Dr. Lisa Rhine announced to the Yavapai Community College faculty on Thursday, September 15 that the College has received approval from the Higher Learning Commission to offer its second baccalaureate degree. Full approval is pending before the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC). The IAC is a nonprofit, nationally recognized accrediting organization.Second consecutive year McCasland has been recognized nationally; Monahan described as a “dedicated educator and former law enforcement officer with a passion for empowering others”
In a press release issued by Yavapai Community College on September 15 it was announced that District Governing Board Chair Deb McCasland and Professor Jerald Monahan were regional winners and national finalists for the Association of Community College Trustees awards. Last year, McCasland received the American Association of Community Colleges’ Trustee of the Year award.
The American Association of Community College Trustees is a nonprofit business involved with advocacy efforts aimed at federal government. It also provides Yavapai Community College for a charge its educational services, including annual conventions and seminars, instructional publications, and other board services. The College has hired it in a number of capacities over the years.
You may read the press release from Yavapai Community College written by JJ McCormack that contains additional information about the recognition by clicking here.
Yavapai Community College President Lisa Rhine says the ten apartments to be subsidized in part by the College in this complex provide another housing option for employees and students who work at or wish to attend the College’s Verde Valley Campus or Sedona Center
Last week the Prescott Valley based Fain Signature Group announced on its website that it had completed 44 new apartments in the apartment complex off 89A in Cottonwood. Residents began moving in on Friday, September 8th. The Developer’s goal is apparently to complete the complex with a total of 192 apartments by the end of this year.
Readers may recall that on June 8, 2023, Yavapai Community College announced it had partnered with the Fain Signature Group to rent ten apartments for Verde Valley Campus/Sedona Center students and employees at the Cottonwood complex. At the time, the College released no other details regarding the number of apartments it anticipated leasing or any estimate of the amount of subsidy it would provide for those who leased them.
Readers may also recall that in an interview with Verde Independent reporter Vyto Starinskas published June 11, 2023, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Clint Ewell provided the following information: The Community College will rent 10 units, five 2-bedroom and five 3-bedroom apartments. “We plan to sublet these apartments to our employees, and will offer them to YC students if there is not enough employee demand.”
In the Fain Signature Group’s September 8 website announcement, Yavapai Community College president Lisa Rhine is quoted as saying: “The housing availability and affordability situation in our county has reached a point where Yavapai College is losing valuable faculty, staff, and prospective students. YC will continue to identify and invest in solutions for this issue. We are thankful for the Fain Signature Group’s vision and willingness to partner with the College to create solutions. The Inspiration Apartments in Cottonwood will provide another housing option for employees and students who work at or wish to attend the College’s Verde Valley Campus or Sedona Center.”
The Community College has not released any additional information regarding the subsidy for these apartments, the number of units currently available to them from the 44, or the volume of applications from students and employees for the newly available accommodations.
There is a pressing need for greater transparency on the part of Yavapai Community College. County residents deserve a more inclusive and informative process, particularly for a publicly funded institution of this magnitude.
You may visit the Developer’s website announcing the availability of the apartments and containing additional information about them by clicking here.
Study session to run from 1:00 p.m. for over an hour. There are 15 minutes set aside for a business meeting. A 90 minute secret executive will then be held to establish goals for President Rhine in the coming year. Board rejects modern technology and will not live stream meeting
The Yavapai Community College Governing Board is scheduled to meet on September 19 at the Rock House on the Prescott Campus. The first part of the agenda called a “work session” is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. According to the announced agenda, about 15 minutes have been set aside for a “business meeting” later is the session. That will be followed by a secret executive meeting that may run for an hour and a half (See agenda). The purpose of the executive meeting is to set goals for President Dr. Lisa Rhine for the coming year.
About ten minutes have been set aside at the beginning of the meeting for input on any subject by members of the public. A citizen wishing to address the Board is normally asked to complete a “Request to Speak” form, and give it to the Recording Secretary. The speaker should be prepared to limit his or her remarks to the designated time (from one to three minutes although typically three minutes).
Under Arizona law, a citizen has a right to attend, listen, tape record, or videotape all of these meetings. The public may not disrupt, but may speak during the Call to the Public at the beginning of this meeting if the call is on the agenda. See Ariz. Att’y Gen. Op. No. I78-001.
You may access the minimalistic agenda that appeared on the Governing Board’s Saturday morning September 16 website by clicking here. https://www.yc.edu/v6/district-governing-board/sub/2023/09/09-19-2023-meeting-summary.pdf.
