheese.”

In its press release, the College says that “even while pursuing her passion for designing custom furniture and serving as the gelato chef for Merkin Vineyards in the Verde Valley, Kelley decided to tackle creating the teaching restaurant for YC because she loves cooking, loves teaching and believes hands-on experience is invaluable for students. `I’m drawn to teaching that involves actually doing the work at the same time,” Kelley said adding, “I want to be part of the direction the college is going’ — that is providing life-lifting career opportunities for individuals and strengthening our local economy.”

When it reopens, the café will operate from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The Cafe’s  student staff will also cater college gatherings and events, including those hosted at the college’s teaching winery, the Southwest Wine Center.

Categories : Verde Campus

COTTONWOOD COMMUNITY SCHOOL OFFICIALS GIVE GLOWING REPORT ON EIGHTH GRADE CTE SHORT COURSES AND COOPERATIVE ARRANGEMENT WITH YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE / FIRST BIG PAYBACK FOR FINALLY CREATING A CAMPUS CTE FACILITY

By R. Oliphant
Tuesday, March 29th, 2022

Dr. Trish Alley and Principal Matt Schumacher shared their excitement and success of program | Goal to reduce public high school dropout rate that now stands  at 25% in the Sedona/Verde Valley area

Dr. Trish Alley, Cottonwood Oak Creek Educational Services, and Cottonwood Middle School Principal Matt Schumacher, lauded Yavapai Community College at the District’s Governing Board meeting on March 22 for its cooperation in developing the Career and Technical Education 3 ½ week courses for eighth grade students that were held on the Yavapai Campus in Clarkdale earlier this year.

Schumacher said the program is putting the Community School in a position where it can take students without a particular direction and see them become excited about pursuing a profession in law enforcement, culinary arts, or any of the other subjects covered by the short courses.

Before her resignation, former Sedona/Verde Dean Dr. Tina Redd said of the program that:  “We know it’s lifechanging. We know hands-on experiences will resonate with these students for years to come,” because the eighth grade  is a “formative” year in which a lot of decision-making about the future happens. She also said that additional partnerships may be forged in the future to make Community College career education programs available to more students in the Verde Valley,

The short courses offered for eighth grade students include: Law enforcement, construction, culinary arts, nursing, machining, and greenhouse growing.  The partnership between the Community College and the Cottonwood Community School District is described as groundbreaking for both schools. 

A short 6 minute video clip (mostly audio) of Dr. Alley and Principal Schumacher explaining the program  to the District Governing Board is posted below.  The entire video of the Governing Board meeting will be posted sometime in the future by the Community College.

Sources:  March 22, 2022 Governing Board meeting; Community College press release of March 3, 2022.

Categories : College for Kids, Verde Campus

CHEVALIER ADDRESSES VERDE CAMPUS OLLI GATHERING ABOUT YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

By R. Oliphant
Friday, March 4th, 2022

Argues that over the years the east side of County has been overlooked by Community College administrators and Board while the west side has prospered citing Camp Verde as one of those overlooked areas

Third District Yavapai Community College Representative Paul Chevalier spoke to a group of interested citizens about Yavapai Community College’s past, present, and future at an OLLI gathering on the Verde Campus in Clarkdale March 2.  Chevalier reviewed the background, history, and future of the Community College. He also shared his experience working on behalf of improving the Community College in Sedona and the Verde Valley  as Chair of the Verde Valley Board Advisory Committee and as a member of the Community College District Governing Board. 

Representative Paul Chevalier

Chevalier was particularly focused on what he sees as the inequitable development that has occurred between the east and west sides of the County. The inequity has occurred, according to Mr. Chevalier, despite the fact that Sedona and the Verde Valley have been paying “mega millions of dollars” to support the Community College over many years.

He used the town of Camp Verde as one example of an area the Community College has overlooked.  He said Camp Verde is the fastest growing east side community with a growing population estimated at over 13,000. The Community College collects Camp Verde citizens’ property taxes, he said, “but spends practically nothing there. Its elected Town Council, representing their residents, understandably is not happy about that.”

He urged the College to correct the inequities “between the two sides of the County as soon as possible.” 

