The Arizona Board of Regents– the governing body of the three state public universities– announced Thursday that the number of students who are earning bachelor degrees is rising faster than what was predicted in ABOR’s Vision 2020 strategic plan.  The plan calls for a 50 percent increase in baccalaureate degrees by 2020 to meet Arizona workplace needs.  Northern Arizona University is hosting ABOR today and Friday for their annual two-day conference, this year being held in Flagstaff at the High Country Conference Center

(CLICK TO ENLARGE) The number of students earning bachelor's degrees is increasing ahead of predictions (Courtesy: ABOR)

Arizona university students earned 20,294 bachelor degrees in 2009– up from 18,654 in 2007, a nine percent increase.  NAU’s increase was 6.7 percent in 2009, with Arizona State University giving out 10.2 percent more bachelor degrees and the University of Arizona awarding 6.2 percent more degrees.

ABOR President Ernest Calderόn says that the university system is doing a good job increasing the number of degrees given out despite the funding and staffing challenges that have occurred over the past two years.“Amid budget cuts of more than $230 million over the last two years, the fact that the universities have exceeded degree production goals is a testament to the faculty and administration at our universities,” said Calderόn.

Governor Jan Brewer agrees with Calderόn.  She says that it is important to keep moving forward despite the funding challenges.”This increase in degree production is good news for Arizona-‐ the key now is sustaining this trend at a time when the state budget continues to be challenged,” said Brewer. “Our state universities must operate efficiently by continuing to develop affordable, predictable and sustainable models of higher education for Arizona families.”

Vision 2020 is a strategic plan that aims to increase the number of baccalaureate degrees earned by students, along with improving Arizona’s economic strength and quality of life, increase demand for higher paying jobs, and make the state nationally competitive in degree production by 2020.  According to ABOR data, only one-quarter of Arizonans age 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher.

–

To read Vision 2020, visit the Arizona Board of Regents website.

In this Thursday, January 28, 2010 picture, Mountain View High School senior Marcos Brown, 18, makes adjustments to a studio camera as he prepares to help produce a morning show for the school in Tucson, Ariz. The school's television production class works on various projects for the community and Marana Unified School District in addition to producing the morning show. (AP Photo/Arizona Daily Star, A.E. Araiza)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Brendan Peterson and McCauley Harlan are amateur filmmakers.

Jordan Yentzer is a budding cameraman.

Manny Vinas-Barreras is prepping for a career as a film director.

All are honing their crafts in Bob Abel’s television production classes at Mountain View High School.

Abel’s advanced broadcast journalism class is designed to give his students the independence to pursue their own interests.

“It is what you make of it,” Yentzer said of the class. “I like the freedom of being able to have an image in my head of what I want it to turn out to be and then being able to achieve it.”

Yentzer, a junior, filmed Mountain View’s 2009 football games and edited what he captured to be shown on the school’s student-produced morning show — MVTV3.

Abel’s advanced students produce the daily morning show and also serve as the anchors.

Yentzer prefers being behind the camera.

“I’ve done talent. I don’t enjoy it as much as building up video. I like getting out there and getting into the action,” he said.

Abel’s students also edit audio and video productions, learn to compose shots and create digital portfolios. His senior students intern at local television stations and post-production companies.

They also have access to equipment and software that rival what professionals use in the field and in production houses.

“We get to play with Macs every day. We get to make our own movies with all of the equipment and on top of that, we have Mr. Abel, who is a genius,” senior Chris Klok said.

Abel is in his 16th year at Mountain View and built the broadcast program at the high school with zero equipment.

Today, Abel allows his students to use equipment to specialize and focus on their interests in and out of class.

“It’s relaxing to have a class where you’re not told to do this or this,” junior Taylor Seery said.

Peterson and Harlan, both seniors, are working on a feature-length movie.

The co-directors of “Crisis” already have a movie trailer and three scenes of their zombie movie in the can.

“It’s going to be good if we get it done on time,” Peterson said.

Completing the movie will look good on college applications, Peterson said.

Vinas-Barreras, a junior, is creating a portfolio for college. He’s working on artistic projects to add to it.

