Yavapai Community College has released a detailed plan for the how the new 10,000 square foot Career and Technical Education Center on the Verde Campus will be utilized. A copy of the plan appears below.
The plan for the Center was first shown in the Community College’s December 2020 Facilities Management newsletter.
Work is progressing on the new Greenhouse to be constructed on the Verde Campus. Electrical and water services to the facility have been installed and site preparation work has begun in earnest. The facility is 18’ x 48’ and is located between buildings A and G on the Verde Campus.
Below is a photo of the site work and a sketch of the greenhouse when completed that were included in the December 2020 Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletter.
The December 2020 Yavapai Community College Facilities Management Newsletter contained the first sketch of the location and size of a Skilled Trades Center Building that could possibly be constructed in phase two of the Career and Technical Education program. It is reproduced from the Newsletter below.
The possible phase 2 building would be 20,000 square feet and be constructed adjacent the 10,000 square foot building now being constructed in phase 1. It appears from the sketch that a portion of the current paved driveway would have to be moved in order to accommodate the second building.
The latest word from Maricopa Community Colleges is that all indoor athletic programs are cancelled for the spring 2021. According to the College’s posting, all outdoor athletic programs are delayed until February 1, 2021.
The announcement made by the Community College as of December 19 follows in full below.
The new soccer practice field on the Prescott Campus is complete. Work sodding the field and installing rip rap for erosion control were the last phases of the project. The soccer practice field should be ready for use by January 1.
Below are some photos from the Community College’s December 2020 Facilities Management newsletter showing completion of the work on the practice facility and installation of the batter’s eye screening at the baseball park.
Batter’s Eye
Y
avapai Community College has announced its intention to move from the current red phase of response to the Covid-19 pandemic to the lesser orange phase on January 19. In the bulletin issued by the College December 16, president Dr. Lisa Rhine said that she hoped that the College would be above to move “to the orange phase when classes begin on January 19 to allow students in essential workforce and healthcare programs to continue to have access to the valuable hands-on learning they need.”
The explanation given by Dr. Rhine for the decision to move from red to orange appears below:
Why are we moving to the orange phase on January 19?
We are planning to move to the orange phase when classes begin on January 19 to allow students in essential workforce and healthcare programs to continue to have access to the valuable hands-on learning they need.
The College has worked incredibly hard since March to implement safe and smart measures to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The protocols that we have enacted have worked. While we have had students and employees test positive for COVID-19, the number of infected people at YC campuses and centers has been minimal, and transmission, according to our contact tracing, has always come from outside the organization to the best of our knowledge.
The Executive Leadership Team and I believe that if we continue to commit to following the protocols, we will continue to see very low transmission on our campuses.
With the COVID-19 vaccine distribution on the horizon, I hope that we will be able to move to our yellow and green phases later this spring.
The Yavapai Community College administration has decided to construct up to three houses to showcase the ability of its recently purchased 3D concrete printers. The project will go forward at the Chino Valley Agribusiness Center Property in Chino Valley. Although Third District Governing Board representative Paul Chevalier has raised questions about the use of the machines on the Verde Campus (there are two of them), so far, the College has not indicated it intends to use the machines in any program at that site.
The announcement of the decision to build up to three showcase houses came in the December 2020 Facilities Management Newsletter. (https://www.yc.edu/v6/facilities/docs/newsletters/2020-12-facilities-management-newsletter.pdf) The Community College is now preparing to provide electrical, data, and water services to the construction site at the Chino Valley Center to support the construction.
Recall that in February 2020 the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board authorized the expenditure of a half million dollars to purchase two futuristic 3d construction printers (a big one and a little one). The printers can be used to print out construction materials. Then, the materials can be used to construct a building with minimal labor. According to information supplied the College, the big machine may reduce construction costs from 40% to 70% on some structures.
At the time of the announcement, the decision was made to use the machine in an experimental program set to open at the Chino Valley Center in the fall 2020. At the time, the College said the machine would be used to build a small manufactured home owned by the College that is need of repair.
In the short video below, Dr. Diane Ryan explains how the 3d printer works.
Dr. Diane Ryan
Yavapai Community College announced December 9 that it has appointed Dr. Diane Ryan to the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs. Since 2019, Dr. Ryan has served as the College’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and, in January 2020, was named Interim Vice President of Instruction.
According to the news release posted on the College’s Facebook, “the decision was made by Yavapai College President, Dr. Lisa Rhine . . . after careful consideration of Dr. Ryan’s progress in the interim role over the last year.” Prior to the appointment, there was staff feedback conducted through a 360-evaluation process and small group discussions.
“Dr. Ryan has demonstrated the ability to work with many different constituent groups to diplomatically address challenges and successfully implement new ideas. She is a conscientious and thoughtful leader that is already making positive strides in many areas in the Academic Affairs Division,” said Dr. Rhine.
Dr. Ryan vacates the Vice President of Strategic Initiatives position, which will be reallocated within the College.
Dr. Ryan has over 30 years of higher education experience, beginning her career as a professor in Communication Studies and English and working her way up as the Dean of Engineering, Science, and Mathematics. Dr. Ryan came to Yavapai Community College from Tidewater Community College in Virginia, where she was named Administrator of the Year in 2018.
