Greetings, Colleagues! I hope your semester is going well at this early stage. My Chronicle of news and information for the month of September includes a fun item or two as well as updates on CSN information.
CSN Connections:
CSN students at the North Las Vegas campus Connections event get information about student services.
Thank you to all student services and academic staff and faculty that participated in the CSN Connections events. They were a huge success! These events exist to connect students with the many services we offer to help them succeed in a fun and welcoming environment with music and, of course, free food. They also help us highlight the importance of student success to our students and stakeholders and the critical role that student services staff play in helping students achieve.
Those who participated in these fairs at each campus helped to ensure our students were connected to the vast array of services available to help them succeed.
Thank you again for all of your efforts!
NLV Computer Lab and Russell’s Renovations
During the summer months, CSN’s Facilities Maintenance staff work as quickly as possible to improve campus systems and finishes. This past summer, renovation of the computer lab on the North Las Vegas Campus was completed to improve the working environment and opportunities for student collaboration. The lab (first picture, below) was ready for students the day classes began. Russell’s restaurant (pictures two and three, below) was also refreshed and is ready for use. As you visit these popular spaces, remember to thank our facilities staff for their great work! Thank you, Sherri Payne and staff!
Beloit Mindset List
As each new school year begins, folks at Beloit College publish a “mindset” list to remind us of the increasing cultural divide between young students and faculty. For me it was a shock a few years ago to learn that students no longer learned cursive writing. Perhaps on the list below there are a few items that will help you with a greater understanding of new students.
- They are the last class to be born in the 1900s, the last of the Millennials — enter next year, on cue, Generation Z!
- They are the first generation for whom a phone has been primarily a video game, direction finder, electronic telegraph and research library.
- Electronic signatures have always been as legally binding as the pen-on-paper kind.
- In college, they will often think of themselves as consumers who’ve borrowed a lot of money to be there.
- There have always been emoji to cheer us up.
- The Panama Canal has always belonged to Panama and Macau has been part of China.
- Dora the Explorer and her pet monkey, Boots, helped to set them on the course of discovery.
- The seat of Germany’s government has always been back in Berlin.
- By the time they entered school, laptops were outselling desktops.
- Once on campus, they will find that college syllabi, replete with policies about disability, nondiscrimination and learning goals, might be longer than some of their reading assignments.
- Whatever the subject, there’s always been a blog for it.
- S. Supreme Court decisions have always been available at its website.
- The Latin music industry has always had its own Grammy Awards.
- Ketchup has always come in green.
- Men have always shared a romantic smooch on television.
- As toddlers, they may have taught their grandparents how to Skype.
- Nolan Ryan has always worn his Texas Rangers cap in Cooperstown, while Steve Young and Dan Marino have always been watching football from the sidelines.
- The BBC has always had a network in the U.S. where they speak American.
- There has always been a Monster in their corner when looking for a job.
- Wikipedia has steadily gained acceptance by their teachers.
- Women have always scaled both sides of Everest and rowed across the Atlantic.
- Bill Clinton has always been Hillary Clinton’s aging husband.
Pell Grants
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos recently announced that, as of July 1, 2017, year-round Pell grants are now available to students. This change to the policy ensures that hundreds of thousands of college students will now have the needed resources to complete their course work in a time frame compatible with their individual needs. “This decision is about empowering students and giving them the flexibility and support needed to achieve their goals,” DeVos said. “Expanding access to the Pell program, so that students who need additional resources can graduate more quickly and with less debt, is the right thing to do.” This is fantastic news for CSN students, approximately one-third of whom are Pell grant eligible.
Floral Design
Two floral design students, Lupita Quintana Fierro and Noel Garcia, placed in the top ten at the American Institute of Floral Designers College Floral Design Competition over the summer. Congratulations to them both.
Planetarium Solar Eclipse Event
Planetarium Manager Andrew Kerr speaks with the media
The CSN Planetarium hosted more than 1,000 onlookers August 21 during the solar eclipse, eager for not only a safe place to view the eclipse, but also for the scientific expertise offered by Planetarium Manager Andrew Kerr and his staff. In addition, virtually every media outlet in southern Nevada attended. Congratulations, Andrew, on a job well done!
Emmy Awards
Please join me in congratulating students in our Videography and Film program, who won 14 Student Production Emmy Award nominations from the Pacific Southwest National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In all, the students were nominated for 26 awards. CSN students won eight of the awards last year.
Nursing Students
Nursing students from CSN, Nevada State College and Chamberlain University traveled to the Dominican Republic and Haiti this summer to do volunteer work in free medical clinics. Students visited homes in three communities and helped the ministry of health by completing surveys in homes for running water, electricity and toilet services. CSN nursing students who served with International Service Learning and former CSN nursing faculty member Dr. Tracey Long included Taylor Libbey and Victoria Maracle. Nursing students and nurses who are interested in serving in a medical trip summer 2018 in India or China can contact Dr. Tracey Long at longforhome@gmail.com.
Faculty Senate Hiring Policy Open Forum
During fall semester, the Faculty Senate will be working to revise a number of policies, including the hiring policy. To aid in that effort, the Senate will be holding forum on Friday, September 15, from 10-12 a.m. on the Charleston Campus K-101
The intention of the forum is to provide a brief recap on the charter of the Senate Hiring Policy Committee. Additionally, it will serve as a key avenue for eliciting observations and constructive recommendations for improving to CSN’s process of recruiting, screening, and securing talented individuals. Those who are not able to attend are encouraged to share comments by an e-mail to Gillian.Silver-Rodis@csn.edu. Additionally, Institutional Research will soon circulate a related survey and participation is encouraged.
Questions from Faculty and Staff
Why did CSN receive a “Warning” from the Northwest Commission for a Board of Regents issue?
Nationally, institutions are subject to accreditation standards, not systems or governing boards. In this case, two Nevada institutions received the initial recommendation and, because of timing, CSN received the Warning. The Board, I would quickly add, has responded to both the original recommendation and to the Warning status with close attention to resolving the matter.
There is so much happening at the beginning of a semester; couldn’t the GoCSN announcement have been delayed?
GoCSN is a tool for faculty, staff and students to track passwords with one logon. It’s a productivity tool, and there seemed like no better time to introduce it than the beginning of the academic year.
Final note: Since 2007, it has been my honor to serve CSN as President. Thank you all for your support through the years. We have accomplished much on behalf of students and their success at CSN, and I’m confident that same spirit will continue. We will ever cheer CSN onward!
Best,
Mike