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Dear NSC Community,
As I noted in the first installment, our weekly updates will shed light on some of the exciting work being done around campus. We’ll cover a range of topic areas, and each month we’ll feature updates from one of the three academic schools. For the current update, the spotlight swings to the School of Education, which is exploring new and promising opportunities under the leadership of Dean Potthoff.
I’d like to give special thanks to Gwen Sharp, who collected much of the information here, and Gregory Robinson, who did his best to make it look good. I’m happy to note that our first weekly update was viewed by 94 people, and exactly none of you unsubscribed to it. If there’s any drawback to the format, it’s that it only communicates information in one direction. As a result, if you have any questions about the work we’re doing, please contact me any time.
Tony Scinta
Interim Provost
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Tony Scinta and
President Patterson met with faculty from across campus to gather feedback about NSC’s proposed RN to BSN program. It was an active and productive discussion, and this week they will provide the campus with a report on the key questions and answers that emerged from the conversation.
Laura Naumann and
Pam Levins attended the
Grants Resource Center Funding Competitiveness Conference in Washington, D.C. Many funding agencies remain hopeful about 2017 funding opportunities despite ambiguity under the current administration. The Department of Education also released its RFP for the Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions program; proposals are due April 24, 2017. This year's competitive preference priority focuses on enhancing teacher education programs. This is the first time NSC is pursuing Title V funding since gaining HSI status. The award is more than $2.5 million over five years and will support programs to enhance the teacher pipeline.
Gregory Robinson is making final preparations for our new BA in Deaf Studies, which NSC will present at the
Board of Regents meeting on March 2nd. This degree is the culmination of years of effort across multiple divisions on campus, and we are excited to be serving an important need in our community by introducing it.
Finally, have you ever been curious about how many of your students have gone on to a graduate program? Sandip Thanki can tell you the exact number. If you are interested,
let him know!
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Speech Pathology Field Experience
SOE collaborated with the Scottish Rite Foundation to place students in field experiences at the newly-opened Childhood Language Disorders Clinic. The clinic provides free services, particularly targeting preschool-aged children with speech or language issues.
In the past, the Nevada State Speech and Hearing Board only allowed speech pathology students to complete field experience hours at K-12 schools; they were not allowed to work in clinical settings. We were finally successful at getting them to change their policy so we can place students at the clinic. SOE currently has 15 NSC students at the clinic working with 8 preschool-aged children. This is an extremely exciting development and the fulfillment of a dream for NSC's speech pathology program. Thank you to Dr. Beth Meyerowitz for all her hard work to create this partnership and open up new opportunities to give our students the best possible training to prepare them to serve the southern Nevada community.
Dual-Credit Teaching Academies
SOE is also collaborating with two high schools (Mojave and SECTA) to create dual-credit teaching academies for students interested in teaching. The project is supported by Rogers Foundation funds. This spring we have on-site sections of EDU 250 taught by NSC faculty at the two schools, with a total enrollment of 40 students. Eventually students will be able to take up to 24 credits (in education and core curriculum courses) before they graduate. This will hopefully create a stream of students who will come to NSC to earn an education degree.
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To better reflect its mission and scope, the Student of Concern committee has changed its name to the Student C.A.R.E. (Concern, Assessment, Referral, and Education) Team.
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Students’ use of the AAC increased 55% in the past year, from 812 meeting with an advisor in Fall 2015 to 1,255 using advising in Fall 2016.
As the chart shows, students who visit an advisor are more likely to persist in college through their first year.
The AAC plans to work with faculty and staff in each school to address the advising needs of students and collaborate on initiatives such as Praxis Core and pre-med workshops. The AAC will continue to reach out to faculty, as cooperation across campus is essential to better support our students’ success.
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Under the leadership of the new director, Cristina Caputo, the ASC has improved services to our students. Cristina and Danette Barber received Supplemental Instruction (SI) training and certification and are working to expand SI into new areas. The ASC introduced group tutoring for some courses, including CHEM 241 & 242 and NURS 301 & 323. They are also engaging in more “coordinated tutoring,” reaching out to faculty for information about course schedules and content. Collecting materials such as course syllabi and recommended materials provided by faculty ensures tutors understand course schedules, learning objectives, and policies, and helps tutors prepare for upcoming tutoring sessions.
Between Fall 2015 and Fall 2016,
the number of students using the ASC increased by 78.5% (from 158 to 282 students); in the first month of the Spring 2017 term, the ASC has already served 172 students.
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Campus Mental Health Services
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Just a reminder, we have free mental health services for students on our campus through a partnership with Healing Reflections. Students can receive short-term therapy aimed at stabilization, reducing symptoms, and building skills. Appointments are available on Wednesdays.
NSC students are still eligible for free therapy services through UNLV's CAPS program as well.
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Online Accessibility Workshop
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Portal polls are a good way to get quick feedback; those targeting students average 300-700 responses per week. They can give you useful input (Do students rent or buy books? Would they be interested in a particular type of student club?) or serve as timely reminders to students (Have you registered for summer classes?). If you have a potential topic,
email Kat Mulvey in ITS to schedule your poll.
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Recent Hires: Michelle O'Reilly joined the Business & Finance team; Diane Senecal was hired by the Controller's Office; and Caitlin (Katie) Hippler is the new administrative assistant for the Humanities department in LAS.
Recent Departures: Yanne Givens (Marketing & Communications); Justina Benner (Registrar); Robin Smith (TRIO-SSS Director); DebraAnn Valdez (Community Engagement and Diversity Initiatives; and Erika Webber (Student Based Health Center).
Changes: LaKiasha Hollingsworth will take over as Interim Director of TRIO-SSS.
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Upcoming Events & Deadlines
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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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