FREE TEXTBOOK PROGRAM SAVES HAWAII COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS MILLIONS

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, December 28th, 2019

Yavapai Community College has begun developing similar program

It was reported December  23 that a free textbook program at the University of Hawaii’s community colleges has saved students more than $3.4 million since it began in 2015.  To do this, the Hawaii Community Colleges are using what is called “Open Educational Resources”  materials.  Up to 40% of classes at on some Hawaii Community Colleges use these resources.

Dr. Diane Ryan, Yavapai  Community College’s new Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, is heading up a similar  program that will lead to many faculty using open educational resources (OER) course materials. The initiative is a part of President Dr. Lisa Rhine’s effort to make post-secondary education available to everyone in the County at the lowest possible cost. It is estimated the OER program will take three or four years to fully implement at Yavapai Community College.

Before coming to Yavapai in September of 2019, Dr. Ryan was at Tidewater Community College in Virginia. There,  as an academic dean, she advocated for the use of open educational resources.  She recruited 38 faculty members at Tidewater to teach with OER course materials. As a consequence,  students at Tidewater have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars in book purchases since 2014 when the program began.

Source:  https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/post/free-textbook-program-saves-hawaii-community-college-students-millions#stream/0
Categories : Tuition

48 GRADUATES COMPLETE YAVAPAI NURSING PROGRAM

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, December 22nd, 2019

Traditional graduation pinning ceremony December 13 on Prescott Campus at Performing Arts Center

Forty-eight future nurses gathered December 13 for a traditional graduation pinning ceremony at the Yavapai Community College  Performing Arts Center on the Prescott campus. (Blog was informed that at least 13 are from the Verde Valley.) The nursing graduates also celebrated with a lamp lighting and recitation of the Florence Nightingale pledge. In the pledge, the graduates commit to “be loyal to my work and devoted towards the welfare of those committed to my care.”

 President Dr. Lisa Rhine described the graduates as “the cream of the crop” and said, “I hope that one day one of you will be taking care of me.” She  also urged them  to pay attention to their own health and wellbeing. “Caregivers often neglect themselves because of the loving nature of their hearts to help others first. It’s only when you are at your best that you can perform at the highest levels and give your best to others.”

Dr. Barbara Durham, nursing faculty guest speaker for the pinning ceremony, reminded them their education doesn’t end with a degree. Rather, a nurse’s skills are honed with each patient cared for, she said, adding, “The wisdom you will gain from years of clinical practice will be profound.”

The following is a list of the Fall 2019 Yavapai Community College  Nursing Program graduates: Jennie Aldridge, Erin Archer, Yesenia Ayala Flores, Sierrah Baker, Anjerrica Bard, Charmaine Benallie, Tracy Bosick, Samantha Boyd, Tigone Cain, Derek Casper, Justin Durham, Shantel Fawcett, Jessica Fitzgerald, Trina Talolo Fortner, Dean Futrell, Nicole Goldberger, Maria Gonzalez Solorio, Michelle Hernandez, Stacy Hill, Anna Maria Kaufman, Maria Kircher, Ann LeMmon, Flor Long, Katie Marmole- jo, Samanta Miller, Karen Namanny, Ronald Nashert, Mirian M. Nelson, Kirsten Nodzon, Maria Ortiz, Becky Paloutzian, Emma Parsons, Nicole Pleasant, Erin Reed, Courtney Rez- zonico, Tori Rezzonico, Jazmyn Ro- darte, Vanessa Rodriguez, Wendy Simmons, Jessica Skvarek, Lauren Smith, Kelsey Swope, Joanna Timlick, Peter Trevino, Desiree Vivar, Chanell Watt, Ashlee Wilier, Irina Wren.

Source:  Verde Independent, December 22, 2019.
Categories : Nursing

NEW CONSTRUCTION, RENOVATION, AND MAJOR UPKEEP IN DISTRICT CONTINUES

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, December 22nd, 2019

Building “L” on schedule;  new Foundation office on Prescott Campus completed;  Building 32 being renovated to expand space for administrators; CTEC roof being repaired

At least four projects involving renovation, new construction, and major upkeep are under way in the Community College District.  The largest of these, renovation of Building “L” on the Verde Campus, appears on schedule to open in the fall 2020. The College reports that it is  enclosing “the first-floor entrance by installing structural steel and new flooring to support the simulator lab space. Concrete polishing is nearing completion in the Science Labs along with the installation of fire sprinklers and HVAC ductwork and piping. Framing is also underway for the new student break out study spaces. On the second floor, framing is underway to enclose the hallway and prepare for the new roof.”

