As the semester comes to a close and holiday cheer is in the air, I have reached my six-month milestone at Nevada State College as your Provost. I am humbled and grateful for all the opportunities I have had to get to know everyone on campus and embark on truly meaningful work together. This sentiment extends also to those I have gotten to know in the Henderson and Las Vegas communities. What a ride it has been!
May you all be blessed with warmth and love this holiday season!
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Thank you, Laura Naumann
I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Laura Naumann, Associate Professor of Psychology, for her outstanding contributions to the College in her role as Interim Associate Vice Provost in 2017. It is my understanding that Laura was not an expert in federal grants and external funding programs when she stepped up to help the Provost’s office in January 2017. With true Laura zeal and inimitable ultra-competency, she not only learned what external funding regulations and policies are and how they work, she led the efforts to bring in the largest Federal grant in Nevada State’s history, the Title V grant,
Cultivando Mentes, at $2.7 million. Laura will serve as project manager for this grant for the next 4.5 years. On the heels of the HSI grant she helped usher in another grant that helps us provide child care for our students, the DOED CCAMPIS grant at $207,000.
Laura has worked with me over the last few months on policy development and market research. Together we have developed a draft procedure for making policy, researched where all our policies are at currently, those in process, those that have been enacted, those that have gotten lost in the process, and so on. Further, Laura has served as the primary liaison to Hanover Research to support not only grant funded projects, but student success oriented work as well as feasibility studies for new degree programs.
Laura is an accomplished individual and it has been a privilege to work so closely with her in the Provost’s office. I can always count on her to speak her mind and not shy away from being the dissenting voice when necessary. She is a woman of conviction and also a very kind and thoughtful soul. Thank you, Laura. You will be missed in the Provost’s office!
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We continue to make encouraging progress on a number of fronts. In the budget arena, both our requests and priorities are crystallizing as we discuss how to best serve the campus by smartly investing our fiscal resources. Related to budget, but carrying with it even broader implications, is a recent conversation with the Executive Team about the raise associated with the promotion to associate and full professor. This dialogue began with a recommendation from Faculty Senate, and it will soon return to Senate for additional – and perhaps final – discussion. The Executive Team also reviewed data and considerations regarding a potential change to the admissions deadline at NSC, with an eye towards improving the experience of both our incoming students and faculty & staff. I expect to have an update regarding this issue in the very near future.
We also have continued important conversations with relevant stakeholders about the movement of several divisions – including financial aid, advising, the registrar, admissions & recruitment, and the bursar – to the newly acquired building down the road from our main campus. Plans are developing, through some kind of wizardry I do not understand – because it took me longer to move four people into my house – to complete the move prior to April 2nd. In the meantime, essential work continues in all of those areas, including the Advising Center’s effort to promote the retention of new and continuing students, including mandatory advising for the former, and a robust outreach campaign for the latter (launched in early December).
Finally, though Provost Shields said it best, I also want to thank Laura Naumann for her contributions to the entire institution in the past year. Everyone probably knows about the monumental successes, but what often slips through the cracks are the unheralded but essential day-to-day efforts to simply make things work. Laura excelled with both the little things and the big picture, and NSC is very much the better for it.
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Vote for Possible Spring Convocation Workshops
The Convocation planning committee met last month and culled a list of possible workshop topics to run during Spring’s Convocation.
Please complete the this one-minute survey to vote on the types of workshops you are most likely to attend. We are planning to host a keynote speaker in the morning and run concurrent breakout sessions after lunch.
Limited Spots Left for Spring 2018 Child Care
Dr. Christina Squires, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Project Coordinator for the CCAMPIS Child Care grant, held an information session last month to recruit student-parents for our new child care program. Parents in attendance had many questions about the quality and type of care their children would receive as well as how to transition their children from family care to professional care. We had 28 spots to fill for care on MWF and TTH. Christina has successfully filled all but four spots for Spring 2018 – many congrats to her on her successful recruitment! If you know a student in need of child care (ages 3 – 5), please have them visit
www.nsc.edu/childcare and contact
Christina.Squires@nsc.edu immediately as there are only four spaces left!
Building Capacity with the HSI grant
Things are moving full-steam ahead on the HSI grant. Below are a list open positions. Please share with your qualified colleagues and students.
Another capacity-building effort is expanding the digital resources in our library. One objective of the proposal is to rebuild the bilingual certification program offered through the School of Education. This will require strengthening students language skills in Spanish. The library is in the process of adding new subscriptions that will help students build and practice their language skills as well as expand their knowledge of Hispanic/Latino history and culture. We encourage faculty and staff to explore these new resources and consider ways to implement them into your existing courses.
