![\"NAU](\"http:\/\/stage.headlessnauedu-b6hgdzckfdgxgzhe.westus-01.azurewebsites.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/NAUyavapai.jpg\")
Northern Arizona University is adding a bold new dimension to higher education in Arizona by offering four-year degrees through a strengthened partnership with Yavapai College.<\/p>\nNorthern Arizona University is adding a bold new dimension to higher education in Arizona by offering four-year degrees through a strengthened partnership with Yavapai College.<\/p>\n
NAU-Yavapai in Prescott Valley will open in the fall with a few continuing students from Yavapai, adding more students and courses beginning in January.<\/p>\n
The venture is consistent with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer\u2019s charge to the Arizona Board of Regents to create a new business model focused on affordability, accessibility and predictability in the Arizona University System. The goal is to increase the number baccalaureate degrees by at least 50 percent by 2020, which is part of the universities\u2019 strategic plan.<\/p>\n
The increased number of baccalaureates is believed necessary for Arizona\u2019s economy to remain competitive.<\/p>\n
At the new NAU-Yavapai, tuition would be considerably lower than the cost of a residential education at one of Arizona\u2019s three research universities. \u201cWe have the opportunity to truly offer a different option,\u201d said NAU President\u00a0John Haeger<\/strong>. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to re-create the current system.\u201d<\/p>\n NAU has been charged with developing at least two regional universities by working in tandem with community college partners. Yavapai College and Coconino Community College are among the first partners in this undertaking with Arizona Western College in Yuma also being considered.<\/p>\n NAU currently has a strong presence at the three community colleges, and NAU-Yuma already is a branch campus.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will offer very structured programs with limited choice, but all your courses will count toward your degree,\u201d Haeger said. \u201cWe will have classes running 12 months a year instead of a semester system. Students can go as fast as they want.\u201d<\/p>\n James F. Horton, president of Yavapai College, said the new plans will build on an already great partnership and move both institutions into a new and exciting direction. \u201cWe\u2019re looking to give students the best value in higher education,\u201d Horton said. \u201cWe are creating an affordable and accessible combination of in-person and online delivery that meets the needs of today\u2019s students.\u201d<\/p>\n Horton described finding the new location for NAU-Yavapai as \u201cserendipitous\u2014the stars are aligning.\u201d A 10,000-square-foot add-on to the new city library building will be used for classes and other academic business. Students also will have access to all the library amenities, he said.<\/p>\n As part of the overall system revision, the University of Arizona will extend its partnerships with community colleges in Pima, Santa Cruz, Cochise and Pinal counties, and possibly some Maricopa County locations. Arizona State University will be developing campuses for high-demand degree programs\u2014called the Colleges @ ASU\u2014in Maricopa County.<\/p>\n All three universities are exploring the feasibility of establishing Arizona Public University Centers offering courses from all three institutions on a limited basis in certain counties.<\/p>\n Ernest Calder\u00f3n<\/strong>, incoming president of Arizona Board of Regents, added another element to the system architecture discussion on Friday during the ABOR meeting in Flagstaff.<\/p>\n He asked the three university presidents to \u201cresearch and refine\u201d his proposal for partnerships between the universities and the state\u2019s community colleges where students would take three years at a community college and one year at a university.<\/p>\n Calder\u00f3n\u2019s proposal calls for a select few university majors to be offered through a regimented program in which curriculum is determined by the universities but delivered through the community colleges\u2014at community college tuition\u2014for the first three years. In the fourth year, students would attend a university\u2014at university cost\u2014and graduate with a baccalaureate.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a very rigid, fast-track model that would provide a quick route to a baccalaureate degree,\u201d Calder\u00f3n said.\u00a0 He added that this proposal could cut the cost of a baccalaureate by 60 percent.<\/p>\n The NAU-Yavapai undertaking is the first step toward creating regional universities\u2014institutions of higher learning that focus on students earning baccalaureate degrees. The regional universities would have no research component and offer structured programs, fewer majors and a delivery system blending in-person and web.<\/p>\n \u201cThis partnership will have much more depth than we\u2019ve previously done with Yavapai College,\u201d Haeger explained. \u201cThe community college will be very much involved in the first two years of study, but when students first walk in the door, they would know that it\u2019s an NAU-Yavapai partnership and they\u2019re on the path to a four-year baccalaureate. \u201c<\/p>\n The program creates a seamless path toward an NAU baccalaureate through joint admissions and advising. \u201cIt eliminates the issue of course transfer,\u201d Haeger said.<\/p>\n The new venture takes the additional step of adding NAU professors, advisers and administrators on-site and offering three to four bachelor\u2019s degrees, though degree programs have not been decided.<\/p>\n \u201cThis offers a choice for students,\u201d Haeger said. \u201cNorthern Arizona University would still operate its research institution in Flagstaff, but the Yavapai venture is very teaching focused.\u201d<\/p>\n Some operational and governance issues still must be resolved, but the joint venture will be overseen by both NAU and Yavapai College. Yavapai College serves about 300 students, and the new NAU-Yavapai will have capacity for at least 600.<\/p>\n Haeger assured students that the baccalaureate degrees from NAU-Yavapai will have the same requirements and the same quality as other NAU degrees.<\/p>\n The NAU president also is confident the state will find a way to fund research institutions and regional universities. \u201cUltimately, the state will figure out how to get more funding if they truly want more baccalaureate degrees.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"