The less than opaque process regarding distribution of information to the community by the Governing Board is disturbing. Few in the community know much at all about decisions involving the College’s two campuses and four centers. This presents a significant challenge for rural residents throughout the County interested in the health of the College.
One example of the opaque process is how the agenda is handled. The agenda provided prior to the handful of yearly Board meetings leaves community members with scant opportunity to familiarize themselves with items only touched upon because of the intentionally sparse descriptions of agenda items. This lack of detail creates a formidable hurdle, if not an insurmountable one, in evaluating whether a particular agenda item justifies the significant sacrifice of a 100 to 200-mile round trip drive and a day off from work to attend the meeting in person.
Another example of the opaque process is the Governing Board’s rejection of of modern technology. Despite having all the equipment and personnel needed, the Board members refuse to live-stream the infrequent sessions. This exacerbates the problem of gaining meaningful information. County residents are left without real-time updates or extensive information about the affairs of a $100 million dollar government educational institution funded by their property taxes.
A third example of the satisfaction the Governing Board members have with their out-of-date opaque meeting process is the refusal to require presenters using PowerPoint slides during a meeting to post them on the Board website either prior to or after their use during a meeting.
A fourth example of satisfaction with the opaque process is the too often failure of Governing Board members to ask meaningful questions of presenters during Governing Board meetings. This is especially true when it comes to budgetary items.
A fifth example of the satisfaction with the opaque process is the failure of Governing Board members to hold monthly meetings in their districts with their constituents where questions about the health of the Community College are asked and answered. They hold none. Moreover, they never issue written reports to the constituents they represent about their activities on behalf of the district they come from.
There is a pressing need for greater transparency and accessibility in the District Governing Board’s proceedings. Rural residents and taxpayers deserve a more inclusive and informative process, particularly for a publicly funded institution of this magnitude. Or maybe, there’s a pressing need for Governing Board members who will demand an open and transparent process.
Is also expanding Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, including ChatGPT, into its visual arts programs
Copyright 2023 Robert E. Oliphant, Eyeonyavapaicollege.com
Yavapai Community College has launched its first virtual reality course in Art 201 on the Prescott Campus. This is described in its catalog as the study of “Western art from the Fourteenth to the Twentieth Century. Two-and three-dimensional art and architecture are evaluated in historical and cultural context. Application of design principles.”
This is part of an experiment the Community College is conducting with the digital education provider VictoryXR. VictoryXR provides a virtual reality platform where students and teachers use synchronized headsets to learn in digitized environments.
The College also says that It has also begun to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, including ChatGPT, into its visual arts programs. The purpose is to expand students’ analytical capabilities and challenge their creative skill sets.
In the September 6 press release written by Michael Grady, Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine said that: “Virtual and augmented reality are going to change almost every industry, including education. YC plans to be on the cutting edge of that change.”
The Community College will be launching other VR and AI-assisted learning opportunities, in fields ranging from Healthcare to the Skilled Trades, across its six campuses and learning centers this fall. “It is an incredible way to learn,” Rhine said.
To read the entire press release, which contains much more information, please click here.
Tenette says he will work closely with County school districts and community programs to increase engagement and participation in athletic programs; Lucas to combine new position with head volleyball coaching responsibilities
In a news release issued on September 1, Yavapai Community College announced the appointment of its new Director and Assistant Director of Athletics. Mr. Michael Tenette will take the helm as Director of Athletics, succeeding Hall of Fame Director, Mr. Brad Clifford, who retired on June 15, 2023, after a dedicated 35-year tenure at the College. Meanwhile, Ms. Chelsey Lucas will assume the role of Assistant Director of Athletics, succeeding Mr. Tenette.
Michael Tenette joined Yavapai Community College in August 2021 as the Assistant Athletic Director. Prior to joining the College, he spent 14 years establishing a record of success by leading championship programs throughout the greater Sacramento area in Northern California. Additionally, Mr. Tenette has a history of leadership, serving as the Founder and President of highly effective AAU basketball and sports camp programs. He has also contributed as the Head Coach for various competitive high school basketball and football teams.
Tenette has indicated he intends to work closely with County school districts and community programs to increase engagement and participation in athletics.
In her new role as Assistant Director of Athletics, Ms. Chelsey Lucas will transition into her responsibilities while retaining her position as the head coach of the Volleyball team. In this expanded role, she will also take charge of overseeing Yavapai Community College’s athletic camps and clinics, enhancing our commitment to fostering athletic talent within our community.
