2019 Women of Distinction Award
I was honored on Tuesday, May 7th to be awarded the 2019 Southern Nevada Iconic Women of Distinction Award in the category of Education. The
National Association of Women Business Owners gives these awards each year to women “whose excellence and dedication sets them apart in their fields and inspires success.” Although I’m thrilled to win the award this year and be given the opportunity to share the work of NSC with others, the highlight of the event was celebrating the achievements of other women in leadership roles who are making meaningful contributions to our community. I was particularly pleased to share the stage with fellow educator, Dr. Barbara Atkinson, founding Dean of the UNLV medical school who won in the category of Medical/Healthcare Services. Thank you all for your continued support and congratulations. As I told the crowd - I’ve only been in Nevada for two years, but it truly feels like home to me.
Strategic Planning Moves Forward
I know many of my updates involve the progress of our strategic plan, but I’m passionate about this effort and excited to share our progress. Last week, our consultant (Jeff Stafford) visited NSC again to review the plan and work with various stakeholders. After the writing team made suggestions based on its collective feedback, Jeff presented the plan to the Strategic Planning Council and led them through an exercise to help us determine our priorities. After another round of revisions, I sent the plan to Faculty Senate, which is now currently reviewing it. Overall, the plan is still a work in progress, but each round of revisions brings us closer to a final project. My goal is to have the plan finalized by the end of June and submit it to the Board of Regents on August 1st. This has truly been a community effort, and I am very grateful to everyone who has contributed so far.
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Sometimes life gives you lemons . . .
. . . and you take those lemons, with every ounce of conviction you can muster, and you completely forget to write your newsletter update. So, if this newsletter is arriving a little later than usual, you know where to point the finger, but here are some recent developments from my world:
- Dean of Students search – no update yet, but I promise one will be forthcoming very soon; however, I can assure you that the wheels of the process are turning.
- Accreditation – the NWCCU is coming, and I’ve been editing and fine tuning the “robust” (inside joke) mission fulfillment report that Gwen has done so much work on (with a helping hand from folks around campus).
- WICHE meeting – I recently returned from the Western Academic Leadership Forum, where one of the foremost topics was the importance of strong partnerships between academic and student affairs; we have work to do in this regard, but in some ways we are well ahead of the institutions that discussed their longstanding challenges in this area.
- System-level considerations – work continues on NSHE-oriented initiatives, from the emerging policies on mandatory advising and college-level math to the Metro Momentum Pathways project with Complete College America
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New DRC Director
Sharneé Walker has accepted the position of Director of the Disability Resource Center.
Sharneé’s career has focused on maximizing accessible opportunities for students with disabilities. For over a decade, she has worked with community organizations and schools to prepare college students for the rigors of college and self-advocacy, helping them navigate through the college accommodation process. Her holistic approach to transforming students’ lives emphasizes ability, skill development, college readiness, and positive leadership, fostering a culture of engagement and giving students the tools and confidence to excel. She also focuses on the vital role of campus inclusion and engagement, and she prioritizes open communication with faculty and staff.
Sharneé earned a BA in Psychology from UNR, and MS in Educational Psychology and EdS in School Psychology from UNLV. She is also a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She comes to us from CSN, where she has been a manager of their DRC since 2015. Her experience makes her an expert resource for establishing, evaluating, and maximizing accessible opportunities for persons with disabilities. I'm very excited to have her join us later this month.
We are planning a going away party for Sandi Patton and will send out details soon.
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Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Conference (URCWC) Award Winners
On April 26th, we held the 4th annual URCWC on campus. The event depended on efforts from faculty and staff across campus, and I'm extremely grateful to the planning committee (Aster Sigel, Leila Pazargadi, Laura Naumann, Laura Rosales Lagarde, Christine Beaudry, Adam Davis, and Susan Growe) as well as Marketing & Events, ITS (thanks you, Rodney, for last-minute assistance with technology!), Sita Sales, Dining Services, Facilities, and everyone who volunteered as judges.
Over 150 students were listed as authors or co-authors on posters and presentations this year.
