Greetings! I hope your spring semester is off to a great start! There is a lot to update you upon, including the upcoming legislative session and the multi-campus district transition.
Governor’s Budget
Thank you to all who attended the town hall on Jan. 23 or watched online. You can watch the video here. Gov. Brian Sandoval outlined his budget priorities in the State of the State on Jan. 17 and the news is great for CSN and higher education in general. The Governor proposed a 2 percent increase in state employee salaries each year of the biennium for cost of living or 4 percent total for the biennium. He also advocated for a $21 million infusion of funds into certain career and technical programs at community colleges from which CSN would gain about $10 million. His budget also doubles the amount of state funding for the Silver State Opportunity Grant and makes this community college, need-based scholarship permanent. I am very appreciative of the Governor’s vision and commitment to higher education.
CSN & NSC Health & Sciences Building
An artist’s rendering of the proposed new Health Sciences building.
The joint health and sciences building was not included in the Governor’s budget. However, it is our hope that through the legislative process, we can work with lawmakers to include the $5 million in planning funds we need to get this project started. If this money is not allocated this session, it will considerably delay this project, which is critical to meet the growing need for healthcare professionals in Nevada.
Multi-Campus District Transition
On Feb. 23, I will present additional information to the Board of Regents on plans to transition into a multi-campus district. Tuition and fees dedicated to support student services and reduce bottlenecks in degree programs will fund the needed increase in faculty and staff to build out services on each of our three campuses and ensure all of our students, regardless of which campus they attend, receive a standard level of service. We will need to seek alternative funding for administrative increases necessary to support this plan.
Strategic Planning—New Day
For the past year, a taskforce of faculty and staff have been updating CSN’s Strategic Plan in compliance with expectations from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and in anticipation of a new, integrated planning policy of the College. The plan is now in draft form as is the new policy. The plan is predicated on revised mission, vision, values statements and new core themes, also generated from the taskforce and approved in the fall of 2016 by the Nevada Board of Regents. Although, the plan will be reviewed, reported on and revise annually, much more is expected and more accountability is required. Hence, I will be creating from the Task Force members a Strategic Planning committee comprised of faculty and staff. The committee’s primary tasks include monitoring the implementation of the strategic plan and implementing the integrated planning policy of the College.
Vice President of Academic Affairs Public Forums
You will have the opportunity to meet and hear from the candidates for the Vice President of Academic Affairs. More information will be forthcoming, but for now, please mark your calendars with the following public meetings with each candidate:
- Feb. 21, 1:30-3 p.m., Charleston Campus, K 101
- Feb. 22, 1:30-3 p.m., Charleston Campus, K101
- Feb. 27, 1:30-3 p.m., Charleston Campus, K 101
*Video conferencing locations will be at the North Las Vegas Campus (Conference Rm. A – C 2638) and the Henderson Campus (C-224).
If you have any questions, please contact Jason Parker, director of HR Operations, at jason.parker@csn.edu.
CSN Event Office
CSN will launch new event procedures within the coming month. Over the course of a year, CSN coordinates and supports approximately 1,000 internal and external event requests. The new event process has been created in an effort to:
- Ensure that all events meet the mission of the college;
- Consistency of the use and support of CSN facilities;
- Streamline and coordinate our efforts; and
- Help reduce the stress put on our support services.
These procedures will apply to all internal (CSN staff and faculty) and external (companies, governmental agencies, etc.) event requestors.
In addition, a new Events Manager position has been created to help with the organization and coordination of events. This position will be working hand-in-hand with Facilities to ensure that each event is successful. Michelle Word will serve as the Event Manager, and is ready and available to help faculty and staff with their event needs.
New Student Life & Leadership Director
Brian Akins, CSN’s new director of Student Life and Leadership Development.
Please join me in welcoming Brian Akins as the new director of Student Life and Leadership Development. Akins will also serve as the advisor to the Associated Students of the College of Southern Nevada. He began his service on Dec. 5. A graduate of the University of Arizona, he brings more than 12 years of experience in campus and student life to CSN.
Upcoming Alliance of Hispanic Institution Educators Conference
The Alliance of Hispanic Serving Institution Educators (AHSIE) is holding its annual Best Practices Conference April 9-12 at UNLV. NSHE employees benefit from a special discounted rate of $285 to attend. In order to receive this discounted registration, you must use the registration link here. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn best practices and network with educators from HSI institutions across the country. If you have any questions, you may contact Hispanic Serving Institution Task Force Chair Clarissa Cota at Clarissa.Cota@csn.edu.
CSN was well represented at the 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in downtown Las Vegas, billed as one of the largest such parades in the west. The African American Heritage Committee participated in the parade, whose theme this year was Living the Dream: The Movement Continues.
HVAC Special Accreditation
Dennis Soukup, chair of Applied Technologies, shows off the HVAC program’s 6,000-square-foot facility.
Our Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration program recently received accreditation from HVAC Excellence, I am happy to report. The group sent a team to CSN for an intensive review of the program. Congratulations to everyone involved in the program!
Congratulations CSN Police
CSN Police Chief Darryl Caraballo, who was recently honored with the Patriot Award by the Nevada chapter of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
CSN Police Chief Darryl Caraballo was honored in January for his department’s steadfast support of the U.S. military. Chief Caraballo is also a veteran himself of the United States Marine Corps. Nevada’s chapter of Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a Department of Defense program, presented the chief with its Patriot Award during a ceremony for going “above and beyond” in his efforts to support our military. CSN’s Police Department currently has four members of the U.S. Air Force Reserves. Congratulations, Chief!
TMCC Partnership with CSN
CSN and Truckee Meadows Community College are partnering to expand our surgical technician associate of applied science program to Northern Nevada students. Our expert CSN instructors will provide instruction at TMCC in person and through interactive video conferencing. Students will do clinical rotations at local sites. This represents an excellent partnership among NSHE institutions to maximize resources to meet the needs of all of Nevada.