Rio Salado Opens Second Communiversity to Serve East Valley

The Communiversity at Queen Creek officially opened its doors to the public on Thursday, increasing the number of higher education options available to East Valley residents.

The Communiversity at Queen Creek is a unique civil and educational partnership offering students a variety of academic services and programs in one convenient location.

“This new location in Queen Creek epitomizes what we’re striving to accomplish as an educational institution,” said Chris Bustamante, president of Rio Salado College. “The purpose of this location is to provide affordable, high quality educational options for East Valley residents and employers, and to stimulate economic growth through education and workforce development.”

The Communiversity model was first introduced in Arizona by Rio Salado College, which opened a location in Surprise in 2009. The model gives students an opportunity to take lower division classes from community college partners and transfer those credits to a university partner, resulting in a significant cost savings on tuition. 

"This is an exciting time for residents of Queen Creek and the surrounding areas,” said Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney. “Education is a vital component of a healthy, growing community, and having higher learning available right here in Queen Creek benefits all of our residents and businesses."

The Communiversity at Queen Creek’s partners include the Town of Queen Creek, the Maricopa Community College District, Rio Salado College, Chandler-Gilbert Community College, Northern Arizona University, Ottawa University and the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences.

The partners plan to roll out certificate-to-degree pathways in the months ahead. Proposed pathways include: Business, Communication, Early Childhood, Healthcare, Justice Studies, Psychology, and Teacher Education.

East Valley residents can now take advantage of academic advising, book store services and professional growth and wellness seminars, as well as Rio Salado College’s 600+ online classes. Testing center services, in-person general education classes and information sessions about degree programs will be available in the coming weeks.

The Communiversity at Queen Creek is located at 21740 S. Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, AZ 85142. To learn more and to receive updates about programs, free workshops and in-person classes, visit queencreek.azcommuniversity.com.

  

Upcoming free seminars at the Communiversity at Queen Creek:

Take the First Step: Educational Leadership

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 5-6 p.m.

Northern Arizona University is hosting this information session to introduce the programs it offers to help educational leaders meet the challenges within local and national school systems.

Trauma Sensitive Treatment Seminar

Tuesday, March 4, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Sponsored by the Arizona Department of Health Services and Ottawa University, this seminar focuses on traumagenic family dynamics, understanding trauma and the impact of developmental trauma. The seminar offers continuing education credits and a certificate.

To RSVP, call 480-384-9300 or send an email to CommuniversityQC@riosalado.edu.

This story can also be found in the February 22 edition of the Tempe Republic.