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AN APPRECIATION OF YAVAPAI COLLEGE’S PRESIDENT, DR. PENNY WILLS

October 15, 2018
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by Michael Grady, Marketing Specialist, Yavapai College

On many campuses, college presidents are seen from a distance: cutting ribbons, speaking from podiums, frowning pensively under their mortar boards until the closing procession begins.

At Yavapai College, the president is the nice lady who just came up to you and asked, “So how are you doing today?”

That’s just one legacy of Dr. Penny Wills, Yavapai College’s ninth president, who will retire this year. While many academics prefer lecture halls and conference rooms, Dr. Wills walks the campuses and visits the cafeteria, asking questions of the students she meets. Her reputation follows, rather than precedes, her. Many a student has finished a conversation with her, only to be told, “You know that was the president, right?”

Most times, they didn’t know. Dr. Wills was always more about listening to students than impressing them. In her seven years of service, Dr. Wills has challenged ivory tower conceptions of academia and built strong ties between Yavapai College and the community it serves.

“We always have to remember, we are here for the students,” she says.

As the driving force behind the Pathways project, Dr. Wills helped the college develop a program that clarifies each student’s course of study.

“Pathways essentially creates a mapping process,” she told The Verde Independent. “Students understand which classes are necessary for program completion, how long it will take and what opportunities they will have at the end.”

Introduced last year, Pathways saves students time and money as they pursue their goals.

On the programming level, Dr. Wills helped re-engineer the College’s Regional Economic Development Center (REDC) into an asset for local businesses. Through job fairs, training programs, research and business advice, the REDC is a vital resource for start-up entrepreneurs, established industries looking to improve and a local workforce seeking jobs.

With initiatives ranging from better relationships with local schools to an on-campus food pantry for students in need, Dr. Wills has demonstrated the many ways education can inform, inspire and support a community.

“I just love education,” she said of her field. “You’re shaping lives. You challenge students and become partners in their learning.”

This fall marks Dr. Wills’ final semester at Yavapai College. She will greet students and faculty − urging them to be curious, creative and learn − as she has since 2011. She will facilitate a smooth transition for her successor. Then she will quietly step away on Dec. 31 for retirement and travel with her husband, Ron.

But part of her will always remain at YC. Like the “Do you know who that is?” whispers that followed her when she greeted new students on campus, Dr. Wills will leave an impressive legacy behind her: a thriving educational institution that is in sync with its community and a service-first approach that begins one student at a time.

The students, staff and faculty of Yavapai College thank Dr. Wills for her service and wish her the best on her next adventure. 

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LOCAL NEWS: The Northern Arizona VA in Prescott has provided an update on their Homeless Veteran Program. . . .PRESCOTT, Ariz. – The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System’s Homeless Veteran Program, along with its community partners, housed 445 Veterans in 2022, exceeding their target goal by 157%.Nationally, the 2022 goal was to house 38,000 homeless Veterans— a goal that was exceeded by 6.3%. The Department of Veterans Affairs remains committed to ending Veteran homelessness and increasing housing placements is critical to achieving this goal.“This success is a result of efforts built on the evidence-based ‘Housing First’ approach, which prioritizes getting a Veteran into housing, then provides the Veteran with the support they need to stay housed,” said Steve Sample, Medical Center Director.In Northern Arizona, there are a variety of services designed to house homeless Veterans. The VA’s Health Care for Homeless Veterans (HCHV) Program includes VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) vouchers that provide formerly homeless Veterans with subsidized housing and a wraparound, interdisciplinary case management team to address issues that may have contributed to homelessness. The program provides justice outreach services, employment services, health care services through the Homeless Patient Aligned Care Team, outreach, and transitional housing support. The VA also works closely with community partners to house homeless Veterans through a system called Coordinated Entry, where community agencies along with the VA regularly meet to coordinate efforts and ensure homeless Veterans do not fall through the cracks.“We are fortunate that there is so much support for helping homeless Veterans in our area,” said Jessica Taylor, Homeless Program Coordinator for the Northern Arizona VA. “This success could not have been possible without great collaboration between our community partners, Housing Authorities, Tribal partnerships, and support from our local communities.”Looking ahead, the VA will continue to explore new avenues to house homeless Veterans and overcome housing barriers. In collaboration with U.S VETS, Gorman & Company, and the Arizona Department of Housing, a supportive housing project on the grounds of the VA’s Fort Whipple campus is in the initial planning stages. The VA is also expanding outreach to ensure that homeless Veterans are aware of services available to them. For Veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of homelessness— or if you know of homeless Veterans in need of assistance, call 877-424-3838.For more information on renting to or hiring homeless Veterans, visit: www.va.gov/homelessAbout the Northern Arizona VA: Through its main campus in Prescott, along with Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) in Cottonwood, Flagstaff, Kingman, Lake Havasu City, and Anthem— with additional clinics in Tuba City, Page, Kayenta, Chinle, Holbrook, and Polacca, the Northern Arizona VA provides services to approximately 33,000 Veterans over a catchment area of more than 65,000 square miles.. . .www.facebook.com/VAPrescott ... See MoreSee Less

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Empty Bowls of Prescott Arizona has announced that it will distribute $24,000 to local foodbanks! Their 2022 Empty Bowls fundraising event took place in September, and donations can be made year round on their website.prescott-empty-bowls.square.site ... See MoreSee Less

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