The Ides of March
At the kick-off event for Women’s History Month on March 10, 2020, where I was honored to be the keynote speaker, we shared hugs, tables, and buffet-style food. I began my opening remarks with this line: "when I’m not worried about COVID, I’m worried about Harvey Weinstein.” We were in the middle of the MeToo movement and, unbeknownst to most of us, teetering on the edge of a global pandemic.
A year later, we begin Women's History Month again, but this time in a world that has changed dramatically.
- Health care workers were elevated to the status of super-heroes, rightfully so.
- Black mothers cried out for justice for their dead sons on national television, having a voice but no peace.
- Little girls dressed up as Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Their mothers explained RBG’s importance to us all while mourning her death.
- Women, who had never been listened to about their harassment or sexual assault, got their day in court.
- Endless Zoom meetings became part of our everyday lives. It’s not just for celebrities anymore. Home space and work-space converged.
As the second-wave feminists in the 1960s and 70s would attest, the personal is political. These events play out in very real ways on bodies – female bodies, Black bodies, LatinX bodies, Asian bodies, transgender bodies, disabled bodies—non-dominant bodies. 2020 saw a convergence with politics and disease playing out on bodies, disproportionately on people of color and the poor.
I hope the challenges we continue to face will make us stronger in 2021. I'm inspired by the fact that we now have Kamala Harris, our first female, African- and Asian-American as Vice President of the United States. As we celebrate Women's History Month once more, we can pause to acknowledge, revere, and give thanks to the women who have shaped and inspired us. It is a time to reflect on our mentors and sponsors, and how we might make a better society for the next generation of women.
Fortunately, we are uniquely positioned to pursue this goal. NSC students are 74% female. To them we say: We celebrate your bright futures! We are here to help you get there! Women's History Month is a way to tell these students we believe in their potential.
I'm happy to report that there are some bright futures in my family as well. By the end of 2021, I will be a grandmother of three, two being born in 2021. My two daughters are millennial, college-educated women who work full-time and continue to take classes. They are currently on the family text exchanging tips on combatting morning sickness. Apparently, ginger is key.
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NWCCU Diversity Council
On Monday of this week, I participated in the second meeting of a Diversity Council commissioned by our accrediting body, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. In the last few years, the NWCCU has placed an even greater emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and this council is one reflection of that. (The requirement to disaggregate success data by student variables such as ethnicity is another.)
So far, the council has focused largely on challenges, and will soon pivot to what I’m most excited about, which is a discussion about what we can do to further promote the success of historically underrepresented students. However, I was intrigued by the topics that emerged in this conversation. Even now, several participating institutions are struggling to engender support for DEI initiatives, to the point of facing questions about the veracity of data on equity gaps in student achievement. At Nevada State, we’re in a significantly better position, with more of a focus on what we should do to continue promoting the success of students from underrepresented groups, and how we should do it, rather than getting tangled up in conversations about whether anything should be done.
Faculty Senate
At the March Senate meeting, I enthralled (just kidding) the Senators with a twofold presentation on 1) student success initiatives in the Provost’s office and 2) a proposed expansion of centralized advising that would begin formally extending the Academic Advising Center’s purview to include students with over 60 credits, particularly in Liberal Arts & Sciences. I’ll follow up in this newsletter on the student success initiatives when we put the finishing touches on a website that details the initiatives.
For the advising item, Stefanie and Alex have been in discussion with key stakeholders – particularly deans and chairs across campus – about the implications of the change and the things advising can do (or do differently) to make this an effective transition. Overall, the support has been positive and the input has been constructive. To provide information and solicit input from a wider audience, Stefanie and Alex are planning to conduct a virtual “town hall” from 11 to noon on Tuesday, March 23. For anyone out there who has specific suggestions/questions at this time, please reach out to me via email.
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Kristen Averyt's Keynote on Climate Change
Here is a link to a video of the keynote presentation from last Friday's professional development, in case you'd like to share it with students or others.
Publications
Grants
- Dr. Kimberly Williams (TRIO Upward Bound Director) submitted a proposal for a TRIO Talent Search grant. If funded, the 5-year grant would provide $277,000 in its first year to fund support services and dual credit opportunities to 500 low-income and first-generation CCSD students, with the goal of increasing enrollment in college after high school graduation.
Policies
Two policies were recently approved and added to our policy library:
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Getting Projects Done
For those of you who missed my session at faculty development, here’s the super-fast version:
- We all do projects (planning events, creating collaborative documents, adding new initiatives, etc.).
- It’s tempting to start working on projects without defining what you hope to achieve. I do it all the time. However, it’s a better practice to begin with the end in mind (a phrase Steven Covey loves to use) and do your best to define the end result.
- To get a shared sense of what the end will look like, there are five questions you should ask.
- Once you’ve asked those questions and gotten answers, creating a Project Scope document can help to formalize your project, get buy-in from other stakeholders, and keep you on track as you progress.
Students Doing Amazing Things
- We had seven students from the Writing Center accepted to present at TutorCon this spring. They will take part in three separate research presentations during the conference hosted by UNR.
- Students from the ASC put out an internal newsletter each week packed with information about NSC events and tips for the tutors. It’s a great example of how units use regular updates to build community and keep everyone engaged.
Women in Leadership
This is the first semester we have offered LDE 373 (Women in Leadership) - and it is full! LDE 373, which is part of our Leadership Minor, is a great example of how we integrate the values championed by Women's History Month into our curriculum. |
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MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH!
The opportunity for everyone to reflect and remember the contributions of women in American history is upon us once again. Last year, women stepped into history in a big way. Sarah Fuller played in a college football game, and Kamala D. Harris became Vice President of the United States. Let's not forget the number of women in between, who started a business, owned thriving businesses, returned to school while taking care of a family, volunteered, shared effortlessly, worked to keep the family together, stylishly wore multiple hats: cook, maid, chauffeur, counselor, disciplinarian, teacher, preacher, motivational speaker, encourager, way-maker, protector, provider, and on and on. If you have a woman you admire - the one you think of after reading this passage - take the time to say thank you.
Funny, but not funny - last year at this time we were able to host two on-campus events: The NSC Women in Leadership Panel and a luncheon. We also planned for an outdoor event with food trucks owned by women, a female D.J., cool t-shirts for registered participants, and a movie night with snacks and great conversation. The pandemic ended those plans.
Here we are, one year later, and the virtual celebration is going to be FABULOUS! Please plan to attend. Register at BeEngaged.nsc.edu
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High School GPA, ACT, and Performance at NSC
How does the first-semester NSC GPA covary with the high school GPA and ACT for our first-time, full-time students? Now that the ACT has been the test of choice in Nevada for over four years, we have some useful data.
The first chart below shows how our first-time, full-time students from Fall 2017 to Fall 2020 did in their first semester compared to their ACT scores.
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The second chart makes the same comparison but using the students' high school GPA. |
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As these two charts show, for our first-time, full-time students, first semester GPA seems to covary much more closely with their HS GPA than it does with their ACT scores. |
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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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