Vinas-Barreras and the others like the freedom the class affords them, but they also gain experience by producing work for Mountain View, the Marana Unified School District and local businesses and individuals.

Students have worked with Mountain View’s principal, Patricia Cadigan, to create videos for the school’s administration office. They’ve worked with teachers to create videos to promote campus clubs and with the district to produce promotional videos.

Their first video for the school district highlighted Marana’s Adopt-A-School program, in which local businesses partner with Marana schools.

Mountain View’s video for the program focused on projects happening at Marana schools and interviews with students.

“It was a fun experience to put that video together and then see people’s reactions,” Vinas-Barreras said. “Everyone seemed pretty pleased with it.”

Marana Mayor Ed Honea, Marana school district Superintendent Doug Wilson, educators and members of the Marana business community viewed the video last month at a Marana Chamber of Commerce education luncheon.

The district’s director of public relations, Tamara Crawley, guided the Mountain View team that produced the video.

“It was a fabulous success,” Crawley said. “It was a wonderful opportunity for the students to get some real-world experience.”

___

Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com

The nationwide and statewide average is $2.65 per gallon, which is a two cent drop from last week in Arizona and three cent drop from the national average. However, Flagstaff drivers are paying well above that with a costly average of $2.79 per gallon this week.  Tucson drivers pay the state’s lowest fuel price with an average of $2.52 per gallon.

You can visit the following links to check gas prices around Arizona.

www.AAAaz.com/news/fuelnews.htm

www.AAA.com/fuelfinder

www.fuelcostcalculator.com

A multiple-vehicle collision caused by blowing dust is seen Tuesday Dec. 22, 2009 on Interstate 10 near Kortsen Road in Casa Grande, Ariz. sudden dust storm has spawned 20 or more collisions Tuesday on Interstate 10 in central Arizona, with several vehicles catching fire. (AP Photo/Casa Grande Dispatch, Steven King)

PHOENIX (AP) — A sudden dust storm Tuesday spawned a series of collisions involving as many as 20 vehicles on Interstate 10 south of Phoenix, leaving at least three people dead.

Arizona Department of Public Safety officials said other casualties were airlifted to Phoenix hospitals with severe burns and other traumatic injuries.

A second series of accidents was reported farther south along the main route between Tucson and Phoenix. High winds and blowing dust were also reported west of Phoenix, and the highway patrol was urging drivers headed to Phoenix from California to drive with extreme caution.

The midday accidents led authorities to close I-10 between Phoenix and Tucson. It was expected to remain blocked for at least several hours.

Both directions of Interstate 40 in northern Arizona were also closed west of Flagstaff because of high winds and snow.

Traffic backed up for miles as I-10, a major east-west thoroughfare, was shut down in both directions at milepost 190 near Casa Grande. Dust and thick gray smoke from burning vehicles billowed across the flat sprawl of farms and desert.

The highway patrol said a commercial vehicle exploded, so a hazardous materials team was dispatched to the scene.

Video shot by a television helicopter showed the smoking hulks of several big-rig trucks, a passenger van and unrecognizable debris along about 300 yards of the eastbound lanes about 10 miles north of the junction with Interstate 8. In the westbound lanes, an injured person was loaded on a medical helicopter.

The highway was likely be closed in both directions for the better part of the day as state engineers look at the roadway, said Officer Robert Bailey, a Department of Public Safety spokesman.

“ADOT engineers have to get out there and examine the pavement and see if it’s OK to be driven on after these fires,” Bailey said.

The storm arrived fast and furious Tuesday morning, said David Bridger, a spokesman for the city of Casa Grande.

“This one came on so very, very quickly,” Bridger said. “We knew it was something pretty serious coming. It is absolutely a major, major wind storm down here.”

DPS said visibility was poor as the dust storm remained in the area.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Flagstaff drivers are paying the most for a gallon of fuel with average prices at $2.75 for regular.

Tucson drivers have it pretty good paying an average of $2.46 a gallon.

Greeting this weeks Thanksgiving travelers are relatively stable gasoline prices.

Triple-A says nationally, the average price for a gallon of self serve regular was $2.64. This price is about a penny and half cheaper than the average price one month ago.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.