The decision to move the Yavapai Community College Foundation from Building 32 to Building 19 (the library), on the Prescott Campus is complete.  Renovation was completed  with move-in occurring November 25. The College reported that close to 85% of this job was completed in-house with the Facilities team, which resulted in cost savings.

The College also reports that work in Building 32 on the Prescott Campus  is being handled “almost entirely” with the Facilities and ITS teams. Construction began in November and will wrap up March 3.  This building will house expanded administrative offices for the President and her staff.   

Sources:  Yavapai Community College’s President’s website:  https://www.yc.edu/v6/office-of-the-president/docs/highlights/2019-12-construction-news.pdf

Photos are from Community College December Facility Management newsletter.

Categories : Construction

OSHER SEDONA/VERDE VALLEY REPORTS ON ENROLLMENT AND FUNDRAISING EFFORTS

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, December 21st, 2019

Enrollment slightly down; fundraising up

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Yavapai College – Sedona-Verde Valley (OLLI at Sedona-Verde Valley) reported on enrollment and fundraising efforts to its members in its December 19, 2019 newsletter.  The data showed a slight decline in enrollment and an increase in fundraising.

OLLI Sedona/Verde Valley offers most of its academic, not-for-credit programming designed for adults 50 years old or better, primarily at the Verde Valley Campus, Sedona Center, and Camp Verde Library. It is a program of the Division of Lifelong Learning at Yavapai College.

OLLI receives funding from several sources. There is an endowment grant from the Bernard Osher Foundation, fees charged for the classes, and donations. It also receives in-kind services from Yavapai Community College.

The last estimate (2014) from OLLI indicated that it operated based on annual interest from the endowment, which  at that time supported about 40% of the expenses. The rest, an estimated 60% of the expenses, was  covered by the fees charged for classes and workshops.

There was an estimated (2014) $170,000 “in-kind” services given from Yavapai College to OLLI for use of its facilities,  but no money was actually exchanged. Of these services most are unseen expenditures. The faculty is comprised mostly of volunteers. In the 2019-20 budget, the Community College estimated it would receive $111,000 in revenue from OLLI. (It is not clear exactly how this is handled.)

The Newsletter stated that “for your information, the following is an updated report of the OLLI Sedona Verde Valley (1) By the Numbers; (2) Fundraising Outcomes from 2014-2019; and (3) Report on Each Campaign.”

Sedona Verde Valley By The Numbers

Founded: 2003

Staff:

Two  permanent employees: 1 full-time and 1 ¾ time (30 hours per week) + 3 part-time (19.75 hours per week).

Committee Volunteers: 21     

Facilitators: 170

Number of classes 2019:

Summer (46) Fall (111)  Winter  (114) Spring (79)                                      

Annual Budget: $172,935

Students over the past four years:

 2015-16:         1030

 2016-17:         959

 2017-18:         971           

 2018-19:         919

Fundraising Outcomes 2014-2019

 Total annual support for last 6 years:        

2014: $275 from 11 donors (Ave. $25)

2015: $150 from 6 donors (Ave. $25)

2016: $450 from 9 donors (Ave. $50)

2017: $2,825 from 26 donors (Ave. $108)

2018: $5,625 from 31 donors (Ave. $181)

2019: $12,225 from 113 donors (Ave. $108)

Reporting on Each Campaign

100% of OLLI Leadership Council contributed.

Contributions have ranged from $25 to $1,500.

113 Members contributed; 80 first time donors.

 20 first-year OLLI members contributed.

 16 persons are OLLI 300 Club members  ( giving $25 per month for a total of $300)

 1 OLLI member contributed 401K earnings

 2 OLLI members joined Leave A Legacy for Life Long Learning: Pledged $80,000

Categories : OLLI (Osher Lifelong Learning)

ENVIRONMENTAL SCAN SHOWS COUNTY POPULATION AGING MORE THAT AZ AND US; OVERWHELMINGLY WHITE

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, December 19th, 2019

About 75,000 in County workforce could benefit from more education

According to data gathered and reported to the District Governing Board in November by Tom Hughes, Yavapai Community College Director of Institutional Effectiveness and Research, Yavapai County is “overwhelmingly white,” with a population that is older on average than Arizona and the United States, and not as well educated in terms of attaining a Bachelor’s Degree as Arizona or the United States.

