YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD SCHEDULES BUDGET WORKSHOP FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24 FOR 9:00 A.M. TO 4:0O P.M AT PRESCOTT CAMPUS ROCK HOUSE

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, February 18th, 2023

The agenda will be posted on the Governing Board website

The Yavapai Community College District Governing Board has scheduled a budget workshop for Friday, February 24 to begin at 9:00 a.m. on the Prescott Campus at the Rock House.  The Governing Board web page says the workshop is scheduled to run until 4:00 p.m.

Under Arizona law, the public has a right to attend, listen, tape record, or videotape these meetings. The public may not disrupt, but may speak during the call to the public at the beginning of this meeting if the call is on the agenda. See Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. No. I78-001. Normally, the Governing Board does not provide a call to the public at these meetings.  But check the agenda when it is posted.

The full agenda for the afternoon  meeting can be found on the Community College web site when it is eventually posted.

 

Categories : District Governing Board

AFTER MONTHS OF COMPLAINTS FROM REPRESENTATIVES SIGAFOOS AND CHEVALIER, YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STAFF BEGINS PROVIDING MORE DETAILED WRITTEN MINUTES

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, February 16th, 2023

Representative Sigafoos lauds administrative staff for the improvement

It’s been a year or more since Representatives Ray Sigafoos and Paul Chevalier raised concerns about the incomplete minutes of the District Governing Board meetings.  The initial response to their concerns from some Governing Board members and others was that videotapes being made of a Board meeting were sufficient as a record and detailed written minutes were unnecessary.

Former Third District Representative Paul Chevalier

Representative Ray Sigafoos

The stripped down minutes had suddenly appeared months ago represented a significant change from more than a decade when detailed written minutes of Governing Board meetings were prepared. This was the case  even though for several past years the meetings were videotaped.

However, it became clear upon close inspection over a period of months that the videotape of Board meetings was sometimes less than complete.  Problems cropped up with the sound tracks, especially when microphones were accidentally turned off or not working, and what was said was lost. It soon became clear that more detailed minutes were was necessary. 

However, the change in the approach to preparing minutes in greater detail was not made until the January 2023 meeting. The long delay in response to the representatives concern,  it is believed, was due in part to a staffing issue.

Regardless of the reason, finally, the concerns expressed by Mr. Sigafoos and Mr. Chevalier about the absence of detailed minutes of District Board meetings is being met.

You may view Mr. Sigafoos congratulating the Community College administrative staff on their efforts to begin producing more detailed written minutes of Board meetings by clicking here.

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD

PRESCOTT REGULATORS & SHADY LADIES NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION GIVES $10,000 TO VETERANS, MILITARY AND FAMILY FUND

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, February 16th, 2023

Fund provides scholarships for student veterans and their families pursuing life-lifting education and career training at Yavapai Community College

The Prescott Regulators & Their Shady Ladies nonprofit organization recently donated $10,000 to the Yavapai Community College Foundation in support of the Foundation’s Veterans, Military and Family Fund. This is a scholarship fund created for student veterans and their families pursuing life-lifting education and career training at Yavapai Community College.  The contribution is the largest to date deposited in the Veterans, Military and Family Fund.

The Prescott Regulators & Their Shady Ladies established the scholarship for veteran students in 2016. “Several of the members of our group themselves are veterans. That’s why we chose to support veterans at Yavapai College,” said Monty Packard, the group’s sergeant of arms.

Scholarship recipient thank-you letters and success stories, which are shared at meetings and functions, are all the reward and inspiration members need, said Paige Phares, the organization’s president. “I know that helps our fundraising.”

Photo from website.

The Prescott Regulators & Their Shady Ladies, Inc.  are an award winning 501(c)(3) re-enactment group.  They  are the “Official Old West Ambassadors of Prescott” and for over 12 years have represented Prescott in parades, re-enactments and events around the State of Arizona. 

They were chosen by the State of Arizona as one of only three Western re-enactment groups to perform at the State’s Centennial Celebration “BestFest,” both in Prescott and in Phoenix.  The organization has been honored by “True West Magazine” as the “Best In The West” re-enactment group twice in the last five years and hosted the “Western Area” of the City’s Sesquicentennial Celebration.

