Instead of fearing public scrutiny because it honestly shares detailed lawful information about decisions and projects in the District, it should embrace it as an opportunity for growth and improvement
Editor: Robert Oliphant Commentary
EDITORIAL: In an age where transparency and open dialogue are increasingly becoming cornerstones of effective governance and public trust, one ponders what is happening at Yavapai Community College. While touting the values of openness, community engagement, and collaboration, it appears Yavapai Community College has become paranoid when it comes to sharing any specifics about its operations and decision-making processes with the residents of the County who support it.
It seems to me that this closed-door approach to institutional governance is counterintuitive to its educational mandate and also potentially harmful to the very fabric of academic freedom and community trust.
The Irony of Withholding Information: Education, at its core, is about the dissemination of knowledge. Yavapai Community College is supposed to foster curiosity, encourage questions, and cultivate critical thinking. So, when it chooses to operate in secrecy, a stark contradiction arises. How can it instruct students the value of transparency, accountability, and democratic processes while simultaneously withholding as much information as possible about the inner workings of its educational environment from the public? It is hardly acting as a role model students should emulate.
Eroding Trust: Trust is a fragile commodity, and once lost, it’s not easily regained. That should be a lesson learned over the past half century in the treatment afforded residents of Sedona and the Verde Valley. By keeping its cards so close to its chest, Yavapai Community College creates a climate of skepticism and doubt. Parents, students, and the broader community on the east side of Minus Mountain question what it has to hide. Without transparency, unfounded rumors, often based on misinformation, can gain traction, further muddying the waters and eroding the trust that it needs to operate effectively.
The Fear Factor: You might ask: “Why has Yavapai Community College chosen this path of opacity? Are the executives operating the College trying to protect trade secrets, as a corporation might?” That seems unlikely. More plausibly, the executives fear a public backlash over unpopular decisions, possess concerns over competition between the five Districts in the County, or it has accepted an institutional culture that has historically valued secrecy over public transparency.
While these concerns are understandable to a certain extent, the solution isn’t to retreat further into the shadows. In the long run, such behavior only exacerbates its problems.
The Need for a New Approach: Yavapai Community College is not a mere corporate entity driven by profit. It is a center of learning, growth, and community building. It has a responsibility to its students, to society at large, and Yavapai County residents in particular. Thus, it’s crucial that the College operates with a level of transparency befitting its role.
Instead of fearing public scrutiny because of sharing information, it should embrace it as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Feedback from the community can lead to better decision-making and a more inclusive approach to governance. It’s time for Yavapai Community College to step out from the shadows of secrecy and engage openly with the public it serves. A culture of secrecy has no place in the realm of education. The future of the College and the trust it should command depends on its willingness to operate with transparency, integrity, and openness.