The College has submitted four new certificate courses to be offered in the Verde Valley for Faculty Curriculum Review. They are: Digital Media and Film, Culinary, Hospitality and Enology. If approved, they will go to the District Governing Board for review. If all goes well, the new programs will be offered in the fall of 2015.
The Yavapai Community College staff analyzed the data from the County-wide poll, call to the public from March to August, and two Verde Valley focus groups. Based on the information obtained from that data, the staff recommended to the Governing Board at the September 8, 2014 retreat that the following actions be taken:
1. Improve marketing and outreach to all regions of Yavapai County.
2. Explore expanded access to CTE programs in the East County.
3. Expand community event opportunities in the East County.
4. Review and improve course scheduling to increase availability and reduce cancellations
5. Now that the Sedona Center land situation has been resolved, develop appropriate programming for the center.
6. Continue to be price-conscious for tuition & fees, as well as all other services provided.
7. Continue to demonstrate and improve quality of academic offerings.This data can also be found on the College website by clicking here.
Ms. Julie Larson and Ms. Ruth Wicks outlined the reasons for an independent administrative college to the Cottonwood City Council at its regular meeting on September 2. Ms. Larson is the former superintendent of the Cottonwood Oak Creek School District and Ms. Wicks is a former Mingus Union High School educator and counselor and former member of Yavapai Community College.
Ms. Larson explained that educational opportunities that once existed in the Verde Valley have gone away. “We want in the Verde Valley what Prescott has.”
Ms. Wicks pointed out that there are 10 Administrative Colleges in Maricopa County, which can act at least in part as a model for Yavapai County. For the full story from the Verde Independent, please click here.
Yavapai College awarded twelve nursing scholarships and three radiologic technology scholarships for the coming year. The scholarships pay a recipient’s full tuition and fees. The funds for thirteen scholarships were provided by the Jewish Community Foundation healthcare program while the Margaret T. Morris Foundation funded two of them.
According to the College’s announcement, Verde Valley nursing students Starr Cecil from Camp Verde and Jaimy Quasula from Clarkdale were awarded the scholarships. Congratulations to these two outstanding students and the other 13. To read the College’s announcement found in the Verde Independent and see a photo of all the recipients and their names, please click here.
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.
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.
Ms. Ruth Wicks reminded the Yavapai Community College Governing Board at its August 12 meeting that a decade ago it offered a total of over 600 courses at facilities located on the Verde campus, Sedona Center, Camp Verde facility and Mingus Union High School.
Today, the Community College offers only 125 courses on the East side of Mingus Mountain. There are two classes at the Sedona Center and two classes in Camp Verde. Her short speech to the Governing Board can be seen and heard by clicking here on video.
The T.S. Monk Jazz Trio will perform a free concert at the outdoor Charles Mabery Pavilion at the Verde Campus in Clarkdale, on Friday, August 22. The show begins at 7 p.m.
The trio has received rave reviews in the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, the L.A. Times, and others. There have been sold out concert hall shows across the United States, Europe, South America and the Middle East.
This should be an outstanding concert!
In a Community College press release it was announced that Yavapai Community College will “showcase the work of its Prescott campus art faculty members from Friday, August 8 through Saturday, September 13.” The press release did not indicate when, where or if ever 
Verde Valley art faculty will have their work showcased.
Several of the artists will be on hand during the reception on Friday, August 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. to discuss their work, as well as the art courses they teach at Yavapai College.
The Yavapai Community College Governing Board unanimously approved (Dale Fitzner absent) creation of a Verde Valley Governing Board Advisory Committee at its August 12 meeting in the Stone House on the 
Prescott campus. Committee members will be selected by County Superintendent Tim Carter from a pool of names submitted by each community in the Verde Valley. The first meeting of the Committee is anticipated to be November 30, 2014. More information about the Advisory Committee click here, which will take you to the August full Board. One the agenda opens, go toward the end where there is a detailed explanation of the Committee and the process it will follow in addition to Powerpoint slides.