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Eye on Yavapai College

Yavapai Community College in Northern Arizona

Archive for Sedona Campus – Page 2

FIRST IT WAS THE SUDDEN DEPARTURE OF SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY’S OUTSTANDING DEAN REDD; NOW AWARD WINNING CHEF AND DIRECTOR OF SEDONA CULINARY ARTS AND HOSPITALITY PROGRAM IS OUT AFTER MAY 14

By R. Oliphant

Friday, March 25th, 2022

Blog learns that Chef Robert Barr’s contract with Community College will not be renewed after May 14; reasons for Community College’s non-renewal decision unclear

Sedona Center Culinary and Hospitality Program Director Robert K. Barr

The Blog has learned from reliable sources that the Culinary and Hospitality Program Director at the Sedona Culinary Institute, Robert K. Barr, has been notified by Yavapai Community College that his contract with the College will end May 14. According to those sources, the bad news for Sedona and the Verde Valley was delivered through then Sedona/Verde Dean Dr. Tina Redd sometime before she suddenly resigned.

Like Dr. Redd, Mr. Barr joined Yavapai Community College in 2018 with sterling credentials and experience. He had worked as instructor, restaurant owner and resort administrator and had served as personal chef to Ray Charles, Reba McEntire and former Vice President Dan Quayle.

He had 30 years’ of experience in every facet of food preparation, service and management. He is the recipient of the Presidential Medallion, as well as a High Gold Medal and multiple silver medals from the American Culinary Federation. In 1997 he was named as one of the Best Chefs in America by the Restaurant Hospitality Rating Bureau. He came to Yavapai Community College from the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Scottsdale, where he has served as Chef Instructor from 2015-2018.

The Blog believes that Mr. Barr was seeking to expand programs to teach higher level cooking skills at the Sedona facility but his efforts may not have been well received. He may also have agreed with others in the Sedona/Verde Valley region that to succeed as a destination facility, the Institute had to have four kitchens, more space, and adequate student housing. These views have not found favor with the previous and present Prescott based administrations.

The implications of the Community College decision to end its relationship with Mr. Barr are unclear. Those who are most distrustful of the Prescott Community College executives and their total control over the Sedona Culinary Institute fear that it may signal a first step in a slow but gradual effort to once again shutter the facility.

Everyone in Sedona and the Verde Valley will be carefully watching developments at the Institute over the next few months.

Categories : Culinary Arts, Sedona 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

SEDONA RED ROCK NEWS REMINDS US THAT 10 YEARS AGO SEDONA CENTER FILM SCHOOL HAD FIVE FILMS CREATED BY STUDENTS AT SEDONA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

By R. Oliphant

Thursday, February 24th, 2022

Yavapai Community College’s decision to completely abandon the thriving film school program in 2013 still has some Verde Valley residents scratching their heads

The Sedona Red Rock News on February 16, 2022, reminded us that it was just ten years ago, February 17, 2012, when Yavapai Community College students were turning out great student films at the Community College’s Sedona Center. That year, the Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) featured five films created by students attending the Sedona Center’s film school. Those films and nine others all had Arizona ties as either films shot in Arizona or films made by Arizona residents. “There are a lot of great films made right here in Sedona and around Arizona in this year’s festival. We’re so proud to have so many local filmmakers who won a spot in the festival. They went through the screening process, just like all of the other films,” said Sagan Lewis, program director for SIFF.

Here is a part of the Redrock News report of February, 2022 (in Blue), slightly edited, that recalled the accomplishments of some Yavapai Community College students studying film making at the Sedona Center ten years ago:

A five-member team screens every film submitted for consideration. This year they received more than 850 films, which they pared down to 145.

One of the . . . films by [Yavapai student] Susanne Barr is “Christel Clear” about a trauma nurse who discovers she has a special gift that changes people’s lives.

Bianca Luedeker [Yavapai Student] created a film about her dream to follow in the footsteps of her idol in “I Want to Be Tom Savini.” “It’s mostly about makeup special effects and my personal experience while on vacation without my parents for the first time,” Luedeker said.

“Symmetry” is a suspense between a homicide detective and a vigilante that turns deadly. Filmmaker [Yavapai student] Jeremy Naranjo said he plans to make a feature-length version of the 18-minute short fictional film. “I studied political science to be a lawyer but after serving an internship in Washington, D.C., I decided I didn’t want to be a lawyer,” Naranjo said. “I find filmmaking challenges you on every level, and that’s something I’m drawn to.”