Dr. Ryan earned a Ph.D. in Community College Leadership from Old Dominion University. She holds a B.A. and M.A. in Communication from Western Illinois University and graduate hours in English from Old Dominion University.
Yavapai Community College’s Southwest Wine Center did well in the latest Arizona wine competition that was conducted in November. Following below is a news article written by the College’s Public Information Officer, Cynthia Heneage, announcing the awards received by the Community College in the competition.
By Cynthia Heneage | Public Information Officer – Verde Valley Campus & Sedona Center
When the 2020 azcentral.com Arizona Wine Competition announced its awards this year, several wines produced by students of Yavapai College’s Southwest Wine Center were winners. The 2019 Viognier won Best in Class; Silver Medals were awarded to three wines: 2018 Hopper, 2018 Delta, and 2019 Joy; and the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2018 Noble One, and 2019 Piquepoul Blanc were awarded Bronze Medals.
The Arizona Republic has hosted the Arizona wine competition since 2010. Nineteen regional sommeliers, restaurant owners and wine professionals judged the 232 entries from 27 wineries at Mountain Shadows Resort in Paradise Valley on Nov. 2nd. Strict guidelines were followed during the tasting to prevent the spread of COVID 19.
Students at YC’s Southwest Wine Center (SWC) can choose to study Viticulture, Enology, or both. The Enology programs are where the students learn the science of evaluating and making wines. A crew of students worked together to create the Best in Class Viognier: Brandon Lang, Dana Dellis, Elizabeth Krecker, Jack McFarland, Aaron Mason, Erica Lindsay, Nancy Boschetto, Amanda Oswald, Kim Schneider, and Steve Gesell. The students paid close attention in their classes, learned how to work the equipment, and then applied their education to winemaking. They worked as a team, asking each other for ideas and second opinions. The crew decided to ferment the Viognier in the concrete egg and inoculate it with 4600 yeast. “It can make you a little nervous when Michael hands you the book of yeasts and tells you to pick one, especially when it’s one of your first days in class.” said Amanda Oswald, one of the winning students.
Winemaking is part art and part chemistry. The wines produced at SWC are truly a manifestation of the choices made by the student-winemakers. Although Michael Pierce, Director of the Viticulture and Enology programs, teaches the chemistry, science, and math behind winemaking, he believes in giving his students free rein in making their wines. Amanda Oswald said, “Even though we were just learning, we had a lot of autonomy in our winemaking choices. Michael put a lot of trust in us and only intervened to save us from complete disaster.”
The crew of winemakers that produced this years’ best Viognier in Arizona are ecstatic about their win. After last year’s Viognier won Best in Show there were high expectations for this year. People expect the SWC Viognier to be delicious— and it is!
One measure of the SWC’s success is how many other graduates, who have started their own labels, also won top awards this year. Heartwood Cellars, run by Dan and Valerie Woods, won the Growers Cup Best Dessert Wine for Romance, Best of Class: Non-Traditional Red Blends for 2018 Serendipity, a Double Gold Medal for Romance, and Gold Medals for 2018 Graciano Reserve and 2018 Syrah, among others. Julia Dixon of 1764 Vineyards won a Silver Medal for her 2018 Deep Thought Syrah.
Amanda believes the hands-on experience enhances the quality of education at the SWC. She highly recommends the SWC winemaking program. “It’s a one-of-a-kind experience that is enjoyable and brings a wealth of knowledge and relationships. Wine is very much a lifestyle and hard work, but if you are willing to put in the work it’s incredibly fulfilling.”
The SWC award-winning wines are available for curbside pick-up at the SWC Tasting Room located at 601 Black Hills Drive in Clarkdale. To place an order and schedule a pick-up contact lisa.aguilar@yc.edu or call 928-634-6566. High school students, parents, and anyone interested in attending YC can join our live virtual open house on December 5. Viticulture and Enology academic programs will be covered. Register now at https://www.yc.edu/v6/marketing/pages/openhouse/or go to www.southwestwinecenter.com.
Dr. Lisa Rhine
Yavapai College President, Dr. Lisa B. Rhine, has been selected to serve on the inaugural Aspen Presidential Fellowship Alumni Advisory Council. Dr. Rhine will be one of 12 community college presidents from across the country who will serve on the advisory council. Dr. Rhine was a member of the inaugural class of the Aspen Presidential Fellows College Excellence Program in 2018.
The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program aims to advance higher education practices and leadership that significantly improve student learning, completion, and employment after college—especially for the growing population of students of color and low-income students on American campuses.
“The Aspen Presidential Fellowship helped me learn and grow into a professional candidate, and I am honored to serve on the inaugural alumni advisory council,” said Dr. Rhine. “Connecting other leaders from around the country through the Aspen Alumni Fellowship will only further improve student lives by leveraging the capacity of our colleges to improve learning, access, equity, and labor market outcomes.”
The Aspen Presidential Fellowship Alumni Advisory Council will:
Assist in the recruitment and selection of future classes of rising presidents and new president fellows.
Serve as a bench of experts and advisors for Aspen to receive feedback on ongoing activities with the alumni network, new curriculum development, and needs of the network.
Coordinate touchpoints with cohorts, including virtual and in-person networking events.
For more information on the Aspen College Excellence Program, click here.
