Registration data on August 22, 2024 showed a total of 18 students enrolled for the courses; should we worry culinary may be shuttered?
According to data from the August 22, 2024 Yavapai Community College registration website, Yavapai Community College is offering only two culinary courses for the fall 2024. Enrollment was small with ten students enrolled for the in-person or on-line Culinary Principles course while eight students were enrolled in the Culinary Fundamentals course.
The limited number of classes and small enrollment remains a distinguishing but worrisome feature of the culinary program offered by the College at the Sedona Center.
It is noteworthy that enrollment at the Sedona Center for its culinary programs was apparently doing well in 2018. According to Dean James Perey, who updated the District Governing Board on February 13, 2018, enrollment in culinary courses for the spring semester was at 169 students. He was considering adding another section in fall 2018 to accommodate the demand for the culinary offerings.
However, since 2018 the enrollment has sharply declined. For example, in fall 2021 the Sedona Center Culinary program offered five courses with an enrollment of 49 students. Now, as noted above, only 18 students appear enrolled.
The Community College has offered no explanation for the continued decline in students enrolled in its culinary program. For some in Sedona and the Verde Valley, the continued small enrollment in the culinary program is worrisome. The reason they worry is that it might trigger a decision by Prescott based executives to close down the entire facility. This is something they unsuccessfully attempted around 2015.
Dean Perey reports below in February 2018 that 169 students are in culinary.