Categories : Yavapai Community College

DEADLINE FOR SHOWING INTEREST IN COMPLETING THE LAST TWO YEARS OF PAUL CHEVALIER’S SEAT ON YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD IS FEBRUARY 23

By R. Oliphant
Wednesday, February 15th, 2023

Letter of interest and resume must apparently be in the hands of County school superintendent by Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

Board meeting at CTEC

If you are interested in filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Mr. Paul Chevalier on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board, you must send a letter of interest and a resume to Tim Carter, Yavapai County School Superintendent, Yavapai County Education Service Agency, 2970 Centerpointe East, Prescott, AZ 86301, Fax 928-771-3329, Email: [email protected]. You are instructed to include information about yourself, including family, education, and work experience, why you would like to be a board member, your residence and mailing address, your email address, and home/work phone numbers. Candidates may include up to three letters of recommendation of support if they wish.

To be eligible to hold this seat a person must be a registered voter who resides in District 3, be a citizen of the United States of America, be at least 18 years of age, possess their civil rights, and they or their spouse cannot be employed by the college district. This is a non-partisan seat and the appointment will reflect that statutory requirement.

Deadline for receipt of letters of interest, resumes and letters of recommendation is Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.

As has been the historical precedent for community college appointments, Superintendent Carter will make use of a five (5) member Candidate Review Committee. Committee members will reside in District 3. They will review letters of interest, resumes, and letters of recommendation. The committee will be made up of a taxpayer, a faculty member, a student, an elected official, and a person who works in the area of workforce development. The committee will decide who to interview, establish interview questions, interview the selected candidates on March 6th, and select candidates for consideration by Mr. Carter.

Note that prior to making the final selection, the Superintendent will meet separately with each of the currently seated Yavapai College Board Members for their input on the finalists.

Members of the public from District 3, will also have an opportunity to email their views of the candidates to Mr. Carter or to meet personally with him for a 10-minute meeting from noon to 4 pm on Thursday, March 9th at the Sedona Campus of Yavapai College after the finalists have been announced.  The meetings will be on a first come, first basis.

The appointment should be announced by Friday, March 10th. The term begins upon taking the Oath of Office on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 and will be valid through December 31, 2024. To continue beyond that date, the successful candidate will need to run for the seat in the 2024 general election for a new six-year term beginning January 1, 2025. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Carter at 928-925-6560 (cell).

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, District Governing Board

SEARCH BEGINS FOR “APPROPRIATE” THIRD DISTRICT RUBBER STAMP CANDIDATE TO REPLACE PAUL CHEVALIER

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, February 11th, 2023

It appears clear from January 2023 Board Workshop that a preferred outcome for many on the Governing Board and the Prescott based Community College executives would be a District  representative who quietly brushes under the table the inequitable treatment afforded  Sedona and Verde Valley when it comes to major development, programming, and expenditures

Editor Robert Oliphant

OPINION. With the resignation of Paul Chevalier, the effort is under way to find a replacement for him.  It is clear to most observers of Governing Board meetings over the past four years that there is a  preferred outcome among the Board and Prescott based executives when it comes to the next Third District representative. First, there’s a strong preference for a Representative  who will appropriately rubber stamp anything proposed by the Prescott-based Community College executives that comes before the District Governing Board for approval. 

Second, there’s a similar strong preference for a Representative who will not raise embarrassing questions during Governing Board meetings about the domination of Prescott in the operation of the Community College.   Third, there is a preference for a Representative who will not speak critically to the press, local political leaders,  or the public the Representative represents,  about the direction the Community College is taking in Sedona and the Verde Valley.

If you need proof about these preferences, spend some time reviewing the Workshop held by the District Governing Board on January 31.  It’s easily available.  You can view it by clicking  DGB Workshop (panopto.com).

Once appointed, should the new Representative appear to be stepping out of line, the Board has tools ready to bring the Representative back in-line. One of those tools is peer pressure. Something the Board has used to try and quelch Paul Chevalier’s advocacy for the last four years. If that doesn’t work, the Prescott-area dominated Governing Board will resort to applying and enforcing new Governing Board policies. They  have been specifically tailored to protect Prescott Community College interests from significant critical public disclosure relating to operations or inequitable treatment of areas outside Prescott. 

These tools are poised and ready because the District Board members and College executives fear having another strong advocate in the mold of Mr. Chevalier appointed. The fear is  a result of Mr. Chevalier’s persistent championing of Sedona and the Verde Valley during Board meetings.  It is also a result of his courageous revelations to the public during his tenure about the extraordinary inequitable treatment the east side of the County has received at the hands of the majority west side Governing Board and Prescott based College executives.   

