Welcome to the beginning of another terrific semester. With all the changes happening on campus, the next few months will certainly be memorable. We will all get more exercise with the longer walk from our cars to our buildings!
I’m writing from the AAC&U annual meeting in Washington DC, where the focus is: “Shaping the Future of Higher Education: An Invitation to Lead.” I’ve had some great conversations and participated in remarkable panels on topics such as, “building a viable framework for on-line instruction,” “equity in faculty work lives,” “re-framing general education,” and “the latest in undergraduate research strategies in STEM.” As I expected, Colleges and Universities around the country are grappling with problems that Nevada State is already solving. They are calling for affordable tuition and increased financial aid; summer bridge programs for underrepresented and first-generation students paired with rigorous core classes; and increased use of reliable data to make strategic data-driven decisions, to name a few.
Other updates include:
- Last week I was excited to provide the charge and timeline for work to the Core Curriculum Committee, chaired by Chris Garrett. This was meant to serve as a useful guide for their all-day retreat on January 17th. Revitalizing the Core is key to providing a more signature educational experience to our undergraduates. I was fortunate enough to lead a campus-wide general education reform at Bowling Green State University when I was Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences there. I am gratified to see on their website that the general education reform I helped build, called the BG Perspective, is still used there today. If done right and with care, a general education reform can have meaningful and lasting effects on a college.
- The policy on Lecturer promotions is complete, including the compensation piece, and I will present it with Gwen Sharp at the February Faculty Senate meeting.
- Budget conversations about strategic initiatives and academic/administrative faculty positions continue with the Deans and with Provost Office units. The ranked budget initiatives are due from the Provost’s Office to the Budget Office on January 31st. I am pleased that we are all so committed to aligning our budgeting process with our strategic plan. It is the right thing to do, and is also a major first step in addressing the recommendations from the NWCCU accreditation team.
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This is an exciting time for the College – the semester has begun anew, we just enjoyed an excellent groundbreaking ceremony for our Education building, and, of course, the provost newsletter is back!
Accreditation
President Patterson and I traveled to Seattle in early January to appear before the Board of Commissioners for the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. This is the big group, the ultimate arbiters of our performance relative to the accreditation standards, and the ones who will render a decision regarding our accreditation status. The proceedings at the actual meeting were a bit austere, but overall they were rather complimentary of the College and the work that all of you do. It probably will be 2-3 weeks before we receive a memo from the Board regarding their final determination.
Admissions & Student Success
I recently met with our task force to discuss the process and expectations for admitting first-year students with a cumulative high school GPA below 2.5 (in accordance with our new admissions policy). Our foremost goal for these students is for them to earn both a quality education and a degree, and we’re envisioning two primary pathways to that goal. One is to start at CSN and earn an associate’s degree before transferring to Nevada State, and the other is to come directly to our institution with additional expectations and support. The conversations we’re having right now are to further develop the Nevada State pathway, including the creation of a student success program that would be mandatory for students below a 2.5 GPA and voluntary for everyone else.
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Heather Lang-Cassera Joining Us as Temporary First-Year Experience Lecturer
As some of you may have heard, Myra Infante-Sheridan (FYE Lecturer) accepted a position at UT-Austin; the position starts this spring. We're happy for Myra, though sad to see her go. Luckily, Heather Lang-Cassera (former LAS Adjunct Coordinator) is joining us for 2020-21 as a one-year lecturer; we'll conduct a search in Fall 2020.
I'm thrilled to have Heather step into this position! Heather is a talented instructor who teaches our first-year composition courses, and has a long, successful track record with our students. She'll join Dawn Butler and Clark Pearson to round out our FYE team.
Policies Library
The Policies folder that I maintained on the portal has been deleted; the policies that were located there are now housed in the searchable
policy library.
2020 Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Conference
The 2020 URCW Conference will be held April 24, 2020. Our keynote speaker is
Dr. Julia Lee (Assistant Professor of English at Loyola Marymount University), whose teaching and research focuses on African American literature and racial/ethnic depictions in pop culture.
The URCW is open to students from any discipline; they may submit research talks, posters, visual media projects, or creative works, including items they've completed for a class. We begin
accepting submissions on January 27. Please encourage your students to apply!
This flyer includes all key dates.
Publication
Dawn Taylor and LaTricia Perry (both in Nursing) had an article, "Eliciting Understanding of Faculty Advising Role Using Caritas Processes," accepted by the
International Journal for Human Caring.
Grants
It has been a very busy month for grants! A huge thank you to Christine González, our Grants Specialist, for all her efforts shepherding the various grants along and making sure we met all submission requirements. And to Al Hardiman (Post-Award Director) for assistance with budgets and interpreting regulations!
