Black Mountain campus opens
Community officials join celebration
By Ty Brown, October 2009
Staff Writer
Paradise Valley Community College at Black Mountain opened its doors to students on August 10 and on August 24 classes commenced.
The 48,000-square-foot center located at 60th street and the Carefree Highway, houses six college classrooms, a YMCA and a Community Center, making it a multi-generational facility for the growing, surrounding communities.
"We have already received a lot of positive responses from the students and community,” said site coordinator at Black Mountain, Loretta Mondragon. “They are really excited that the college, YMCA, and Community Center are all located in one central location."
With all these essential places in one, the Black Mountain campus has opened opportunities for students who attend and the families in the surrounding communities.
"There is increased access for the neighboring residents, increased number of short-term classes and a smaller campus environment for a more intimate higher education experience," adds PVCC’s Interim President Paul Dale.
The Black Mountain campus also provides, both credit and noncredit classes, a computer lab, student participation programs provided by the YMCA and a student resource center that advises students on financial aid, registration and other areas of concern. Just some of the classes that are offered include health and wellness, CPR certification, art and music.
The full class schedule is available online, and tuition is the same as the Union Hills campus at $71 a credit hour. Also, the learning environment at Black Mountain is of very high quality according to Student Service Specialist Lori Espinoza: "The facility is beautiful and being in close proximity of the Foothills Community Center and Desert Foothills YMCA, it provides educational opportunities for the whole family."
Mondragon adds that "the facility is beautiful, you can tell extra care was given to make sure it blended in well with the desert surroundings."
With the current recession both on a national level and at the state level, you might ask how did the Maricopa County Community College District afford to put up a brand new campus?
"The land was purchased by the district in 1994 in anticipation of the population growth in the North Valley,” explains Dale. “The campus was opened now to take advantage of a partnership with the Valley of the Sun YMCA and the Foothills Community Foundation, both of which constructed sites on the campus. Our goal together is to establish a national model for a lifelong learning center."
"The college was provided $100,000 of new operating funds from the District for the site,” says Dale. “Also, new enrollments at Black Mountain will provide additional funding. Enrollment funding is based on annualized enrollment data, and the college will need to fund any differences out-of-pocket."
The current enrollment at Black Mountain is 386 students.
Dale also says that many steps were taken in order to reduce the operating cost of the Black Mountain campus, including not filling an administrative slot, sharing operational costs with the two community partners and delivering some services from the Union Hills campus.
All three partners will be participating in a Grand Opening celebration Oct. 17. The public is encouraged to attend. For classes, location, services and information, please visit http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/blackmountain/ or call 602-493-2600. |