COUNTY OVERWHELMING WHITE

The overwhelming majority (80%) of Yavapai County residents are White, Non-Hispanic with a median age of 55. Hispanics make up the next largest group at 15% with a median age (28) that is 50% younger then the majority race.

COUNTY OLDER THAN  STATE AND NATION

Yavapai County’s share of the population age 65 and older is near twice that of the Arizona and the U.S. as a whole. The over 65 populations are consistent over the three sub-county areas. Less than half of the county’s population is workforce age (25-64). The west subcounty area has the largest proportion of traditional-age college students (18-24).

is “overwhelming white,” older than other counties in Arizona and the United States, and not as well educated in terms of attaining a Bachelor’s Degree as areas in Arizona or the United States.

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 

The environmental scan examined the educational attainment for the workforce population (25-64). Yavapai County’s bachelor’s degree  attainment rate is about 1.5 times lower than the U.S. level and 1.3 times lower than the Arizona level. However, the County’s rate of workers with some college or an associate degree outperforms both state and national percentages.

The College estimates that there are roughly 75,000 Yavapai County  residents who are in the workforce. Most could benefit from additional education.

You may view Tom Hughes short report to the Governing Board on the video below.

 

Categories : EMPLOYMENT, Employment issues

BOB WEIR NAMED REGION 5 CTE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE YEAR

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, December 19th, 2019

Was one of five finalists for the National CTE Administrator of the Year award out of 4,000 administrators; explored possibility of future CTE programs

Bob Wier, the superintendent of the Valley Academy for Career and Technology (VACTE), received the Region five Career and Technical Education Administrator of the Year in December at the National Association for Career and Technical Education’s CareerTech Vision conference in Anaheim, California. He was also one of five finalists for the National CTE Administrator of the Year award.

Wier was selected from among over 25,000 Arizona Career and Technical Education members and more than 4,000 administrators.  Wier told reporter Bill Helm of the Verde Independent that  he “spent a lot of time researching and commutating with possible new CTE program in law enforcement with a major emphasis on EMS and police dispatch,” at the conference in addition to the tools and curriculum needed for advanced manufacturing and pre-engineering CTE programs.  (Some of these programs may be housed in a portion of Building “L” on the Verde Campus that is now being completely renovated.  VACTE, Yavapai  Community College. and east County businesses and others are currently exploring the potential for such programs in that facility.)   

Region 5 includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, as well as Palau, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa and Guam.

Congratulations to Bob Wier.

Source:  Bill Helm, Verde Independent, Wednesday, December 18, 2019.
Categories : Career and Technical Education, VACTE

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOLIDAY BREAK DECEMBER 21 – JANUARY 5 (OFFICES CLOSED)

By R. Oliphant
Sunday, December 15th, 2019

Spring regular semester begins January 13

Yavapai Community College’s holiday break begins December 21 and ends January 5.  During that period, offices at the College will be closed.

Regular classes for the spring semester will begin January 13.  The schedule for spring and summer semesters follows below:

Categories : Yavapai Community College

TWO GROUPS IN PRESCOTT SEEKING TO CREATE NEW PERFORMING ARTS THEATERS; ANOTHER IN PRESCOTT VALLEY

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, December 14th, 2019

Is this an opportunity for the Community College to partner its performing arts facility with these groups and possibly the  City? Or does it mean much more competition in the future if there are six performance  theaters in the same area?

Based on a recent story in the Prescott Courier, there are groups in Prescott who are looking to find funds to develop two new performing arts centers in that City. 

Hendrix auditorium. One facility and the largest under consideration is the historic Hendrix Auditorium at Mile High Middle School. It was originally created as a theater space for then high-school students families and community members.  Today, the 900-seat venue remains mostly idle.

A group connected with The Raven Café  are seeking to make the school theater a “destination” spot by booking national touring groups that will have broad audience appeal. Their intention would then be to devote a portion of the proceeds to enriching the Prescott Unified School District’s performing and fine art programs.

