First Lady Jill Biden Will Visit Phoenix Wednesday On COVID-19 Vaccine Tour

First lady Jill Biden is visiting Arizona on Wednesday. She and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will stop in Phoenix as part of a nationwide tour promoting COVID-19 vaccines. 

Arizona’s rate of vaccination remains below the national average. The Biden administration had hoped 70% of American adults would have at least one dose of a vaccine by the Fourth of July. Nationwide, it’s now about 66% but only about 60% of Arizona adults have had a shot, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Democrats gave up on President Joe Biden’s attempt to include free community college in his massive social spending plan, dubbed Build Back Better. First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, a community college professor herself, made the announcement last week.

The plan passed the House in November but has stalled in the Senate as Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema — alongside West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin — have opposed the price tag on the plan. Since then, Democrats have been cutting proposals from it to try to strike a compromise, including free community college.

It comes as enrollment is dropping at community colleges here and around the country, and state funding for them has been slashed.

Rufus Glasper is president and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College as well as a former chancellor for the Maricopa County Community College District.

The Show spoke with him to learn about the decrease and began the conversation with his reaction to the Biden administration dropping this initiative from its signature plan.

Listen to the Story:

https://kjzz.org/content/1756284/biden-dropped-his-plan-free-community-college-nonprofit-leader-isnt-giving

SCOTTSDALE, AZ — The Maricopa County Community College District has named the next president for Scottsdale Community College.

Eric Leshinskie — who has been serving as the interim executive vice chancellor and provost of the MCCCD, and was previously the vice president of academic affairs at Paradise Valley Community College — was selected after a nationwide search that involved extensive community input, the district said.

He will step into his new role starting July 1.

https://www.abc15.com/news/business/scottsdale-community-colleges-next-president-named

In celebration of Black History Month, the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) is hosting in-person and virtual events across many of the Maricopa Community Colleges, exploring topics from anti-racism in the workplace to intersectionality and paying a tribute to Black excellence.

“The Maricopa Community Colleges look forward to every opportunity to recognize Black and African American culture and history with our students, staff, faculty and community members,” said Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Interim Chancellor. “This Black History Month, we will celebrate with events that honor the Black community through storytelling, film, panel discussions, and coming together virtually and in-person to honor this rich history.”

https://azednews.com/maricopa-county-community-colleges-celebrates-black-history-month-with-events/

Three of the four finalists are from out of state and one already works for the Maricopa County Community College District. Public forums to introduce the four finalists will be held on Jan. 31.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2022/01/26/scottsdale-community-college-president-finalists.html

PHOENIX — Taxes from the sale of recreational cannabis during the first year of legality in Arizona resulted in millions of dollars for local community colleges, officials said Tuesday.

Maricopa County Community College District received $17.1 million from the imposed 16% excise tax on the drug, with the money being used to improve student offerings, the district said in a press release.

The district said it has earmarked $7.6 million of the funds toward 35 career-specific training programs, with focuses including beauty and wellness, healthcare, and trades and technology.

https://ktar.com/story/4847657/maricopa-community-colleges-get-17m-from-cannabis-tax-in-first-year-of-legality/

PHOENIX — Maricopa County Community College District is in the planning stages of offering bachelor’s degrees at eight of its 10 campuses in the Valley.

Community colleges across the state have been given the authority by Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona State Legislature to offer bachelor's degrees after a bill was signed into law this year.

https://www.abc15.com/news/state/mcccd-planning-to-offer-bachelors-degrees-after-new-state-law

The Arizona Legislature has given final approval to a bill setting out the conditions for the state’s community colleges to start offering four-year degrees. On Wednesday, the Senate passed the legislation with a 24-6 vote, and the House already approved SB 1453. The only thing that remains now is a decision by Gov. Doug Ducey.

There’s been bipartisan support for this bill, but both parties share concerns about costs. 

Democratic Sen. Rosanna Gabaldón, who voted "no," says she sees this bill as duplicating existing efforts by universities.

“Arizona's already underfunding our public education, and I believe this bill will make our community colleges and public universities compete for that same funding. Why make this a solution looking for a problem?" Gabaldón said. 

Republican Sen. David Livingston voted "yes," but also voiced his concern that this bill may result in higher taxes. 

https://kjzz.org/content/1679108/arizona-community-colleges-may-soon-offer-four-year-degrees

Four national voting rights groups sent a letter to Arizona Republican Senate President Karen Fann voicing their concerns about the Maricopa County Election audit.

The Brennan Center and the Carter Center, among others, say that Cyber Ninjas, the company the state Senate hired, lacks the skills and independence necessary to conduct an audit.

https://kjzz.org/content/1674831/national-voting-rights-groups-voice-concern-over-arizona-election-audit

The Maricopa County Community College District announced Tuesday that all critical internet technology systems have been restored and classes have officially resumed after a suspected cyberattack caused a district-wide outage two weeks ago.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2021/03/30/maricopa-community-college-classes-resume-after-cyberattack/4812791001/