North campus provides new opportunities
By Josselyn Berry, May 2009
Features Editor
In partnership with Foothills Community Foundation and Valley of the Sun YMCA, Paradise Valley Community College is currently constructing a campus at Black Mountain on 60th Street and Carefree Highway. A Community Center and YMCA are being built in conjunction with the extended PVCC campus.
At 10,000 square feet, the campus will provide six classrooms where students can take credit and non-credit classes. The classes offered will include health and wellness, CPR recertification, art and music. The final class schedule is still being developed, but will be available online early this summer. There will be a computer lab for students to use and a room which can double as a science lab or art room. A student resource center will also be on campus to advise students on registration, financial aid and other concerns.
The YMCA, which will be 28,000 square feet, will contain a recreational pool, fitness center, teen center and child care. The Community Center, also 10,000 square feet, will provide meeting spaces and Scottsdale Healthcare programs. A film and lecture series will also be available, and PVCC is trying to decide how to incorporate them into a class. The cost of tuition will be the same as PVCC’s, which is currently $71 a credit hour.
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The 10,000-square-foot campus at 60th Street and Carefree Highway will share space with a community center and YMCA. |
The decision to build a campus at Black Mountain came after a community survey was done in 2001 showing there was a significant desire for a multi-generational center. A significant rise in population has also occurred in Cave Creek, Carefree and northern Maricopa County, which gives more incentive to provide the residents with a community facility.
Jacalyn Askin, vice president of administrative services says, “It’s going to give us a presence in a community that hasn’t had a community college.”
The alliance between the YMCA and Community Center was formed after representatives of both approached the Maricopa County District about combining their services.
“We feel that each one of the partners can enhance the other,” says Denise Digianfilippo, dean of academic services.
The district purchased the property with funds from the 1994 bond, and the campus construction is being funded by the 2004 General Obligation Bond. The YMCA and Community Center are being funded by private donations from residents of the area.
The current budget is a concern for this project, but Interim President Paul Dale says, “We are working hard to keep the operating costs within the current budget.”
Dale explains that the district provided room for new construction costs, which includes staff and equipment. The budget will also be edited with incoming enrollment funds.
Dale hopes this facility will increase student success and serve as a national model for other community learning centers.
“We are very excited about the synergies between the partners and the development of new programs to serve the residents of the area,” he says. The entire facility is expected to be complete by July 2009. Classes will begin in August and registration starts early this summer. For further information on the facility, visit http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/pvccblackmountain/. |