It is clear that the College Administration and the west county Board members want to put an end to being constantly reminded of the enormous inequity in treatment and operation between the two sides of Mingus Mountain.

Chevalier exposed the inequity in such matters as the use of taxpayer money along with an almost total absence of  programming in many  areas on the east side of the County including aviation, athletics, music and the performing arts. He questioned the nonexistence of residence halls, athletic facilities, and  major cultural events on the east side of the County while all these  were exploding  on the west side of the County. It made him extremely  unpopular with the Board and the College executives.

Recall that the Prescott based Community College executives even refused on occasion to provide Mr. Chevalier with detailed information about plans for future Community College development in the Verde Valley and Sedona — forcing him to resort to Arizona’s Open Meeting law to obtain the information.  Also recall that he often asked that matters brought to the Board’s attention by the public during the call to the public be discussed by the Board. He was consistently rebuffed in those efforts. 

At times Mr. Chevalier was sternly lectured about never talking about operations, never speaking out critically of a Governing Board decision, never talking to students or faculty, and never talking with the press. He was admonished during one meeting, for example, for a truthful public comment he made about the lack of Community College involvement with  Camp Verde. 

If history is any teacher of what is ahead, the final appointment for the remaining two years of Mr. Chevalier’s seat will be made by County Education Superintendent Tim Carter. He just did this for the District five seat.  Recall that Mr. Carter, with a small committee, back in 2016  selected a third District representative who had not even lived in the area for one year to replace long-time resident Al Filardo on the Board. The appointment was made despite the fact that a candidate from Sedona, who was intimately  knowledgeable about the Community College and had lived in the area for several years, was rejected.  That 2016 appointment was a “safe” milk-toast appointment. Once in office, there was no rocking of the boat being captained by Prescott interests during the next two years.  (Chevalier ran a spirted campaign for the seat that ousted that person in 2018.)

So, goodbye to courage and serious openness when it comes to Yavapai Community College.  And goodbye to seriously enhancing the educational needs of the Verde Valley and Sedona. The College PR department will talk a good game over the next two years, the word “transparency” will be repeatedly heard, while College executives and the west county majority on the Board simultaneously ensure that Prescott interests are protected from public exposure to any criticism.

 Sedona and the Verde Valley will fade into the background and experience another period of little major development or programming. The most the 70,000 residents on the east side of Mingus Mountain can expect is receipt of leftover scraps from the Governing Board banquet table while  the main meal with all the trimmings remains ready to be devoured by Prescott interests.

Let us hope with the next District Three appointment that I can be proven totally wrong!

Categories : District Governing Board

COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE SCHOLARSHIP ERASES TUITION COSTS FOR 6 YAVAPAI COLLEGE NURSING STUDENTS

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, February 9th, 2023

“Scholarship program aimed at easing the financial burden of higher education for hometown healthcare heroes has extended its benevolence to six more Yavapai College nursing students.”

(The following is a press release from Yavapai Community College of February 3, 2023, authored by J.J. McCormick.) 

The latest cohort of Community Healthcare Scholars celebrated their awards Jan. 25 in the Yavapai College Foundation offices on the YC Prescott Campus. The spring 2023 recipients of the lucrative scholarship are: Katie Anderson, Sada Hendricks, Hailey Mayhan, Shannon Mayotte, Ryan Urban and Peyton Velasco.

The Community Healthcare Scholarship program is made possible by a consortium of philanthropic organizations and healthcare business entities in partnership with the Yavapai College Foundation.

Motivated by his own financial struggles as a medical student, retired physician Dr. David Hess of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Prescott established the scholarship for deserving nursing and radiology technology students in 2012. To date, the program has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to nearly 200 students who, upon graduation, serve on the healthcare frontlines in Yavapai County.

Along with the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Prescott and the YC Foundation, Community Healthcare Scholarship partners are the Margaret T. Morris Foundation, Dignity Health/Yavapai Regional Medical Center, the Harold James Family Trust, Prescott Radiology Group and Fain Signature Group.

The newest Community Healthcare Scholars were elated with their awards.

“Receiving the Community Healthcare Scholarship is an incredible blessing,” said Sada. “As a single mother, the financial challenges of inflation have been particularly difficult and I was afraid that my dream of becoming a nurse was out of reach. I’m so grateful to the donors who made the scholarship possible. It’s a wonderful gift not only to the recipients but also to the community that will benefit from more nurses to provide care in our local facilities.”

