Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) Introduction and Academics

Introduction

Paradise Valley Community College is a two-year community college located in Phoenix, Ariz., in a desert landscape with mountain views. Founded in 1985, Paradise Valley is one of the 10 Maricopa Community Colleges and has an annual enrollment of more than 14,195 students, with an additional 6,000 students enrolled in non-credit and continuing education programs.

A satellite campus, the Black Mountain Campus, is a multi-generational learning facility providing lifelong learning, community services, wellness programs and physical fitness.

Paradise Valley will benefit from a $951,359,000 bond referendum approved by Maricopa County voters in 2004, for new classroom construction, renovation, technology, parking, security and land purchases to meet growth needs. Nearly 85% of the funds are being used for construction and renovation of classroom and laboratory space at all 10 colleges in the consortium, with funding being almost evenly split between the four quadrants of the county. In addition, the Maricopa County Community College District is purchasing

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Information Summary

Ranks 31st in Arizona and 2501st overall. See the entire top 2,000 colleges and universities list
Overall Score (about)	57.0
Total Cost On-Campus Attendance	$3,494
Admission Success rate	N/A
Student Ratio Students-to-Faculty	18 : 1
Retention (full-time / part-time)	65% / 46%
Enrollment Total (all students)	8,115

Academics

Paradise Valley offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, Associate in Business, Associate in Arts Elementary Education, Associate in Arts Fine Arts, Associate in General Studies, Certificates of Completion, Associate in Applied Science, and Associate in Transfer Partnership degrees. Areas of study at Paradise Valley Community College include art studies, commercial and advertising art, music history and literature, business management, business support services, communications, human resources, psychology, fire protection, liberal arts and humanities, computer programming, engineering, nursing, education, and computer and information services.

Students who enter the Honors Program at Paradise Valley are able to take advantage of cultural enrichment, a rigorous curriculum, honors designation on a diploma and transcript, special programs and speakers, travel, a fall Honors Retreat, and networking opportunities.

Paradise Valley also offers its students a Learning Communities program that blends combined study areas and encourages students from different disciplines to create connections, develop their critical thinking skills, and practice team building. Classes in previous Learning Communities have included Exploring Psychology Through Writing, Leader That Makes a Difference, Success Strategies for Math, and Positive Psychology — The Science of Happiness and Success.

The First Year Experience is an academic program for students entering college for the first time, and encourages students to learn with the same group by enrolling as a group in two or three courses, remaining with the same students for the first semester. The experience includes student activities, study skills, group projects, peer tutoring, interaction with faculty, and college success skills. The program also provides first-year students with information about financial aid, scholarships, testing, and library services.

Paradise Valley’s Early College is co-sponsored by Paradise Valley Community College and Paradise Valley Unified School District, and allows qualified high school juniors and seniors to attend college classes. Students who participate can complete up to 35 college credits over a two-year period while still in high school, and credits can be transferred to other universities.

The Paradise Valley Learning Support Center offers a variety of services to students who need support, including general tutoring and resources four days a week, and one day devoted to assistance for math, chemistry, physics, accounting, economics and statistics students. The center also provides students with frequent two-hour workshops in the use of scientific calculators and a variety of grammar and writing workshops.

The Computer Commons on the campus, located across from the campus library, houses PCs and MACs for student use and a number of computer technology classrooms.

As part of the Maricopa consortium of community colleges, Paradise Valley offers study abroad programs in approximately 16 different countries over the summer. Programs are taught by Arizona community college instructors and range in length from one week to one month. Summer program locations have included Nottingham, England; County Westmeath, Ireland; Gateway Community College in Prague, Czech Republic; Amman, Jordan; Beijing, China; and Namibia, Africa.

Most Popular Fields of Study

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Admissions

To be admitted to this school, as with many community colleges, students must be high school graduates or have taken the GED. The continuing education program accepts adult students. Paradise Valley has rolling admissions for both undergraduates and international students, and offers early admissions options.