Chevalier estimated that for every 10 people that live in the County on the west side of Mingus Mountain approximately four live on the east side. If the College spent $10 for every west side citizen and $4 for every east side citizen, said Chevalier, that would be equitable.  However, he continued, that “is not the case.”

Chevalier also asserted that there is “major resistance” for equitable spending of Community College revenue on both sides of Mingus Mountain. The west side competes very effectively for dollars and “wants their projects to be the top priority.” He pointed out that more subtle influences or biases may be at work favoring the west side of the County simply because the College administration is based in Prescott, the College president and vice presidents all live there, and four of the five present Governing Board members live there.

He evinced concern about the huge gap between the east and west sides of the County in providing performing arts programs.  He said he believed the College should start construction on enhancing its fledgling 10,000 square foot Career and Technical Education facility by adding from 20,000 to 30,000 square feet this year.

He urged his audience to attend and encourage others to attend a public meeting to be held about the future of the Community College at the Yavapai Community College Sedona Center March 22 at 4 p.m. “Frankly,” he said, “I need your help. I cannot do this alone.”

Mr. Chevalier has furnished the Blog with a copy of the speech that he gave to the OLLI group.  You may read it in its entirety by clicking on the link below.

PAUL CHEVALIER SPEECH MARCH 2 TO OLLI IN VERDE VALLEY

Categories : Camp Verde, Politics, Sedona Campus, Verde Campus

DR. RHINE MUM ON FUTURE OF VERDE VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PENDING COMPLETION OF PLANS NOW BEING WORKED OUT; CHEVALIER OUTLINES UNMET NEEDS ON EAST SIDE INCLUDING CTE AND PERFORMING ARTS

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 4th, 2022

President says she won’t make commitment on future development she can’t keep | Chevalier asks College to share data with the Board regarding east side development it claims to have collected

Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine was requested by Third District Governing Board Representative Paul Chevalier during the January 28 District Governing Board Workshop in Prescott Valley to share her views about the future development of the Community College in the Verde Valley.  In response, she refused to give any information saying that at this time she was “unwilling to commit to a plan” that she was unable to “fulfill.”  

Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine

Third District Governing Board Representative Paul Chevalier

Dr. Rhine also said in response to the request that the Community College was “working diligently on a plan” for the entire County and collecting data to ensure that the plan is “based on needs” supported “by evidence –data.”  She said the while there are “exciting plans for the whole county” it was “premature to share those plans” until there was certainty and the Board had approved them and a budget to support them.

Third District Representative Paul Chevalier asked about a Sedona meeting regarding development of the Performing Arts on the east side of the County. Dr. Rhine said she did not have any information about the meeting because it was in one of her Vice President’s areas.

Dr. Rhine was also asked by Chevalier if she would supply the data about the east side of the County the Community College had collected to use for future development decisions. She gave no direct response to that question. (Please see Video clip below.)

Representative Chevalier outlined his view of a few of the current unmet needs on the east side of the County that he believed were identical to those of citizens on the west side.  Those needs included more Career and Technical Education training and facilities and a need for many more Performing Arts educational programs. 

Chevalier made a strong argument for adding Performing Arts educational programming to the Community College curriculum on the east side.  He noted there were over 500 students enrolled in Performing Arts programs on the Prescott Campus this fall while only one or two classes and possibly a dozen students made up the Performing Arts curriculum and student population taking classes on the east side. He said we “probably have as many performing artists on the east side as on the west side” of the County.  . . . In Sedona alone, we have four Grammy winners.  . . . Mingus High School has a very vibrant Performing Arts program and Red Rock High School has a program as well.” 

According to Chevalier, when students in the Verde Valley graduate, “there’s no institution on the east side that you can go to and get Performing Arts.  That is something that is just as important on the east side as on the west side.”  However, the need on the east side, said Chevalier, “is not being catered to at all” by the Community College.

For additional context and discussion and to check the accuracy of this post, please see the video clip below of the Governing Board discussion with Dr. Rhine at the January 28 Governing Board meeting.  A video record of the entire Governing Board meeting is anticipated to be posted by the Community College following the next meeting of the Governing Board once the minutes of the Workshop are approved.  Please monitor the Governing Board website for the posting if you are interested in reviewing the entire meeting.

 

Categories : MASTER PLAN, Sedona Campus, Verde Campus
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