Katie said she will be “forever grateful” to Community Healthcare Scholarship donors. “Not having to find the money to pay for school when you already have to scrimp and save to make ends meet is a huge relief,” she said.

As valuable as the financial assistance is the confidence boost the scholarship provides, Katie said. “This is a scary process and it’s easy to doubt my abilities, so it is nice to have the backing of all those that picked mine out of the stack of applications.”

For Hailey, a nursing assistant at Yavapai Regional Medical Center, the Community HealthCare Scholarship means she can work less, study more and better afford her daily commute from Prescott to nursing school at the YC Verde Valley Campus. “With this opportunity, I am able to work part time, and fulfill my placement in the nursing program without the financial stress,” she said.

Categories : Scholarships

COMMUNITY COLLEGE SAYS DR. RHINE AND DEB MCCASLAND FINALISTS IN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY COLLEGE AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE CATEGORY

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, February 9th, 2023

Dr. Rhine is in the running for CEO of the year and Deb McCasland is in the running for Trustee of the Year

Yavapai Community College announced in a press release dated February 3, 2023, that Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine has been selected as one of five finalist for the  CEO of the year by the American Association of Community Colleges. Deb McCasland has also been selected as one of three finalist as Trustee of the Year by the same organization.

Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary

District Governing Board Trustees Chair Deb McCasland

advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The nonprofit association, which is based in Washington, D.C., represents more than 1,000 2-year associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 12 million students.

The five finalists for the CEO of the year are: Chad Brown, President, Zane State College (Ohio); Dorey Diab, President, North Central State College (Ohio); Ryan McCall, President, Marion Technical College (Ohio); Lisa Rhine, President, Yavapai College (Arizona); Beverly Walker-Griffea, President, Mott Community College (Michigan). 

The three finalists for Trustee of the Year are:  Amy Barker, Sinclair Community College (Ohio); Robert Gilbert, Holyoke Community College (Massachusetts); Deborah McCasland, Yavapai College (Arizona).

The winners will be announced at the Awards of Excellence Gala on April 3 during the AACC Annual April 1-4 in Denver, Colorado. 

You may read the Community College press release by clicking here.

Categories : ADMINISTRATION, District Governing Board

PAUL CHEVALIER RESIGNS SEAT AS THIRD DISTRICT REPRESENTATIVE TO COMMUNITY COLLEGE GOVERNING BOARD

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, February 4th, 2023

His tireless advocacy for major community college improvement in Sedona and the Verde Valley  will  be missed

Sedona and the Verde Valley lost an important, tireless strong voice for improving their community college educational opportunities when Paul Chevalier resigned his seat on the Community College District Governing Board  effective Monday, January 30, 2023. 

Paul Chevalier

Despite sometimes ruffling the feathers of the Prescott-based executive who control the Community College in Sedona and the Verde Valley, Chevalier’s voice rang out during Board meetings as an east side advocate. Always thoroughly prepared, he raised questions about unfair expenditures of East County taxpayer funds, the absence of East County programs, and the 50-year failure of any commitment to seriously consider significant Community College development outside the Prescott area.

Unlike a majority on the Governing Board, he was never a rubber stamp ready to approve whatever the Prescott based executives recommended to the Governing Board.  He put the interests of students and the public in his district and the entire County ahead of silent acquiescence, even when he knew that the West side dominated board would mostly ignore him and rubber stamp whatever they were asked to approve.

In his resignation announcement Mr. Chevalier said: 

For four years I have served on the Yavapai College Governing Board as the elected representative of Yavapai County District 3. During this time I have tried my best to support or, alternatively, to recommend the best solutions for whole county college issues and the educational needs of the public of my district.

Today I turned 84 and, while my health is good, this is the moment for me to step down and let someone younger take my position. I am therefore resigning my position with the Board effective today.

Mr. Chevalier was superbly qualified for the position he held on the Governing Board.

