President’s report avoids any details on student enrollment, status, or future plans for Sedona Center and Verde Valley Campus; main focus was on renovation of Prescott Pines camp

The Yavapai Community College Governing Board convened for its first public meeting since May 2024 on September 24. However, during President Dr. Lisa Rhine’s report to the Board, scant information was shared regarding past and present student enrollment figures for the Sedona Center and Verde Valley campus.

For many residents, student enrollment trends are a critical indicator of the institution’s vitality and its role in serving the community. Yet, this key concern remains unresolved, leaving residents in the dark about the current status of enrollment—a matter that directly impacts the college’s ability to fulfill its mission.

The lack of transparency raises questions about whether the publicly funded community college intends to provide clear and comprehensive data to the taxpayers who support it. Without this information, there remains a growing sense of frustration among residents who deserve to understand the college’s operational health and the effectiveness of its educational outreach.

No information yet about Yavapai Community College fall enrollment

In a press release, Pima Community College announced that its enrollment had increased for the seventh consecutive semester, making it the first Arizona community college to release data on fall 2024 enrollment. As of now, Yavapai Community College has not issued a report on its fall enrollment figures.

According to the Pima press release, first-day enrollment for the fall semester rose by 4% compared to the same day last year, extending the college’s upward enrollment trend over the past two years. Fall classes began on Monday, August 26, 2024.

First-day fall credit enrollment, which measures the number of courses students take, was 53,896, up 4.08% from last fall. Fall headcount, the number of students taking classes, was 17,918, up 1% from last fall.

First-day enrollment numbers don’t reflect what’s expected to be another sharp increase in dual enrollment students, where students take classes in their high schools for PCC credit. Last year, 6,027 high school students enrolled in PCC’s dual enrollment classes.

University claims it has grown enrollment from across the state, particularly from Coconino County, which increased by 19%, and Maricopa and Pima counties, which both increased by 3% since 2023. Yavapai County enrollment grew by 75% but the University offered no explanation for this increase including the time period it was using or whether it applied only to first-year students

The University of Arizona announced in a news release that its statewide enrollment has increased, highlighting a 19% growth from Coconino County and a 3% increase from both Maricopa and Pima counties since 2023. Additionally, the University reported a 75% rise in Yavapai County enrollment but did not provide any explanation for this significant jump.

The University says that more than 9,300 first-year students – including a record 4,900 Arizona residents are enrolled for the fall semester. This is a record for the University.

The school also noted that the first-year students are also the most diverse class in the UA’s history: Half of the class self-identify as ethnicities other than white.

“The University of Arizona community is proud to welcome the largest and most diverse class in university history,” UA President Robert C. Robbins said in the news release. “These accomplished students exemplify the academic rigor, determination and spirit of exploration that makes this university so great. I wish them all the best as they embark on their Wildcat journey.”

Staff cuts, classroom closures, online classes, and emphasis on  west side county community college development hinder serious east side growth

The student enrollment data over the last two decades  paints a grim picture for the Sedona Center and the Verde Valley campus.  For example, the Sedona Center alone dropped from 125 FTSE in 2004/05 to 14 FTSE in 2022/2023. (FTSE is a calculation used by colleges that translates student credit hours into an equivalent number of full-time, full-year students.)

In 2004/04  the Verde Valley campus had an enrollment of 621 FTSE students but plummeted  to 167 FTSE by 2022/2023.

If you go back a little over ten years ago, enrollment dropped from combined total at the Sedona Center and Verde Valley Campus of 752 FTE in 2009/2010 to 181 FTSE in 2022-2023.   Sedona alone dropped from 125 FTSE in 2004 to 14 FTSE  in 2022/2023.

There are a host of reasons that may explain the huge change in FTSE at the Sedona Center and the Verde Valley campus  Here are a list that includes several of them:

1. From December 2007 to June 2009 the great modern recession was the longest since World War II. It affected enrollment in the District.
2. Around 2010/11 the Prescott leadership began  reducing staff and faculty at the Sedona Center and the Verde Valley Campus. They were not replaced when the situation improved. The number of actual classrooms was also reduced.
3. In 2012 the Community College president and the head of the Zaki Gordon Institute in Sedona got into a kind of “dust up” over course approval.  This caused the Institute  to unexpectedly pull up stakes and move to a university.
4. Once the Zaki Gordon Institute left the Sedona Center, the newly renamed Yavapai Community College Sedona Film School floundered  from 2012 to 2014 because of poor development. It was then closed.
5. Around 2015 the Prescott based Community College leadership decided to possibly close and sell the Sedona Center for Arts and Technology and lease space in Sedona for any programs. Only an uprising of local residents prevented its closing. The residents also caused the Prescott leadership to reverse a potential decision to move the Verde Valley nursing program to Prescott Valley.
6. The Sedona Center was closed from 2015 to 2017. When it opened it featured culinary and hotel management classes.  The hotel and restaurant training program floundered because of poor development and eventually closed. In addition, there have been repeated leadership changes at the culinary facility since 2017 with only a limited number of classes being offered.
7. The Prescott Community College leadership decided to partially close the Verde Valley campus for infrastructure renovation in 2011-2013. To outsiders, the campus appeared completely shut down even though it was not. Enrollment fell dramatically as residents misperceived what was happening.
8. The Prescott Community College leadership in 2012-13 began investing multi-millions of dollars in development on the Prescott side of Mingus Mountain, essentially excluding the Sedona Center and the Verde Valley for serious major future development. For example, in  2012-2013 Prescott leadership-designed a  $103.5 million renovation/construction program, with over 95% of the projects initially scheduled for the Prescott  side of the County.
9. From 2020 to 2022  the pandemic caused many Community College facilities to close to students as online instruction became dominant.
10.  The Community College invested in purchasing and developing its own  Career and Technical Education campus at Prescott airport in 2007-08. It began heavily investing in its development around 2011 and has continued to do so.
11. Beginning around 2011 there was a renewed interest by the Community College leadership in the Performing Arts Center located on the Prescott campus. Millions were directed  to support and transform the Center into one of the finest high-tech facilities of its kind on any college campus.
12. Beginning around 2012-13 major beautification projects were undertaken on the Prescott campus.
13. From 2012 on, millions were poured into the ever-expanding athletic program at the Prescott campus with the addition of several new teams and coaching staff.
14.   Around 2015 the Community College began upgrading and expanding its health care programs with an apparent emphasis on the  Prescott Valley Center and on the Prescott campus.
15. Large grants, such as the one in electrical line-worker training, were directed to the Chino Valley Center. A commercial truck driving program was added at the Chino Valley Center, along with a sophisticated drone program.
16.   The Prescott based Community College leadership focused on the needs of retirees and families on the Prescott  side of the County and poured millions into projects for them.  For example, over the last 15 years, the Prescott campus created a major childcare training center with a partial grant from the Dell Foundation. For another example, the leadership approved renovating its older tennis courts, so it now has an outstanding lighted seven court professional tennis complex. It also renovated and improved its indoor Olympic-sized pool and senior bathing facility on the Prescott campus. The Performing Arts Center is attended primarily by Prescott/Prescott Valley residents.
17. The leadership approved construction of a soccer training field and new facilities for its theatre arts program on the Prescott campus.  
18. So far in the last two years (2023-24), the Community College has scrapped a host of programs approved in concept by the Governing Board in November 2022  for the Verde Valley and the Sedona Center.  These include a $9.25 million student housing facility, a $8.4 million fermentation and craft brewing project, and a $608,000 commercial truck driving facility.
19. On the Prescott side of Mingus Mountain, the Governing Board has most recently approved spending $11 million to purchase and renovate a 42 acre camp about six miles from the Prescott campus. It earlier approved spending at least $14.2 million to renovate the Prescott Campus library with the total cost of equipment and construction likely in the $20 million range.  That project is underway.
20. The Prescott leadership and District Governing Board is  in the process of saving money and issuing bonds to construct a health science center at the Prescott Center with estimates of final costs ranging from $20 to $40 million.  They are also  spending somewhere around a total of $650,000 for a roadside electric sign for CTEC along the highway leading to the Prescott airport.
21. At the Chino Valley Center the College is putting in an infrastructure for 30 small homes (some may be spots for recreational vehicles).
22. On the Verde Valley Campus the Community College has carefully limited its investment.  For example, it completed a two-year project at little cost to create a trailer park of sorts with ten spots.  It is also just completed a three-year project to renovate Building “M” at a cost estimated at $3 million (compared to Prescott renovation for same type of facility at final cost estimated around $20 million).  A small but well equipped Trades Center was constructed and dedicated back in July 2023 on the Verde Campus but has limited course offerings. Furthermore, Building “L” was renovated in 2020 to improve nursing training, but has limited its enrollment.  The Southwest Winery project, originally projected to grow about 25 acres of grapes on land donated to the College, is stalled at 13 acres with no plans to expand.  The Board approved a $600,000 expenditure to purchase a prefabricated faculty/student/employee 12 bedroom apartment rather than allocate over $9 million for a fixed facility approved in concept in November 2022.
23. It is noteworthy that another factor affecting in person on campus enrollment in the entire District is the trend toward online learning with an estimated 40 percent or more of students now enrolled online.

No other details released as yet by Yavapai Community College; estimated three-quarters are part-time students

Yavapai Community College has not yet released detailed enrollment information for the Fall 2023 semester. However, some insights were shared at the November 2023 District Governing Board meeting, shedding light on this subject.

The enrollment information was part of the “Environmental Scan” report presented by Dr. Tom Hughes, Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research at the College. According to Dr. Hughes, the Fall 2023 enrollment at Yavapai College, measured in terms of total credit hours taken by students, has increased by 8.7%. He also noted that the total enrollment, counted as the number of students enrolled in classes, rose by 2.8%.

Later in the meeting, it was reported that “three-quarters” of the student body is attending part-time. This may be significant if correct, considering that in the Community College’s most recent official report to the State of Arizona, part-time students comprised 85% of the student body. (See table below.)

The College has not yet publicly released data detailing the number of students attending each campus or center during fall 2023, the number of online learners, or other relevant information.

The latest available data on enrollment at Yavapai Community College is found in the 2021-2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report submitted to the State of Arizona. (See table below.)