Jennifer Edmonds (Environmental & Resource Sciences) just learned that she received a $1,900 grant from the Silver State Wings Conservation Fund; the grant will fund a field trip for students.
Recent Submissions
- Vanessa Mari (Education) submitted a grant proposal to the U.S. Embassy in Argentina. If approved, it would provide $100,000 to fund Profesores Unidos, a professional development series for English teachers in Argentina.
- Kayla Bieser (Biology), Amber Howerton (Chemistry), and Lance Hellman (Human Health Sciences) each submitted proposals for $10,000 INBRE pilot grants to fund research projects with students.
- Zach Woydziak (Chemistry) applied for a $75,000 INBRE Developmental Research Project grant to work with students.
- Nikki Corda (Visual Media PTI) submitted a proposal for $60,000 to the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to fund a documentary about the history of Henderson.
- Shartriya Collier (Education) submitted a Great Teaching and Leading Fund proposal to the NV Department of Education asking for $77,000 for a one-year program to support African American students interested in teaching.
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Welcome back! I am always so happy to see the campus come to life again at the start of the semester.
Free Webinar on Online Teaching
Please consider participating in Small Teaching Online, a webinar by Flower Darby at UNLV. The webinar will be held on February 12 at 10a.m.
You can sign up online here. It promises to have practical steps for new faculty teaching online and important tips for more experienced faculty.
Bookstore Presentations
The Bookstore Selection Committee invited two companies to present on how they can help the NSC community with its textbook needs. Please join us for their presentations!
Barnes & Noble, January 30th at 11:00 a.m. Location: LAS 123
Follett Books, January 30th at 1:00pm. Location: LAS 123
Home Means Nevada
Nevada State College’s Office of Arts & Culture is pleased to host
Home Means Nevada in the 3rd floor of the RSC building. This photography exhibit, themed around Nevada’s state song, echoes famous photographs and artwork from the late 1800s and early 1900s. Nevada is a place of inspiration for the photographers who find beauty in our rugged geology and starry skies. This show features 15 photographers and highlights some of the unique treasures found on federally-managed lands across the state, from bighorns to Burning Man to the petroglyphs in the Gold Butte area.
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Welcome Back!
Peer Mentors
If you know a fabulous full-time student who loves Nevada State and bleeds black and gold, please encourage them to apply to be a Peer Mentor. Applications will be available at the end of the month. For more information, contact
Alicia Lamotte.
Disability Resource Center (DRC) Activities
CCSD Transition Presentations: On January 8
th & 9
th, the DRC participated in the CCSD Transition Service – College Workshop. The DRC presented to Special Education Facilitators and School Counselors on the high school-to-college transition and how to better prepare students for what to expect. We reviewed changes in federal law, the accommodation process, documentation needs, and important college policies (e.g. student conduct, academic integrity, Satisfactory Academic Progress). This event provided information to over 420 students and more than 70 special education facilitators and counselors!
DRC 101 Presentations: On January 17
th, the DRC presented DRC 101 – Your Rights, Responsibilities, and Limitations to faculty and staff. In this workshop, the DRC reviewed DRC policies/procedure, our federal responsibilities, and what instructors need to know about implementing accommodations.
CCSD – NSC – CSN College Night
On Feb. 27
th from 5:30 – 8 p.m., NSC (in partnership with CCSD) will host College Night. This event provides high school seniors with information about NSC: the DRC registration process, college enrollment process, financial aid, etc. The DRC will also participate in a tabling at CSN's College Night (Feb. 25
th). This event has historically not been well attended at NSC, so we are hoping to increase participation. Our NSC recruiters are helping to spread the word!
CARE Team
Laura Hinojosa (Case Manager) is piloting evening hours this semester. Her office will be available on Tuesdays from 8:00 am-7:30 pm.
A Self-Serve Mini Food Pantry will be located outside RSC 250 (Laura’s office). Students can access limited food/hygiene items from the mini food pantry when Laura is not available. Students who need more extensive support should make an appointment to receive full pantry services.
Housing
Concrete pour should begin very soon! Be on the lookout for a frame, breezeways, and staircases!
Academic Advising
Please welcome Tayler Mesnard to the Nevada State community! Tayler is the new administrative assistant in the Academic Advising office. Welcome Tayler!
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Spring 2020 Enrollment
As of January 22nd, our headcount is 5,323 (including dual credit students). That is up over 10% (500+ more students) compared to last spring. This is our first spring with a headcount of 5,000 or more. The chart below shows our spring enrollment trend since Spring 2012.
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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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