Katja Torneman [Yavapai student] created a documentary around her passions: conservation and the environment. With “Anna, Emma and the Condors,” Torneman worked with a family dedicated to saving the large birds. “We worked together for a year to make this film. I want to spread the message we can make a change; we just have to do it,” Torneman said.

The final . . . student-made film [by Yavapai student Karin Kwaitkowski] is “The Stopwatch Gang” about the true story of three men from Canada who used a stopwatch when robbing banks during the 1970s and early 1980s.

The reader might recall that the Sedona Film School, was the successor to the internationally acclaimed Zaki Gordon Film School, which had partnered with Yavapai Community College beginning in 2000. The Institute severed its relationship in 2011 with the College after a dust-up of some sort over control between then College president Penelope Wills and Dan Gordon. The Zaki Gordon Institute moved to Liberty University where today it is recognized as providing one of the better college film training programs in the nation.

Two years following the breakdown of the Community College’s relationship with Dan Gordon, in October 2013, Sedona and Verde Valley residents were taken totally by surprise and stunned by the College’s Administration’s sudden decision to completely abandon the film making program in Sedona. The abandonment was a part of the ten-year $103 million College development plan, which anticipated spending over 95% of development funds on west county community college improvement. The original plan contemplated entirely closing the Sedona facility and putting it up for sale. Once the Sedona Center was shuttered and sold, Wills promised to lease other facilities in the area for OLLI and any other programs.

The plans to shutter the Sedona Center completely were thwarted by local Sedona politicians and residents throughout the Verde Valley. However, the College refused to return the film school to Sedona.

Although the Community College has some involvement this year with the Sedona International Film Festival, it is pretty clear that emphasis in the College’s film training is now primarily located on the Prescott Campus as evidenced by the Yavapai College Film and Media Arts Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/YCFilmandMediaArts/. There is no film school training at the Sedona Center.

Categories : Film School, Sedona 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

COMMUNITY COLLEGE SAYS TEN OF ELEVEN PERFORMING ARTS PROGRAMS TAUGHT ONLY ON WEST SIDE OF COUNTY

By R. Oliphant

Thursday, November 18th, 2021

Director of Programming and Development, Associate Dean of Performing Arts, Dr. Craig Ralston also informs Third District Representative Paul Chevalier that a committee has been formed to look into whether the PAC at Red Rock High School can be used by the Community College

Third District Representative Paul Chevalier

Dr. Craig Ralston, the Director of Programming and Development, Associate Dean of Performing Arts at Yavapai Community College, informed Mr. Paul Chevalier, Third District Community College representative, at the November 9 Governing Board meeting, that 10 of the 11 Performing Arts programs were offered only on the Prescott Campus. He also reported that a committee has been formed in Sedona consisting of the [Sedona] Chamber, members of the Film Festival, and representatives of Chamber Music of Sedona who are “in negotiations to talk about the Performing Arts Center.”

Regarding the Committee, Dr. Ralston explained that “We’re sitting down at the table to say that it is an amazing facility, how can we use it and how can the school go flex with us – they’ve been pretty resistant.”

Representative Chevalier lauded Dr. Ralston for his outstanding work on developing the performing arts programs saying “you have done this great job on the west side and I’m hoping the College will focus strongly on bringing all these things to the east side. Word will get out fast as we are all interested in the arts over there and that will be positive not only for students, but it will be a real positive for the college.”

Chevalier also noted that Mingus Union High School, under the leadership of James Ball, has a great performing arts program. However, according to him, when students graduate from Mingus high school, “unless they have a lot of money, or want to leave, they have no local place to continue pursuing music, performing arts and drama.”

Below is a video clip of the discussion between Mr. Chevalier and Dr. Ralston related to where the programs are taught and the existence of the new committee. A full video of the meeting may be posted at some point on the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board website.

Categories : Performing Arts Center, Sedona Campus

ARTIST JORDAN ROSS RECEPTION NOV. 3, 2:30 – 4:30 SEDONA CENTER

By R. Oliphant

Sunday, October 31st, 2021

Categories : Sedona Campus

COMMUNITY COLLEGE DRAGS ITS FEET DESPITE RECOGNIZING 20-YEAR PROBLEM PLAGUING DEVELOPMENT OF SEDONA CENTER, WHICH IS NO ADEQUATE STUDENT HOUSING

By R. Oliphant

Friday, October 15th, 2021

Has yet to even set up a committee to work on finding private/public partnership suggested in 2020 despite Dr. Rhine acknowledging possible student east County residential need in September 2021

Yavapai Community College continues to drag its feet on working on a solution to the serious lack of student housing that has plagued the Yavapai Community College’s Sedona Center since it opened in 2000. While it drags its feet, the Center struggles to survive.

