Archive for ADMINISTRATION – Page 4
Dr. Joan Fisher has received the national Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) award for Distinguished College Administrator. Dr. Fisher is dean of Business and Computer Systems, Professional Programs and Visual Arts at Yavapai Community College. She oversees PTK, the College Honors Program and the Del E. Webb Family Enrichment Center.Purpose is to recognize the generous endowment created for the PAC by local philanthropists Jim and Linda Lee
At its meeting on February 21, the Yavapai Community College District Governing Board gave unanimous approval to name the Performing Arts Center (PAC) on the Prescott Campus in honor of Jim and Linda Lee. The decision to rename the PAC was made to acknowledge the generous endowment recently established by the Lees, which will be exclusively used to ensure the Center’s ongoing sustainability.
Community College Vice President of Community Relations Rodney Jenkins explained that the endowment will ensure that “top of line talent” is brought to the Community through the Performing Arts Center. The College approximates that more than 100,000 attendees now visit the Center every year.
Due to their generous philanthropic contributions to numerous community organizations, Jim and Linda Lee are widely recognized in the greater Prescott area. Among their notable endeavors, they have provided support for the Prescott POPS Symphony Orchestra School Grants, aimed at financing instrumental music in local schools, as well as the annual Music Memory program, benefiting third through fifth graders across the county. Additionally, they have pledged substantial assistance to the Prescott Chorale, which showcases masterpieces by renowned composers, and offer scholarships for eligible students in music and performing arts programs at Yavapai College.
Their contributions resulted in the Jim and Linda Lee Planetarium located at the STEM Education Center on the at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) in Prescott. The 47-foot-diameter dome — the only planetarium north of Phoenix — has become a popular destination for domestic and international visitors.
They are major donors to the Arizona Opera and have underwritten several major opera performances over the years. They also are major supporters of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. They established the Jim and Linda Lee Memorial Endowment for Cardiovascular Disease. The purpose — to benefit the Sarver Heart Center founded at the U of A Medical Center in 1986, and now recognized as one of the world’s leading cardiovascular research institutions.
You may view the announcement made at the Governing Board meeting by clicking here.
Below is a mock-up shown to the Governing Board of how the Center will look once the names are in place.
Governing Board in the form of a motion vaguely suggests land purchase in Prescott Valley and leasing land somewhere near the Verde Valley involves obtaining affordable housing for students and staff
After a two-hour closed door executive meeting at the February 24, 2023, District Governing Board Workshop, the Board issued a vague statement in the form of a motion unanimously approved suggesting that the proposed purchase and lease of land referred to in the agenda involved obtaining affordable housing for staff and students. Not another word was uttered, except for the President thanking the Board.
The notice on the agenda for the Workshop read in part that the Board was going to meet in an executive session to discuss and consult about the “Potential Purchase of Real Property in Yavapai County near Prescott Valley,” and “Confirm Instructions to College Representatives Regarding Negotiations for Potential Lease of Real Property in Yavapai County near Verde Valley.”
The motion made by District One Representative Ray Sigafoos after the Board returned from its closed-door deliberation, said:
“We have spent the last hour and a half or two discussing options for, trying to address the affordable housing situation with our employees potentially and currently and also our student body. We have developed some options that we have given direction to the staff to implement and I would move that the a, this a, directions be given as we have identified them and to carry forward and bring back the results.”
The motion was seconded, there was no discussion, and unanimously approved. The Board then moved on to other matters.
County residents were left to wonder what the Board was up to. However, following its pattern of keeping as much information about sensitive topics from the public as possible, the public was left in the dark.
You may view the brief motion made at the Workshop by Mr. Sigafoos by clicking here.
Long list of accomplishments in so short a time is notable
Dr. Lisa Rhine
Dr. Lisa Rhine, President of Yavapai Community College, reflected on her achievements during her first four years in office at the District Governing Board workshop on Friday, February 24. Her presentation was impressive as she shared many of her notable accomplishments with the Board. That portion of her presentation that focused on her accomplishments may be viewed by clicking here.
For those interested in her complete presentation, the video of the entire meeting will be available on the District Governing Board website when it is posted.
Some highlights of her achievements include:
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Broke ground for Verde Campus Career Technical Trade Center.
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Began renovation of Building “L” on the Verde Campus.
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Made athletics and Division of Student Affairs responsible to Vice President Jenkins.
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Created a true enrollment management unit under Vice President Jenkins.
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Restructured the Academic Division and realigned the deans.
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Moved Human Resources unit to be a direct report to the President.
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Increased annual Associate Degree completion rates by 58% since 2019.
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Increased completion of annual Arizona General Education certificates being awarded by 84%.
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Improved first to second year retention rates by 5 percent.
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Increases Hispanic student enrollment by 24 percent.
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Increased Foundation invested assets by 37%.
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Increased Foundation scholarships by 35%.
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Decreased student default rate on loans from 25.5 percent down to 3.7 percent.
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Re-accredited nursing program and just completed HLC re-accreditation of the Community College as a whole with no monitoring, which is rare.
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Added Community College Promise program.
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Selected as finalist for prestigious national Bellwether award for developing the Promise program.
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Added Early College program.
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Expanded Advisor support and support for first generation students and connections to community support.
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Added three new athletic teams along with support staff.
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Created College Council.
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Received an award for budget reporting.
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Received permission to offer the first four-year Bachelor’s degree in business.
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Nominated for national award for student success initiative by the American Association of Community Colleges organization.