If you would like to see the Paradise Valley campus, personal and group tours are available. Guided walking tours, led by student ambassadors, include visits to classroom buildings, the student union and other facilities. Guided tours last approximately 40 minutes and must be reserved in advance.

Financial Aid

Paradise Valley Community College offers students a number of scholarships, including the Presidents’ Scholarship for incoming freshmen who graduated in the top 15 percent of their graduating high school class; Maricopa Community Colleges District Scholarships; Maricopa Community Colleges Honors Scholarships; Accounttemps/AICPA scholarship for students pursuing degrees in accounting, finance or information systems; AES Engineering Scholarships; Advancing Women in Transportation scholarships; American Indian Services scholarships for undergraduate Native American students; American Institute of Certified Public Accountants for accounting majors; and the Barry Goldwater Scholarship.

Paradise Valley also assist students in obtaining loans, grants and federal work-study programs. Approximately 47 percent of Paradise Valley students receive some form of financial aid.

Student Financial Aid Details

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Students

Paradise Valley is a commuters’ college, so there is no on-campus housing. Students can participate in more than 23 different clubs and organizations, including a film club, an anime club, an African American Students organization, a photography club, College Democrats and Republicans, a chess club, intramural sports, and Adults Who Are Returning to Education (AWARE). The college also has an active Student Leadership Council.

The college’s Peak Leadership Institute is a leadership development organization that trains students through a comprehensive program. The Institute is designed to empower, foster, and mobilize leadership potential in each student. We do this through education, training, and service experiences that are individual, progressive, and complementary. As a program committed to excellence, we continually evaluate and assess our effectiveness. Students opt to become involved in the program by accomplishing three levels of leadership, and activities include an Emerging Leaders wilderness program, a public policy forum, and participation in the INROADS Learning Summits.

The campus Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in 2005, is a fully professional theater that can host music, theater, dance productions and films. Student productions, touring acts and educational programs are held at the center, along with some classes. The center has an orchestra pit and seating that can accommodate 300. An art gallery in the lobby of the performing arts center also has changing exhibits, including student exhibits, and is open to the public.

The Paradise Valley campus has a fitness center that serves students, faculty, community members, and senior citizens. The fitness center is equipped with free weights, cybex machines, free motion machines, cardio equipment and a studio for fitness classes.

The Office for Campus Recreation organizes group outings to orofessional sporting events that include Phoenix Coyotes hockey games and Arizona Diamondbacks baseball games. Tickets are offered at reduced prices. The recreation office also collaborates with the campus fitness center to host sport and recreational tournaments that have included kickball, dodgeball and volleyball, and enlists students and faculty to participate in charity race and walk events like the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, the American Heart Walk and Relay for Life.

Student dining can be found at two on-campus locations, the Q Cafe in the new $15.5 million Q Building, which opened in January 2011, and the student cafeteria at the Gina Kranitz Student Center.

Student Enrollment Demographics

Athletics

Paradise Valley’s athletic teams are called the Pumas. The men’s athletic teams at the college are baseball, cross-country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track & field. Women’s athletic teams are cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis and track & field. The college is a member of the National Junior College Athletics Association Conference and the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference.

The Puma cross country teams have won a number of national championships, including the men’s team in 2008, both the men’s and women’s teams in 2004, and the women’s team in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2003.

The college has spent the last decade building and renovating its athletic facilities to accommodate growing enrollment in its sports programs. A track & field and soccer facility was added in 2000, and a softball field and batting cage were added in 2003. In 2005, a rope course was added, and in 2008, Paradise Valley added a baseball facility. The campus also has tennis courts, a fitness center, and racquet ball and basketball courts.

Intramural sports at Paradise Valley include baseball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, and track and field.

Bibliography

Paradise Valley Community College. Paradise Community College. Web. 06 June 2011.

“Paradise Valley Community College | Education.com.” Education.com | An Education & Child Development Site for Parents | Parenting & Educational Resource. Education.com. Web. 06 June 2011.

“PVCC: Athletics.” Paradise Valley Community College Athletics. Paradise Valley Community College. Web. 06 June 2011.

Paradise Valley Community College