Why is the College so slow to react? Is it because the Sedona Center is so far from the Community College’s executives based in Prescott that actual development will never be a priority in the lens of the administration? Maybe, in the far reaches of their minds, the Community College executives are still contemplating what the former president tried to do in 2013-14, that is, shutter the Center for good.

Does the College really care that low enrollment forced it to close down the Restaurant and Hotel Management program at the Sedona Center for this year? Is it seriously concerned that in the fall 2021 Culinary Institute registration was low? Or that for 20 years, the lack of student housing has been a constant, obvious problem?

In an interview with Sedona Red Rock News reporter Ron Eland in the October 13, 2021 newspaper, Vice President of Community Relations & Student Development for Yavapai College, Rodney Jenkins, lamented the lack of student housing for the Center. However, he seemed to imply that added housing would not help draw students from outside Sedona to the program. He is quoted in the newspaper article as saying:

“The problem with that is housing. We have to somehow address the housing issue if we want to expand the destination piece of it. On top of that, there is a tremendous amount of competition across the country. So, what’s the draw to bring someone from, say Ohio, to Sedona to take the course when there are like, 1,500 to 1,600 programs in between the two? We have to be very realistic. We are looking under every rock to breathe more life into the program.”

The lack of housing history for students is checkered, at best. Recall that back in 2001-2002, when enrollment was at an all-time high, the Community College considered purchasing land to expand the Center. But that effort went nowhere.

Also recall that in a letter to the District Governing Board in March 2018 Vice President of Finance Dr. Clint Ewell recommended the following:

“We recommend working with a consulting firm to develop a Public-Private Partnership (3P). In this arrangement, we would issue an RFP for a private company to find capital to build a residence hall (location TBD), and would strive to structure the deal in a way which eliminated College capital and minimized operational costs. ($7.6M, 30k sq ft).”

The recommendation was accepted by the District Governing Board at its April 2018 meeting.

Furthermore, at its March 2020 Board meeting, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board members were presented with a detailed study commissioned by the College to determine the efficacy of purchasing land and locating a hotel on property adjacent the Sedona Center. The Board appeared most interested in purchasing an additional five acres adjacent the Center. If a purchase were made, the Board would then decide its best use.

The study claimed that “Market justification exists for development of a hotel adjacent to Yavapai College’s Sedona Center.” But so far, nothing has come of this study.

Finally, recall that as late as September 2021 Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine suggested during a Governing Board meeting the possibility of an affordable residence hall on the east side of the County for Community College students. However, to many, Dr. Rhine appeared less than enthusiastic about the idea.

At a public meeting, a couple of weeks ago, a check by the Blog with Dr. Tina Redd, Verde Valley Community College Dean, indicated no committee had been created to look into the possibility of a public/private residence hall partnership on the east side of the County.

In other words, the Community College is “all talk” when it comes to establishing a residence hall anywhere in the Sedona/Verde Valley area. But “no action.”

While the Community College has built three residence halls on the west side (one was recently torn down), it has never seriously considered construction of a single one of the east side. Will that change? Very doubtful.

Categories : Residence halls, Sedona Campus

SEDONA CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ASK COMMUNITY COLLEGE EXECS TO PRODUCE FOUR-YEAR REPORT ON AMOUNT OF TAXES PAID BY SEDONA VERDE VALLEY RESIDENTS

By R. Oliphant

Friday, October 8th, 2021

Also asks it to provide accounting showing how tax money from east C0unty was spent; Execs say the College is “transparent” and will respond but need request in writing; Council member noted similar request made two and half or three years ago but no response so far

Sedona Vice Mayor Scott Jablow with Community College “Budget in Brief” handout

Sedona Vice Mayor Scott Jablow and Councilor Jessica Williamson have asked that the Community College provide a tax accounting showing how much tax money has been received over the last four-year period by the College from the cities, towns, and unincorporated areas of the Verde Valley. They have also asked that an estimate be provided showing how much of the tax money collected was returned as an investment in the Sedona/Verde Valley area. The requests were made during the September 28 meeting of the Council where the Community College was providing an update on College activities in the Sedona/Verde Valley area.

Sedona Vice Mayor Scott Jablow reminded the Community College executives who were presenting the update that a similar request had been made two and a half or three years ago but so far the College had not responded.