Letter of interest and resume must apparently be in the hands of County school superintendent by Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
Board meeting at CTEC
If you are interested in filling the vacancy created by the resignation of Mr. Paul Chevalier on the Yavapai Community College Governing Board, you must send a letter of interest and a resume to Tim Carter, Yavapai County School Superintendent, Yavapai County Education Service Agency, 2970 Centerpointe East, Prescott, AZ 86301, Fax 928-771-3329, Email: Tim.Carter@yavapaiaz.gov. You are instructed to include information about yourself, including family, education, and work experience, why you would like to be a board member, your residence and mailing address, your email address, and home/work phone numbers. Candidates may include up to three letters of recommendation of support if they wish.
To be eligible to hold this seat a person must be a registered voter who resides in District 3, be a citizen of the United States of America, be at least 18 years of age, possess their civil rights, and they or their spouse cannot be employed by the college district. This is a non-partisan seat and the appointment will reflect that statutory requirement.
Deadline for receipt of letters of interest, resumes and letters of recommendation is Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 5:00 p.m.
As has been the historical precedent for community college appointments, Superintendent Carter will make use of a five (5) member Candidate Review Committee. Committee members will reside in District 3. They will review letters of interest, resumes, and letters of recommendation. The committee will be made up of a taxpayer, a faculty member, a student, an elected official, and a person who works in the area of workforce development. The committee will decide who to interview, establish interview questions, interview the selected candidates on March 6th, and select candidates for consideration by Mr. Carter.
Note that prior to making the final selection, the Superintendent will meet separately with each of the currently seated Yavapai College Board Members for their input on the finalists.
Members of the public from District 3, will also have an opportunity to email their views of the candidates to Mr. Carter or to meet personally with him for a 10-minute meeting from noon to 4 pm on Thursday, March 9th at the Sedona Campus of Yavapai College after the finalists have been announced. The meetings will be on a first come, first basis.
The appointment should be announced by Friday, March 10th. The term begins upon taking the Oath of Office on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 and will be valid through December 31, 2024. To continue beyond that date, the successful candidate will need to run for the seat in the 2024 general election for a new six-year term beginning January 1, 2025. If you have any questions, please call Mr. Carter at 928-925-6560 (cell).
Dr. Rhine is in the running for CEO of the year and Deb McCasland is in the running for Trustee of the Year
Yavapai Community College announced in a press release dated February 3, 2023, that Community College president Dr. Lisa Rhine has been selected as one of five finalist for the CEO of the year by the American Association of Community Colleges. Deb McCasland has also been selected as one of three finalist as Trustee of the Year by the same organization.
Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is the primary
District Governing Board Trustees Chair Deb McCasland
advocacy organization for the nation’s community colleges. The nonprofit association, which is based in Washington, D.C., represents more than 1,000 2-year associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 12 million students.
The five finalists for the CEO of the year are: Chad Brown, President, Zane State College (Ohio); Dorey Diab, President, North Central State College (Ohio); Ryan McCall, President, Marion Technical College (Ohio); Lisa Rhine, President, Yavapai College (Arizona); Beverly Walker-Griffea, President, Mott Community College (Michigan).
The three finalists for Trustee of the Year are: Amy Barker, Sinclair Community College (Ohio); Robert Gilbert, Holyoke Community College (Massachusetts); Deborah McCasland, Yavapai College (Arizona).
The winners will be announced at the Awards of Excellence Gala on April 3 during the AACC Annual April 1-4 in Denver, Colorado.
You may read the Community College press release by clicking here.
Dr. William Perry Baker joined the Community College in January with a long and distinguished career
Dr. William Perry Baker joined Yavapai Community College in January as its new Associate Dean of Science, Math and Adult Education. He has a long and distinguished career. His position is classified as “Associate Dean, Division 2.”
Dr. William Perry Baker (Yavapai Community College photo)
He graduated from the Des Moines, Washington Highline Community College in 1980 after two years of study. He then went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree in microbiology from the University of Washington. He earned a master’s degree in education at Grand Canyon University and a doctorate in zoology at Arizona State University. He has worked a several institutions before coming to Yavapai Community College including Arizona Christian University, Midwestern University and Maricopa Community College District’s Office of Public Schools Program.
He is the author or co-author of 31 articles in a variety of journals including: The American Biology Teacher, The Science Teacher, Science Activities, Science Scope, The Journal of College Science Teaching, Journal of Research in Science Teaching and Professional Development in Education. He has supervised 12 postgraduate and 21 undergraduate research projects for medical and science students including projects of seven students who received grant funding. He has given numerous regional and national presentations, as well as two invited international lectures.
Dr. Baker has served on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Alliance for Science, Mathematics & Technology Education and as board member and president of the Arizona-Nevada Academy of Science. He was editor of the, Journal of the Arizona Nevada Academy of Science, from 2006-2008.
According to the Community College staff directory, Dr. Baker has been assigned to the Prescott Campus. It is believed that he will reside in Prescott.
Put in charge of OER development in 2019, Ryan’s accomplishment stands out as new four-year Bachelor of Science program announced it will use all free open source textbooks in all four years
In November 2019, Yavapai Community College President Dr. Lisa Rhine tasked Dr. Diane Ryan with leading the initiative to lower the cost of student textbooks. At an Osher Brown Bag Buzz program on the Verde Campus, Dr. Ryan announced the plan to utilize open educational resources (OER) for course materials in an effort to reduce costs. The program, if successful, could save students up to $1,600 annually on textbook expenses.
Dr. Diane Ryan
The question of goals the President of Yavapai Community College should achieve came up during a secret executive meeting on November 15, 2022, with the College District Governing Board. Apparently, three goals were agreed upon.