Yavapai College Skips Out on Council Meeting

The Sedona City Council convened a special meeting on October 9, intending to discuss the state of higher education in the area with representatives from Yavapai Community College (YCC). However, college officials failed to attend, leaving council members to engage in a half-hour discussion with two empty seats.

“Nobody decided to come from the college today,” stated Mayor Scott Jablow, expressing disappointment at their absence.

The city had arranged for YCC President Lisa Rhine, Ph.D., to attend the meeting, but she declined. Subsequently, a series of other officials were proposed for attendance, including Irina del Genio, dean of the Verde Valley campus, and Richard Hernandez, executive director of government relations. In the end, none of the five invited representatives appeared.

In their absence, Jablow read through emails exchanged with Hernandez, which included questions concerning topics like declining enrollment. Enrollment in culinary courses had notably dropped from 169 students in 2018 to just 49 in 2021. Questions also addressed the proportion of property tax funding coming from Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek, as well as future plans for the college in Sedona.

Jablow described these inquiries as “very simple questions,” yet Hernandez’s response cited a refusal to attend due to concerns over previous treatment by the council. Hernandez expressed that the college preferred to communicate its developments directly to residents without public scrutiny.

Outgoing Councilwoman Jessica Williamson highlighted past commitments by YCC to develop student housing in the Verde Valley and criticized the college for not delivering on those promises. “They told everybody they were going to do,” she remarked regarding the $9.25 million housing plan for 60 students.

During the meeting, the council watched a promotional video for a proposed $11 million housing facility slated for Prescott, prompting Jablow to voice his shock at the disparity between that and the lesser investments in Sedona.

“They’re not doing anything for Sedona or our neighbors,” Jablow asserted. “They don’t want to build anything here.” Williamson echoed these sentiments, accusing YCC of ignoring the needs of Sedona and the Verde Valley while prioritizing projects elsewhere.

Williamson pointed to a ten-year plan created in 2012, which indicated a preference for investing in Prescott rather than in the Verde Valley. This has coincided with declining attendance at the Clarkdale campus and minimal programming at the Sedona campus.

Councilman Brian Fultz questioned whether the college’s administrative structure effectively serves the varied needs of the county, suggesting the possibility of consolidating efforts in Prescott. He advocated for a collaborative approach to improve relations with the college, yet acknowledged the challenges faced in the past.

Jablow expressed frustration and called for increased engagement with YCC, saying, “We need to be more in their face,” and indicated plans to attend college board meetings more regularly. Meanwhile, communication with Sedona taxpayers appears to have stalled, with no press releases issued by YCC since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.