Councilor Jessica Williamson recalled that at some point in past meetings with the Community College it was suggested by College executives that such an accounting was “impossible to do.” This did not appear persuasive to Ms. Williamson.

The Community College responded that it was “transparent” and asked that the request be made in writing so it could be presented to the Chief Financial Officer in Prescott. The Councilors agreed to do so.

A video clip obtained from the Sedona City website with added Blog comments of the discussion follows below.

Categories : Budget, Sedona Campus

SEDONA CENTER HOTEL AND RESTAURANT CERTIFICATE PROGRAM PUT ON HOLD FOR THIS ACADEMIC YEAR

By R. Oliphant

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021

Program will be “revamped” – brochures at Verde Valley Governing Board September meeting described the certificate program and requirements, however, no courses are being offered

There were a number of brochures at the entry table for the September 14 Governing Board meeting at the Verde Valley Campus describing in detail the Hotel and Restaurant Management certificate program at the Sedona Center. Among other matters in the brochure was a list of 11 courses that would lead to a certificate in Hotel and Restaurant management.

Unfortunately, the entire program is on hold. This decision is based on the Community College’s experience with COVID– 19 this past year and the industry. There were no classes offered in fall 2021 and no classes will be offered in spring 2022.

The Community College feels the program needs to be revamped and is looking forward to a new and more up-two-date approach to the Hospitality courses at the Sedona Center in the future.

The Community College has not announced a new date for restarting the program.

You may recall that in December 2017 that the Community College reported that the culinary program opened at the Sedona Center that fall had got off to a strong start. However, because of low enrollment, the hospitality programs offered on the Verde Valley Campus failed to open in the fall of 2017. During questioning by the Sedona Council at a December 2017 meeting, Verde Valley Campus Executive Dean James Perey said that he is meeting with the Yavapai-Apache Nation in December to explore the possibility of using the Nation’s new hotel as a facility to provide real life training in hospitality.

Perey said he has been told by businesses in the area that they are seeking employees who have both culinary and hospitality training. He sees a partnership with the Nation as an answer to the low enrollment in hospitality courses. The hotel offers the possibility of real life clinical training in hospitality management.

The program was moved to the Culinary Institute in 2018 at the Community College’s Sedona Center. That is where it now resides.

You may also recall that in 2019 the Community College announced that the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management would be available at the Prescott Campus as a second location for the program beginning September 2019. There is no indication it will be offered at the Prescott Campus this academic year.

Categories : Hotel Restaurant Management, Sedona Campus

SEDONA CENTER FOR ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY OFFERS ONLY FIVE COURSES FOR FALL SEMESTER

By R. Oliphant

Saturday, August 14th, 2021

All courses are in the culinary program; so far only 49 of 84 seats have been filled for the fall semester

Yavapai Community College is offering only five courses this fall at the Sedona Center for Arts and Technology. All of those courses are in its culinary program.

Registration data from the Community College as of August 14, 2021, indicated that so far only 49 of 84 seats had been filled. However, one of the five courses does not begin until October 11 and accounted for 12 vacant seats. Of the four courses that begin August 16, 45 of the available 68 seats had been filled; 23 remain open.

One may recall that back in 2001, the Sedona Center had been open only one year when in June 2001 the Administration began looking to purchase up to 80 acres of land of the Coconino National Forest adjacent the Center. The purpose was to expand the facility to meet the unexpected huge number of students seeking admission to the Zaki Gordon Film Institute, which was based at the Center and worked cooperatively with Yavapai Community College.

The Red Rock News of June 13, 2001, reported that Keith Harwood of the special projects office of the Community College president’s office was interviewed about the lack of space to accommodate applicants to the film program. He said, “we’re bursting at the seams. In the short term, we expected to have 100 in our Sedona multimedia program and we have 500.” The 20,000 square foot Center had only six classrooms. It was also reported that there was a two-year waiting list to get into the program.

However, the film school training began to collapse following a 2011 dust up between the Film Institute’s Director and the Community College president over curriculum and control. Shortly thereafter the Independent Film Institute fled to a private university. The College insisted the program would continue to thrive and remain open.

However, in 2015 the film school was closed by the College President and the Community College director of the Sedona programs (who lived in Prescott). The Community College then began moving video training to the Verde and Prescott campuses. (The theory the College administration was following was to sell the Sedona Center and lease property for any classes and OLLI.) Today, the small film training program appears to be mostly based in Prescott. The threat to sell the Sedona Center was blunted by local educational advocates but strong enrollment or a variety of class offerings have not returned after its renovation and reopening.

Categories : Culinary Arts, Sedona Campus