Driven by the competitive market for students,  Yavapai Community College aims to be first in nation to earn Higher Learning Commission Accreditation for 92-Credit B.A.—Recognition by other institutions remains uncertain if HLC approves

Colleges and universities typically require 120 credits for a B.A. degree, as this standard reflects the nation-wide amount of study time deemed necessary for comprehensive understanding in a subject area. This requirement includes both general education courses across various disciplines and focused coursework within a chosen major. The 120 credits are intended to ensure students graduate with adequate preparation for the workforce, balancing broad education with specialized knowledge in their field.

The 120-credit benchmark also facilitates easier transfer of credits between institutions and maintains consistency in academic expectations. While 120 credits is the standard minimum, some programs require over 140 credits to meet specific professional or academic demands. This 120-credit standard was established about 125 years ago to bring uniformity to college education in the United States.

A student typically needs 60 credit hours to obtain an Associate in Arts (AA) degree at Yavapai Community College. This is designed for transferring to a baccalaureate-granting institution.

According to the Community College’s October 30, 2024, news release, “Yavapai [Community] College is endeavoring to change the traditional dynamics of higher education with a new Optimized 92-credit Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Degree, designed to be completed within three years.” The 92 hour requirement will provide students “with the opportunity to create optimized bachelor’s degrees that are more affordable and reduce the completion time for students. This new opportunity will allow students to complete a degree in three years rather than four.”

The press release further states that “Yavapai Community] College has positioned itself to be the first community college in the country to offer a reduced credit baccalaureate degree. The College has undergone its curriculum process, and the Yavapai College District Governing Board unanimously approved the degree at its October meeting. The degree must go through the HLC approval process, and if all goes well, it will launch for the fall 2025 semester.”

The Community College complies with HLC’s Criteria for Accreditation and other HLC requirements necessary for its operation and delivery of educational programs

Yavapai Community College was notified in January 2023 that it has been reaccredited by the Higher Learning Commission following HCL’s examination in September 2022.  The reaccreditation runs for ten years.

Accreditation is a process used in higher education that is intended to assure students that the classes and services they receive are high quality. It is necessary before  Community College students can apply for federal grants and financial aid.  It also aids in certifying that the Community College meets academic quality standards, and ensures that it has qualified and credentialed faculty at all teaching levels.

Yavapai Community College’s reaccreditation encompasses all six College locations, including Prescott and Verde Valley Campuses, Chino Valley, Prescott Valley, Sedona, and the Career and Technical Education Center. It also includes all delivery methods, including in-person, online, hybrid, and any other distance learning, as well as early college programs in Yavapai County high schools.

Voluntary, peer-review process helps ensure that the practices and procedures taught at the college are of the highest professional standards

In a news release, Yavapai College reported that its associate degree nursing program has received continuing accreditation from the responsible granting body, the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

While the college itself is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission, accreditation through ACEN is specific to the nursing program and is a voluntary, peer-review process that helps to ensure that the practices and procedures taught at the college are of the highest professional standards and are maintained through continuous self-assessment, planning and improvement. According to ACEN’s website (www.acenuring.org), “Accreditation indicates to the general public and to the educational community that a nursing program has clear and appropriate educational objectives and is working to achieve these objectives.”

The College said that a three-member team from ACEN conducted a three-day site visit to the Clarkdale and Prescott campuses to evaluate the nursing program. Elements of the program assessment included a review of the program and college resources, program mission and the qualifications and experience held by nursing program director, Mary Brown, and all full and part-time faculty and staff.

Since 1980, Yavapai College has graduated 2,161 nursing students from its associate degree program.

Claims they wanted to look just at the Sedona Center and CTEC—is there something odd going on here?

President Penelope Wills exhibited surprise to the District Governing Board at a visit by the North Central Higher Learning Commission to the College on November 9, 2015.  According to Wills, they came back “because they wanted to look at our centers. They selected, which is their right to do, both Sedona and CTEC.”  (You may click here to view Wills’ statement to the Governing Board.)

Wills said  that“they had no recommendations for us, and in fact commendations for the planning that went into CTEC and the planning that is being planned starting tomorrow, um, in Sedona. And they very much appreciated that.  So here’s a third party saying we’re doing this right.”

An odd visit, to say the least? Or, one set up for political purposes?

There are a few issues regarding the Wills’ report that are odd:  First, visits to Colleges are normally arranged with an Administration before the evaluators arrive on campus.  Wills’ suggested to the Governing Board that the visit was a surprise to her. That is odd.

Second, checking the on-line accreditation records from the Higher Learning Commission (shown above)  do not indicated that any accreditation visits to Yavapai Community were planned or anticipated in 2015.  In fact, the next accreditation visit of any kind to the Campus is scheduled for 2017.  So this visit is odd.  (You may also view the Higher Learning Web site showing dates for accreditation of Yavapai College  by clicking here.)  

Third, the lack of access by East County residents and high school students is a fact and under scrutiny in many quarters at present.  It seems odd the evaluators would select CTEC and fail to see the obvious inequity in how the County Community College is treating about one-third of its residents.

Fourth, the Sedona Center is likewise under intense scrutiny in many quarters at the present time.  Yet, it was also selected by this mystery evaluation team.  Wills’ did not explain what she meant by the “planning that is being planned” for the Sedona Center so the public is left in the dark about what she meant.  So is the Governing Board.

Was this a political effort by the Wills’ administration to gain outside support for its paltry efforts to serve the East side of the County?  Or what was it?  The Blog will continue to try and find out.  But according to the  commission online dates for accrditation,  the visit must have been for something else. Ummm?