EDUCATION
systems engineering, cyber operations, intelligence, family studies and nutrition.
“Agriculture no longer is just about following the plow,” Hodges said.
It’s about technology like drones, mapping systems, automation and sensors and cutting-edge microbial detection science — technology and science that lead the nation in sustainable agriculture.
Students not only take course work, they’re engaged in research, mentoring, internships and projects, such as two undertaken by systems and industrial engineering teams. One team developed a system to collect water samples from irrigation ditches to test for pathogens. The other team created a web-based mapping system of data relevant to agricultural ranches in Yuma County.
Then there’s UA’s new cyber operations program that prepares students to become cybersecurity professionals, whether going into high-security government work or on a defense and forensic track such as the data crisis experienced in recent years by Home Depot and other retailers.
The goal is to grow Yuma’s own next generation of skilled workers, people who grew up here, have ties to the community and want to stay if they can find meaningful employment, representatives of the four institutions say.
“We’re trying to solve the employment problem,” said Hodges, noting that UA-Yuma students are finding jobs. “We want to make sure students have pathways ... give them the skills they need to go to work. We don’t want them to leave (to get an education) because they won’t come back. We want to keep them here.”
Added Dr. Robert Robbins, UA president who was in Yuma recently for the dedication of UA-Yuma’s own center: “There’s a lot of enthusiasm and support. Our next step is to grow even larger. It is an honor for us to be here.”
Each higher education institution with a presence in Yuma has its specialty areas, Hodges noted. “We don’t compete. In Yuma it’s all about creating opportunities.”
UA-Yuma’s focus is on four areas: agriculture, technology, engineering and health and safety.
Northern Arizona University-Yuma has more of a global focus, such as with its signature social work program that includes the Hispanic culture and border issues, said Dr. Michael Sabath, associate vice president and campus executive officer.
“It’s the only one like it in the country,” he said, and it is generating interest in other parts of the country.
NAU-Yuma also offers education programs to prepare teachers for the border areas, particularly in elementary education, special education and leadership. In an effort to address the teacher shortage in another way, the branch is offering a postbaccalaureate certificate in secondary education for persons who have a bachelor’s degree in some field but are looking for a career change to teaching.
In a third area, NAUYuma offers programs to prepare business people for international opportunities. The branch works closely with Mexicali, and students and faculty on both sides of the border participate in programs offered there and in Yuma County.
In partnership with AWC, NAU-Yuma offered a start-up weekend in March of 52 hours for potential entrepreneurs to brainstorm business ideas, develop the ideas with faculty and local business people, then present them for judging.
Yet another program provides two years of business management instruction that leads to a bachelor’s degree in business for students in such trades as welding or mechanics to better prepare them to run their own businesses.
NAU-Yuma also has a “robust and growing” bachelor’s degree nursing program, Sabath said, noting enrollment has doubled in the last year and 100 students are expected in the fall. In response to the growth, the school is expanding faculty and training resources.
“The demand is amazing,” said NAU President Rita Hartung Cheng, noting that students from all over Arizona may start in Flagstaff, then transfer to Yuma to complete their training.
Likewise, students pursuing degrees in occupational therapy and physical therapy may start in Phoenix, then come to Yuma for their rotation at the hospital and clinics here, she said.
NAU has had a presence in the Yuma community for 30 years, said Dr. Cheng. NAU-Yuma had 511 students this school year enrolled in 40 undergraduate programs and 10 post-graduate programs. An additional 880 Yuma students attend NAU in Flagstaff.
She concluded: “We’re here. We’re engaged. We’ve had a 30-year partnership with AWC. We’re really proud of that collaboration.”
Arizona State University, ranked No. 1 in innovation in the nation, joined the institutional lineup at the Yuma campus two years ago and graduated its first “cohort” of 24 students during the recent commencement. That included 10 secondary teachers and 14 graduates of the school’s criminal justice bachelor’s degree program.
ASU’s award-winning secondary education program includes three semesters of internships and a final semester of student teaching so the new teachers are well prepared to go into the classroom when they graduate, said Joena Ezroj, iTeachAZ site coordinator in Yuma County for the ASU Teachers College. “It’s a rigorous program,” she said.
And it’s designed to meet the need for qualified teaching personnel in the Yuma area who will stay here and be part of the community. She’s encouraged that all 10 graduates have jobs, 10 more students will be in the program’s second year and to date 33 students have been admitted for the program’s third year. The criminal justice program, too, is proving popular.
AWC also is embarking on a series of innovative programs following the crafting of its Strategic Plan 2025, noted Dr. Linda Elliott-Nelson, AWC vice president for learning services.
They include such things as trying to interest people in careers in teaching, nursing and social work; a new program to help prepare young children with disabilities for school; offering college-level English classes at Yuma High School to provide them at a much lower cost and create a college-going culture; provide a degree in drones that will start this fall and be held on Saturdays to broaden participation; continue to strengthen ties with Mexico through the 4FrontEd program; streamline the transition of students from remedial classes to college classes; fund a series of projects such as an ambassador program in South County and student gathering and charging areas; and arranged for a transfer to an associate’s degree in surgical technology in collaboration with Mohave Community College.
Students would take prerequisite classes at AWC, transfer to Mohave to complete their training and return to Yuma for their clinical practice.
In addition, former professor Reetika Dhawan has been appointed the dean of Career and Technical Education. She is organizing a variety of “camps” this summer to provide low-cost math remedial classes, introduction to engineering basics, electrical safety certification and other topics.
She is looking for industrial and community collaborators — people with years of experience in a field who might be willing to serve as guest speakers and even instructors. For example, she said, “We can use a person who has 30 years experience with air conditioning to share their experience. We really need the community support and experience. We fill the gaps by working together. My goal is to offer people opportunities here so they can meet the community’s needs.”
And to have them stay.