Ruth Street Theater. The Hendrix proposal comes at the same time another group of community leaders are  seeking to utilize and refurbish the more modern Ruth Street Theater at Prescott High School as an affordable venue for “choral groups, jazz bands, dance troupes or theatrical productions.”

Both groups are described as “super genuine” and committed to benefiting the students of today and tomorrow. They claim that “they are thinking of kids before thinking of anything else.”

Elks theater. There are already three performing arts theaters operating in Prescott.  In addition to the Community College’s facility, Prescott has the Prescott Elks Theater and Performing Arts Center that seats  over 500 persons. It was completed in 1905 and listed on the National Register of Historical Places.

Prescott Center for the Arts. There is also the much smaller Prescott Center for the Arts, which is located in an old church.  It features community productions of popular plays and musicals.

Prescott Valley Performing Arts, Inc. In Prescott Valley, fundraising is under way to open and operate the  Prescott Valley Performing Arts, Inc. According to its website, it will  provide opportunities for area residents, of all ages, to participate in the creative process of live theater and to enjoy the artistic, social and educational benefits of this art form. 

With all the interest in creating new theater venues, is it possible the Community College could partner with some of the interested groups? Or, if they all get going, what does the future hold for the College’s Performing Arts Center?

Categories : Performing Arts Center

YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE PERFORMING ARTS CENTER CLOSING OUT 2019 WITH AMERICAN SINGER-SONG WRITER “STORM LARGE”

By R. Oliphant
Saturday, December 14th, 2019

Friday | December 20 2019 | 7:30 PM  (dinner can be ordered)

The Yavapai Community College Performing Arts Center will close out a busy December with  an American singer-song writer,  Storm Large.  The College describes Storm Large as “a multi-talented force . . . a  smoky club songstress-turned-national-sensation.”

Photo from her web site: https://stormlarge.com/.

On her web site she says that “ She shot to national prominence in 2006 as a finalist on the CBS show Rock Star: Supernova, where despite having been eliminated in the week before the finale, Storm built a fan base that follows her around the world to this day.”

According to her press kit,  “Highlights of the 17-18 season include debuts with the San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Phoenix, Vancouver, Jacksonville, and RTÉ National Symphonies, as well as return engagements with the Houston, Toronto, and Toledo Symphonies. Storm and her band, Le Bonheur, continue to tour concert halls across the country. The 16-17 season included debuts with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and BBC Symphony Orchestras, and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, as well as return engagements with National Symphony Orchestra and Detroit Symphony Orchestra.”

It goes on to say that “Recent highlights include engagements with the New York Pops, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Louisville Orchestra, Memphis Symphony, and the Knights, as well as performances at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. She joined Michael Feinstein as special guest on the Jazz at Lincoln Center Popular Song series, as well as with Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, and the Pasadena Pops.”

Wikipedia reports that she was born  June 25, 1969 (age 50 years), Southborough, MA.  She sings with the music group: Pink Martini (Since 2011).

 

Categories : Performing Arts Center

PLAINTIFF’S ATTORNEY FILES PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST WITH COLLEGE IN HAMILTON V. YAVAPAI COMMUNITY COLLEGE

By R. Oliphant
Thursday, December 12th, 2019

Plaintiff is probing the nature of communication,  if any,  between the College and the Higher Learning Commission that involves him

Discovery involving the  six-year lawsuit between decorated air force veteran and former director of Yavapai Community College’s aviation program, Dan Hamilton,  and the College and other defendants is heading for trial sometime in late March or early April.  (See earlier posts in this Blog for complete information),  In the meantime a process lawyers label “discovery” continues.

For example, most recently, the plaintiff’s attorney made a public records request for “Any communication between Yavapai College and the Higher Learning Commission regarding: (1) the litigation pending in Arizona District Court between Dan Hamilton and Yavapai College, … (2) VA’s suspension of the Professional Pilot Helicopter program in 2011; (3) VA’s suspension of any AVT program in 2015; and (4) potential financial exposure in the referenced litigation.”

The Higher Learning Commission a regional institutional accreditor. It  accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes Yavapai Community College.

 

Categories : Lawsuits
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