Views a small portion of Building L as meeting “other” CTE training for the present
Verde Valley Campus Executive Dean James Perey explained to the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at the March meeting how the Administration decided on renovating Building “L.” As explained by Dean Perey, Building L is being renovated primarily for Allied Health.
Dean Perey did not, however, provide an indication that the College was planning to expand CTE to include a centralized Career and Technical Education Center teaching subjects such as: Additive Manufacturing, Auto Body Paint and Collision, Automotive Master Technician training, Computer Numerical Controlled (CNC) Machining, Construction, Diesel, Electronics, Gunsmithing, HVAC, Industrial Machine Mechanic, Integrated Systems Engineering, Hydro Utility Technician, Machine Fabrication, Robotics, Truck Driving, Welding, etc. All of these subjects are taught at the Career and Technical Education Center operated by the College adjacent the Prescott airport.
He noted that the plan for Building L included a small space on the ground floor for a manufacturing training site.
Recall that approximately 80% of Building L is intended to service Allied Health courses. The two large chemistry and biology labs on the ground floor will house courses that are a prerequisite to the Allied Health program. All of the upper floor is dedicated to the Allied Health program.
The reasons Perey gave for renovating Building L as an Allied Health facility were essentially the following:
- Need to expand workforce opportunities for residents living in the East Region of the County.
- Workforce opportunities should align with economic drivers in the East Region.
- Registered nursing is currently number ten among the top ten list of jobs in the East Region. By 2023 it is estimated it will move to the number three list of those employed in the East Region of the County.
- Renovation will add significant training capacity to the nursing program.
- The health industry will continue providing high wage paying jobs.
- In the planning stage, Perey met and solicited ideas about the use of Building L from current faculty using Building L, economic development directors in business and industry, elected officials such as mayors from east region municipalities, and the Yavapai-Apache Nation,
- Governor’s office says highest growth rate will be in construction and manufacturing. Also claims the largest job gains will be in education and health services.
- Perey believes that he is using data rather an anecdotal story to drive this decision.
- College has done nothing about manufacturing programs in the east region so the small space on the ground floor is a start.
- New labs will provide courses that are prerequisites to the Allied Health program.
- The Verde Valley Medical Center staff was a part of the planning process.
A short four minute clip of his 22 minute presentation follows and focuses on the reasoning behind the decision to renovate Building L for Allied Health.
The Department of Education’s GEAR UP grant program is designed to increase the number of low-income students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary education. In August 2, 2018 Heather Mulcaire said in her role as Yavapai College’s Associate Dean of Student Success that GEAR UP recently received a $100k grant from Northern Arizona University (NAU). She went on to say during an interview with Verde Independent reporter Bill Helm on August 2 that NAU “invited us to apply for a part of their grant to continue to service these students.” (The Community College received an amount but how much is not reported.)
At the time of the May 27 story the Blog found weeds growing profusely in the garden, unplanted dead trees in large pots that had been left in the area for months, and paths that were weed filled and potholed. It appeared little care and attention was being given to the care and development of this garden on the Verde Campus.
The show is about the late Don Reitz, who created ceramic masterpieces on his ranch in Clarkdale, and the artists who followed him and kept Reitz’s vision alive. To the outside world, Don Reitz was considered one of the fathers of modern ceramics. In its press release, the College says that “This show is about Sheryl and Ted and the group of artists who have joined them to build on this vision. `One by one, they just started showing up and before we knew it, we were surrounded by Don’s memories and the people he inspired,” said Sheryl Leigh-DaVault.’”