- Mango Languages prepares learners for realistic conversations and strengthens everyday communication skills in over 70 world languages, including English. Mango Languages is the perfect classroom tool for lesson support, homework, or extra credit. With over 60 foreign languages and 17 ESL/ELL courses, this online resource teaches conversation through native-speaker dialogue, cultural insights, and critical thinking exercises.
- Arte Público Hispanic Historical Collection: Series 1 presents a digital collection of historical content pertaining to Hispanic history, literature, political commentary, and culture in the United States. Series 2 presents thematic content focusing on the evolution of Hispanic civil rights, religious thought, and the growing presence of women writers from the late 19th and 20th centuries.
GradFIT Applications are Open
GradFIT is a five-day, intensive academic program targeted for first-generation college students and students from historically underrepresented backgrounds who are interested in attending graduate school. GradFIT supports students who are interested in graduate school in the following disciplines: Business, English, Journalism, Engineering, Hydrologic Sciences, Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, Psychology, Social Work, and Public Health. This year’s GradFIT takes place Monday, May 21, 2018 to Friday, May 25, 2018 at the University of Nevada, Reno. NSC will support travel for up to 10 students. UNR covers all remaining costs including program materials, lodging, and meals. Please encourage your students to apply at
https://www.unr.edu/gradfit by Monday, March 5, 2018.
Signing off!
It’s been a pleasure serving in my interim capacity in the Provost’s office for the last year. I can think of no better or more capable person to pass the torch to than Gwen Sharp, new Associate Vice Provost for Academic Administration. I am thankful for all I have learned and have developed a greater appreciation for all the campus-wide collaborations required to help the college move forward. With the President and Provost’s Offices now running on full-cylinders, I know lots of amazing things are in store for Nevada State in 2018 and beyond.
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Encouraging Transparency
One of the themes that arose from the climate survey was a desire for improved communication. We created the Provost's newsletter as one response to that concern, and over the last year, it has become a tool for starting conversations as well as sharing information.
You can view 2017’s newsletters here. Combined, the 28 updates feel like a holiday letter from your favorite relative documenting a remarkable year. If you are interested in a more concise overview of the last few months, take a look at
Provost Shield’s update to the NSC Foundation.
Organizational Chart
As the two new Associate Vice Provosts begin, you might be curious about the various roles and responsibilities in the Provost’s Office. Provost Shields and Vice Provost Scinta developed
this enhanced organizational chart, which contains the direct reports and the major responsibilities of each position.
MEd in Speech Language Pathology
The MEd in Speech Language Pathology received its first review by the Academic Affairs Council of the NSHE Board of Regents. It will receive its second review in late February. In the meantime, Dean Potthoff and Dr. Meyerowitz are working hard on finishing the ASHA application for accreditation and promoting
faculty searches.
Updating Our Passport
WICHE (The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) formed “to facilitate resource sharing among the higher education systems of the West.” One of their newest efforts is the WICHE Interstate Passport, which allows students to block transfer general education classes based on standard learning outcomes, rather than matching individual classes/credits. Nevada State is not participating in the WICHE Passport initiative yet, but it is on our radar, so you'll be hearing more about the Passport Initiative in the future. Take a look at their website (
http://interstatepassport.wiche.edu) and let me know what you think.
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The Holiday Season: Peace and Joy, or Stress and Demands?
The holiday season is officially upon us! The holidays are touted as a time of cheer, joy, peace, and spirituality. However, sometimes the holidays can create extra time management demands, encourage an unhealthy diet, and cause personal or financial anxiety. In addition, the holiday season may be a time where we remember our loved ones who are no longer with us. Increased stress is one of the factors associated with making unhealthy lifestyle choices and this can be especially true during the holiday season.
Let’s support each other throughout this holiday season. Utilizing our supports can help us focus on our loved ones and reflect on all of the blessings in our lives during the holidays.
Be safe, have fun, and be kind to yourself and others. I wish you a happy holiday season!
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Newest Addition(s) to Team Dean of Students
Our Student CARE Team case manager, Kristie Collins, welcomed the newest addition to their family, Sadie, to the world on Saturday morning. Kristie and family are doing well. Also, Phil and Alicia LaMotte are due to give birth any minute now. Please be sure to send them lots of love and energy…
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In recent years, NSC’s enrollment and graduating classes have been growing. How many students have we served since we first opened in fall 2002 and how many students have we graduated? The following chart shows our cumulative enrollment and alumni base for each fall semester. As of December 10, 2017, 25,162 students have enrolled at NSC and 3549 have earned at least one bachelor’s degree.
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NSC Office of the Provost | 702-992-2663 | http://nsc.edu/provost
Be Bold | Be Great | Be State
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