EDUCATION 

HARVARD GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL – CAMBRIDGE, MA

ADVANCED MANAGEMENT PROGRAM GRADUATE (AMP), 1979

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS – NEW YORK, NY

MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (MBA), 1966

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW – NEW YORK, NY

BACHELOR OF LAW (LL.B), 1966 COLUMBIA COLLEGE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – NEW YORK, NY

BACHELOR OF ARTS MAJOR IN GOVERNMENT (B.A.), 1960

CIVIC AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES 

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ALUMNI COUNCIL, 1986-1989

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

                DIRECTOR, 1981-1989

                PRESIDENT, 1984-1985

ARIZONA HUMANITIES COUNCIL 2003-2004

CITY OF SEDONA

    1. ARTS & CULTURE COMMISSION, CHAIR 2000-2004 
    2. PERSONNEL BOARD 2001-2003 
    3. YOUTH COMMISSION STUDY COMMITTEE 2003

SEDONA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION 2008- 2013, CHAIR 2011-2013

YAVAPAI COLLEGE VERDE VALLEY BOARD ADVISORY COMMITTEE,  CHAIR 2014-(Committee suspended by Board in late 2016)

SEDONA RED ROCK REVIEW NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST 2001 -2008

 CIVIL INVOLVEMENT PRIOR TO MOVING TO SEDONA

LOS ANGELES CENTER FOR NON-PROFIT MANAGEMENT. DIRECTOR, 1984-198

CALIFORNIA EMPLOYMENT LAW COUNCIL

                DIRECTOR, 1984-1991

                EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE, 1985-1990

                PRESIDENT, 1989

NATIONAL RETAIL FEDERATION – EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COMMITTEE

                MEMBER, 1972-1993

                CHAIR 1979-1982

NATIONAL BUSINESS ROUNDTABLE – EMPLOYEE RELATIONS COMMITTEE

                STAFF REPRESENTATIVE, 1985-1993

JONATHAN ART FOUNDATION, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

(CURRENTLY THE FOUNDATION HAS  OVER 6 MILLION $ OF EARLY

 CALIFORNIA PAINTINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS THAT IT LOANS TO MUSEUMS,

AND SHOWS FOR THE PUBLIC.)

                FOUNDER, 1987

                PRESIDENT, 1987-1990

                CHAIRMAN EMERITUS, 1990-PRESENT

Military Experience

                ACTIVE DUTY UNITED STATES NAVY, 1960-1963

SERVED AS A NAVY OFFICER (FINAL RANK LT.) ON THE USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-63) MY MAIN DUTIES: FLEET OFFICER OF THE DECK UNDERWAY AND SHIP’S LEGAL OFFICER.

Career Experience

CONSULTANT, 1994-1998

                INVESTIGATIVE CONSULTING WITH REGARD TO DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT ISSUES.FOR DISNEY, DREAM WORKS, AND OTHER MULTI NATIONAL BUSINESSES AND NATIONAL LAW FIRMS

CARTER HAWLEY HALE STORES, INC. LOS ANGELES, CA, 1972-1993

(RENAMED BROADWAY STORES INC. AND TODAY MOSTLY PART OF MACY’S)

 AT THE TIME CHH WAS A $4 BILLION IN SALES RETAIL CORPORATION WITH OVER 40,000 REGULAR EMPLOYEES IN ITS BROADWAY, EMPORIUM, CAPWELLS, CONTEMPO CASUALS, WEINSTOCK’S, NEIMAN MARCUS, BERGDORF GOODMAN AND WALDENBOOKS STORES LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND HOLT-FENFREW IN CANADA.

DUTIES; CORPORATE SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT-EMPLOYEE RELATIONS

                                 LITIGATED  BEFORE THE NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD AND                                                 STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS INCLUDING THE U.S. SUPREME COURT

                                RESOLVING EMPLOYEE COMPLAINTS OF DISCRIMINATION OR                                                      HARASSMENT.

                                DESIGNING AND IMPLEMENTING AFFIRMATIVE ACTION POLICIES.

                                HANDLING ALL LABOR RELATIONS WITH UNIONS.

                                DEVELOPING AND MANAGING THE CORPORATIONS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS INCLUDING MEDICAL AND PENSIONS                                                                 

MONTGOMERY WARD & CO. – CHICAGO ILLINOIS & OAKLAND, CA   1967-1972

AT THIS TIME MONTGOMERY WARD WAS A $2 BILLION IN SALES NATIONAL RETAILER WITH OVER 40,000 EMPLOYEES.