- Physical, Life, and Health Sciences posters:
- 1st place: Nicole Sweeden, Bre Tavernini, & Cynthia Perez
- 2nd place: Cynthia Perez
- 3rd place: Natasha Boganski, Derek Griffith, Taylor Hinson, Grace Hunter, Jocelyn Leal, Kallie Pancham, Desiree Whytus, & Norelle Williams
- Behavioral and Social Sciences posters:
- 1st place (tie): Oana Mandrutiu & Rhea Tagora
- 1st place (tie): David Markarian & Rae Acero-Baguyo
- 2nd place: Ashley Koontz & Regina Loudon
- Best Presentations:
- Business: Allie Pauli & Mary Gasca
- Humanities: Karl Hinkamp
- Physical & Life Sciences: Juan Torrez Diaz, Amy Ortiz, Mindy Lee, & Mark Feng
- Creative Works: Katherine Ruvalcaba
- Best Photography: Stephanie Rolloff
- Best Digital Media:
- Narrative Film: Arnold Placencia-Flores
- Documentary: Aaron Parpart
- Music Video or Trailer: Shelby Little
- Experimental Film: Alistair Cooper
- Animation: Stephanie Rolloff
Thank You for Your Food Donations!
A message from our CARE Team Case Manager, Laura Hinojosa:
"NSC students, faculty, and staff are stocking the food pantry and impacting student lives one meal at a time. Not one day goes by without someone asking\ "What does the food pantry need most?" Even students who are receiving help from the food pantry first hand have asked what they can give back. A grand, heartfelt "thank you" to anyone who has taken the time to read our flyers, inquired about how you can help, or made a donation. Your actions are touching the lives of NSC students in need by more than just providing meals; you're creating a ripple effect of kindness and gratitude that will continue to pay it forward beyond what we can see."
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Reno 411
In 2016, we began having conversations with the graphic design faculty at TMCC about creating a 3+1 degree where a TMCC student could complete their NSC BA in Visual Media without leaving the TMCC campus. Following a model pioneered by Northern Arizona University, we developed curriculum and a model for hiring instructors. Last week, a committee led by Dr. Adam Davis completed phone interviews for a faculty member who will be housed at TMCC and teach the final year of the program. In addition to our work with this program, the School of Education is planning for a full-time employee who will be housed in Northern Nevada in support of our teacher preparation programs. Both positions are exciting steps toward fulfilling our statewide mission through innovative partnerships.
Writing Center Updates
- The Writing Center is closed and will reopen on Monday, May 20th.
- Six writing specialists are presenting at this fall's joint conference between the International Writing Center Association (IWCA) and the National Conference on Peer Tutoring in Writing (NCPTW) in Columbus, OH.
- The Writing Center is hosting a Summer Writing Group, which is open to full-time, part-time, and administrative faculty interested in working on writing projects. They will hold two sessions per week: Mondays from 1-4 pm and Thursdays from 9 am-noon, beginning Monday, May 20th and ending Thursday, August 8th. Each session will include structured support, snacks, and encouragement. For more information on the application process, please write to Rachel.Herzl-Betz@nsc.edu.
Gateways
The Gateways Steering Committee works on improving the experience of our first-year students. We were busy this semester developing some exciting projects for the fall, including:
- Our first three-course learning community, where a single cohort of students will take ALS 101 (College Success), ENG 101, and BIOL 189 together. The classes will be linked by an emphasis in health professions. Myra Infante Sheridan and Nate Silva are leading this effort;
- Our first learning community committed to helping undecided students. Students who haven’t selected a major yet are encouraged to sign up for this learning community, which links ALS 101 and COM 101. The courses share an emphasis in selecting a major, finding a purpose, and engaging in the community. Dawn Butler is leading this initiative;
- An exploration of ways we can incentivize (or gamify) student participation in college events.
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Wrapping Up Spring 2019
As our 17th Spring semester concludes, you might be asking: How we are doing in recruitment, enrollment, student performance, retention, and graduation? You'll be happy to know that we are up, up, up, up, and up! Let's take a look at the numbers:
- Based on our current applications and admissions rate, we are projecting a moderate growth of 7-8% in new students for Fall 2019.
- For continuing students, our re-enrollment is about 10% ahead of where we were last May.
- Our 1-year retention for first-time, full-time students is presently at 71.6% for the Fall 2018 cohort.
- We are expecting our largest ever graduating class of around 600 students for 2018-2019!
Overall, things are looking pretty good at NSC.
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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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