Archive for Prescott Valley Campus – Page 3

College to spend $5.58 million on West County construction in 2016-17

Reduces allocation to Sedona Center to $380,000; inserts $1.5 million for PV Campus

The draft budget presented by the Wills’ administration at the February, 2016 Board meeting listed $5,586,500 to be spent on new construction projects in 2016-17.  A little less than seven percent of that money is to be spent in the Verde Valley with $380,000 allocated to the renovation of the Sedona Center.

The College also intends to spend $90,000 on signage and $200,000 on open space improvements.  

surprise prescott valley campus construction

The changes in direction from the capital budget rolled out a year ago are significant.  In that budget no capital construction was was planned for Prescott Valley.  The decision to suddenly invest $1.5 million is a part of the Administration’s plan, no doubt, of accelerating the movement toward a Regional Allied Health campus. It is also appears as a response to pressure put on it by Prescott Valley politicos who appeared at the January Governing Board meeting and urged acceleration of the ten-year plan.

Last year’s budget  contemplated spending $2.720 million renovating the Sedona Center in 2016-17.  That money was reduced to $380,000 this year and the remaining revenue shifted to begin construction on the Prescott Valley Campus. The College said at the February meeting that it was impossible to move any faster on the Sedona project.

Set out below are last year and this year’s budget proposals.

capital improvement plan for 2015

CAPITAL PROJECT ESTIMATE FOR 2016 17

Prescott Valley predicts College expansion in next five years

Newspaper story says College medical complex coming in next five years 

The Prescott Valley Tribune ran a story written by Les Bowen on May 7, 2015 extolling the economic development in Prescott Valley.  In that story, Mr. Bowen wrote that the Yavapai Regional Medical Center’s east campus and the Mountain Valley Regional Rehabilitation Hospital  are attracting doctors and smaller health care-related businesses to Prescott Valley.

expansionHe also wrote that “In the next five years, town leaders are looking at the opportunities that will come with the planned expansion of Yavapai College facilities in Prescott Valley, in partnership with Northern Arizona University, offering bachelor and graduate programs and expanded courses of study in nursing and health care-related fields.

This will come as a shock to many who have been hearing from the College Administration that the Prescott Valley campus idea has been pushed back for many years.  The administrators and some on the District Governing Board are fond of saying that the Prescott campus expansion in the ten-year-development-plan is just a concept–not a plan.  Well, seems like the folks in Prescott Valley think it is a plan. 

March 26 meeting with Prescott Valley remains a secret

Blog request for information delayed

You may recall that the Blog’s video reporter was denied access to a meeting held by College president Penelope Wills with NAU and the mayor and Prescott Valley Town Council on March 26. Since that time, Wills’ has been saying that the minutes of the meeting will be publicly available.

TOP SECRETSo far, Blog requests for those minutes have been unsuccessful.  Here is the last response from the Community College dated May 11, 2015:

“I have received your request for the minutes of March 26, 2015 meeting with Yavapai College, Northern Arizona University, and Yavapai County Professional Leaders. These minutes are waiting approval by Dr. Rita Cheng, President of Northern Arizona University and staff. Upon their consent, the minutes will be available.”  

The Blog will keep its readers informed on the progress of this request.

Verde campus shows no decline in credit hours taught

Verde credit hours hold steady; Community College overall down 3.3% from a year earlier

Each semester Community College administrators measure the number of students who are enrolled and the total number of credits (called credit hours) the students cumulative take.  Student credit hours on the Yavapai Community College as a whole has declined from last fall by 3.3%. Because students are taking a few more classes in fall 2014 than they did a year earlier, this explains the difference between the the 4.1 percent drop in unduplicated headcount and the 3.3 percent drop in student credit hours.  (See the chart “Student Credit Hours” in story below.) The Verde campus student credit hours did not show a percentage decline.

The Prescott campus showed a drop of 1,167 student credit hours even though the Administration of Justice program was moved to that campus. Sedona shows a 96% drop, which was a result of the closing the digital film school. (See chart in story below entitled “Student Credit Hours.”)

“Late” classes open for enrollment

You can still sign up for some “Late Start” courses; Prescott offerings dominate selection

OPEN COURSESYavapai Community College says you can still sign up for some “late start” classes. Classes range from career skills building to health, fitness and recreation. For example, there are courses on learning internet essentials and business communication as well as pilates, mindfulness meditation and cross-training.

Of the 39 “late start” face-to-face classes being offered, 18 are on the Prescott campus, 2 on the Verde, and 2 in Prescott Valley. There are also online classes being offered with 14 on the Prescott campus, 1 on the Verde campus and 1 on the Prescott Valley campus. Please click here to see the list of courses being offered.