                DIRECTOR, LABOR RELATIONS, WESTERN REGION – 8 STATES

Categories : GOVERNING BOARD

DEB MCCASLAND RETAINS SEAT ON DISTRICT GOVERNING BOARD AS CHAIR FOR NEXT TWO YEARS

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 3rd, 2023

Chris Kuknyo elected as District Governing Board Secretary; Board remains firmly in hands of residents living in the Prescott area; Steve Bracety (Dist. 5) attends first meeting; Paul Chevalier (Dist. 3) resigns

Chair Deb McCasland

Chris Kuknyo

Deb McCasland was elected to continue her role as Chair of the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board for another two years during the Board meeting  held January 31, 2023 at the College’s Prescott airport Career and Technical Education Center.  Chris Kuknyo was elected Board Secretary. 

This election marks a decade or more when the Board officers have been selected from residents of Yavapai County who live on the west side of the County.  While Ms. McCasland’s district covers a portion of the east and west sides of the County, she is a Prescott Valley resident.  Mr. Kuknyo’s district includes Antelope, Ashfork, Big Chino, Camp Wood, Chino Valley 1 and 2, Country Park, Cougar, Coyote Springs, Deep Well, Drake, Granite, Perkinsville, Pinon Oaks, Sandretto, Seligman, Shadow Valley, Spruce, Williamson Valley, West Chino, and Willow.

This was the first meeting for Steve Bacety, whose district encompasses Castle, Diamond Valley, Glassford, Granville, Groom Creek, Horseshoe, Lynx Creek, Mountain View, Prescott Valley 1/Navajo, Prescott Valley 2, Pronghorn View, Roundup, Superstition, and Yavapai Hills.  Mr. Paul Chevalier resigned one day before the meeting. Mr. Chevalier represented District 3, which encompasses Sedona and a large portion of the Verde Valley.

You may view a video of the election by clicking here.

Categories : Election 2023

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE PLANS TO EXPERIMENT WITH VIRTUAL REALITY CLASSROOM TEACHING

By R. Oliphant
Friday, February 3rd, 2023

Receives 25 Meta Quest 2 headsets free plus initial training and classrooms as part of start-up Victory XR Corporation’s effort to obtain clients for its “Metaversity”

In a February 1, 2023 news release, Yavapai Community College said that it received 25 Meta Quest 2 headsets to be used by students and instructors. The Community College will also have ten branded classrooms at VictoryXR’s Virtual Academy and faculty and staff will receive training from VictoryXR. You may read the entire press release by clicking here. 

Although not mentioned in the press release, the free headsets are mostly likely a part of the marketing strategy of VictoryXR to obtain customers as it continues to experiment and develop its platform for delivering educational training via the use of the Quest headsets. 

College President Dr. Lisa Rhine appears to be a very strong advocate of virtual reality teaching and learning.  She is quoted in the February 1 Community College press release as follows:  “Yavapai College is poised to bring the future of education to our students and communities. Virtual and augmented reality is going to change almost every industry, including education, and YC plans to be on the cutting edge of that change.”

She added:  “I participated in classes at the VictoryXR Virtual Academy, and it is an incredible way to teach and learn. We must change the mindset that technology will eliminate the need for people to work or learn. It is not, but it will change how people work and learn.”

A January story from  Northern Illinois University provides some insight into how it is being used.  NIU is one of 10 pilot institutions as of January 2023 working with VictoryXR. Jason Rhode, Associate Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, and Digital Education, explained that when using the headset he found “[i]t’s not the full campus — there’s still lots of open cyberspace. But, it includes a virtual version of Altgeld Hall, among a few other campus buildings. You can even go inside of the student center. The technology isn’t perfect. It’s not photorealistic — it looks more like high-end Nintendo Wii graphics. And, as I learned myself, a shaky WiFi connection or network error can boot you from a session.” NIU intends to continue developing classes using the technology. (Click here for full NIU story.)

Yavapai anticipates having its first virtual reality classes in the fall 2023.

Note a recent posting on the internet claimed the following:   VictoryXR was founded in 2016 by Steve Grubbs. The company began in Davenport, Iowa and has since opened a second office in Austin, Texas. The company began with three employees, and has since grown to over 25.

If you are interested in learning a little bit more about virtual reality education, you can click on some of the sites below for more information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4bDOgjLIks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qtTbCOrlaE

https://www.victoryxr.com/healthcare-health-sciences/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTdOU0vcEyk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF6BhJDeWtg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocqg5TDOm-c

HOME SCHOOL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLjU7Z54iGo

Categories : METAVERSITY
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