Yavapai Community College hired Lucas as the 11th head volleyball in August 2022. She came from Grambling State University where she was the head coach of the Tigers. Prior to coaching the Tigers, Lucas spent three years as the head volleyball coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff from 2019-22. From 2016-19, Lucas was the head coach at Alcorn State University. While at Alcorn State, Lucas guided the program to the SWAC Tournament in 2018, its first appearance since the 2015 season. In 2018, Lucas’s squad ranked second in the nation in aces per set with 1.98. While at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Lucas led her team to the SWAC Tournament during all three of her seasons as head coach in 2019, 2020-21 and 2021.
Festival to be held Sept. 19 – 24, at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center and various locations across Yavapai Community College’s Prescott Campus
Yavapai Community College will host the 13th edition of the Prescott Film Festival at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center and various locations across Yavapai Community College’s Prescott Campus from September 19 through the 24th.
Screenings and major events will be held at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center, on the Yavapai Community College Prescott Campus, 1100 E. Sheldon Street. The Prescott Film Festival offers a variety of ticket packages. The PFF Platinum Pass ($298) offers reserve seating at all films and access to the VIP Director’s Loft. All-Film Passes ($178) and Six-Film Discount Pack ($72) are also available. Individual screenings are $14 general admission, with a 50% discount for students, YC employees and OLLI members.
Tickets are available online or at the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center Ticket Office, open Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, from 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.; and Thursdays and Fridays, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Film trailers and a full festival schedule will be available soon on the Prescott Film Festival website, www.prescottfilmfestival.com, and the Jim & Linda Lee Performing Arts Center site, www.ycpac.com. For more information, please call: (928) 776.2000, or email: helen.stephenson@yc.edu.
For more information click here.
Two minute videotape of session leaves County residents once again in the dark about what was actually being discussed | Lots of speculation about meeting with some thinking it might involve land for new faculty housing village to be constructed just outside Prescott Valley while some think it is for new land for CTEC expansion at the Prescott airport | Others have no idea
Yavapai Community College’s District Governing Board hastily convened a secretive executive session on August 17, 2023, at the Rock House on the Prescott Campus. According to the agenda, the purpose was to discuss potential property leases or purchases by the College within Yavapai County.
Following the conclusion of this gathering, neither the Community College nor the Governing Board issued any statement regarding the meeting. Once again, residents of the County find themselves in the dark about how their property taxes, which constitute the primary source of support for the Community College, are being utilized.
The lack of transparency has fueled wide-spread speculation about the nature of the acquisition. Is it land intended for expanding CTEC? Or could it be earmarked for the construction of the new faculty village just outside Prescott Valley? Or something else? The veil of secrecy shrouding this matter leaves County residents with more questions than answers.
Regrettably, the sole record of this meeting is a brief video clip, lasting less than two minutes. It merely captures the Chair’s call to order, a seconding of the motion to call for an executive session, a reading of the agenda item, and a subsequent motion to adjourn. This paucity of information always raises concerns about the College’s commitment to openness and accountability in its dealings with the community it serves.
To see the video tape of the meeting, please click here.
Session free and open to public; will run from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Yavapai Community College will host a Small Business Summit in partnership with the Small Business Development Center on its Prescott campus on Thursday, September 21 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. The Small Business Summit will be in Building 19, Room 147 at the Yavapai Community College Prescott Campus (1100 E. Sheldon St.) in Prescott. Seating is limited, so participants must RSVP online at https://clients.azsbdc.net/workshop.aspx?ekey=100430024.
Event highlights include a marketing panel, a lender panel, and a YC alumni-owned business panel, and networking opportunities.
To read the entire press release about the Small Business Summit, please click here.
Cost is $85 Per Person or $130 A Couple | educational and fun | Must register and be over 21
The Yavapai Community College is offering a private wine tasting experience at the Verde Valley Campus Southwest Wine Center on September 13th. It will also offer the same program in October and possibly November.
The cost is $85 per person or $130 per couple per program. The session lasts 1.5 hours.
The College in its advertisement of the program says the following: “Our 1.5-hour Private Wine Tasting Experience provides an educational experience for attendees to further to develop their palate through sensory evaluation. As we move through a flight of SWC student-crafted wines, we will describe the essential components of wine tasting to deepen your connection with what’s in your glass. This session will focus on individual palate development and creating YOUR own unique ways of describing what you sense on YOUR palate.”
Participants must be 21. You may register by clicking here.
