The CSN Chronicle

Dear CSN colleagues, this month’s Chronicle of news and information transitions the leadership of CSN. With the retirement last month of Dr. Michael Richards, I have formally assumed the position of acting president of CSN. I couldn’t possibly be more honored or excited. I have met so many people, and I sincerely look forward to working with each of you as we strive to make CSN the best college it can be.

– Margo

To help you learn more about CSN’s new acting president, Dr. Margo L. Martin, our marketing and communications team sat down with her between appointments last week. Learn what makes her tick (hint: It’s education), how a youthful desire to be a high school teacher in Texas led her to the top of one of the nation’s largest community colleges, and why she moved to Jacksonville, Florida – twice. Read more on the CSN Newsroom.

Inside CSN

Presidential Search Update

At its first meeting in January, the Nevada System of Higher Education ad hoc CSN President Search Committee unanimously agreed to hire a search consultant to help find the college’s next permanent president. Chancellor Thom Reilly, in advocating for a consultant to be brought in, noted that a search firm will take a proactive approach to finding a president. Rather than simply posting ads, the firm will actively recruit people who might be a good fit for the job. A recommendation for a consultant will be brought to the committee at its next meeting, scheduled for 1 p.m. Feb. 20 in the June Whitley Student Lounge on CSN’s North Las Vegas Campus.

New Henderson Provost

Earlier today I announced that Senior Vice President Patty Charlton will be taking on a new role at CSN, that of Provost and Vice President of the Henderson Campus. I want to thank Patty and everyone who expressed interest in the position. For more on this and related significant reorganizational changes among the president and vice presidents, read my post on the president’s blog.

New Interim VPAA

In case you missed it, last month I announced that Clarissa Cota will be the new acting vice president of academic affairs. I want to thank all colleagues who demonstrated dedication in submitting letters of intent and required materials for consideration – the committee had a large number of well qualified submissions to consider. For that, I am grateful.

I have been working with Clarissa for the last several weeks as I have been transitioning into my new role. It is one for which she is more than qualified. She has been in higher education for more than 20 years, most recently as the chair of our Department of Business Administration. She holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Arizona and is a member of the State Bar of Arizona, the American and Clark County Bar Associations, the Latino Bar Association for Southern Nevada, the American Association of University Professors, the Nevada Faculty Alliance, the Las Vegas Valley Paralegal Association and the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.

I am excited to work with Clarissa, and I offer her my congratulations.

New Interim Dean of Health Sciences

I also announced recently that Janice Glasper will serve as the interim dean for the Engelstad School of Health Sciences. Janice knows the school quite well and has demonstrated a collegial, can-do spirit and a sincere commitment to students. I am grateful for her willingness to step up. She will be working closely with the other deans and with Clarissa Cota as interim VPAA to ensure that we are able to keep current initiatives on track as we embark on a new semester and a new calendar year.

New Director of Government Affairs

To round out the good news, I am delighted to announce that Asha Jones has been named our new director of government affairs. Asha is very experienced in this arena, having worked in Sen. Harry Reid’s office and with the Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation, among others. Please join me in welcoming her to CSN.

CSN’s Funding Priorities

As we approach the 2019 legislative session, CSN is pursuing the following funding requests. First and foremost, our top operating priority continues to be faculty and staff compensation. We need to ensure that our faculty and staff are appropriately compensated so that we can recruit and retain the best for CSN.

Our funding requests are the following:

• Revise the funding formula to adequately address the mission of community colleges, enabling us to improve student/advisor ratios, part-time faculty compensation, Promise program staffing and faculty needs, and many other areas of concern.
• Use the fiscal year 18 weighted student credit hour rate as the base for the funding request in the next session.
• Provide state funding for summer school.
• Our top capital priority is the Health and Sciences Building on the Henderson Campus, a joint venture with Nevada State College, $43.2 million.
• Funding for planning the Northwest Campus, $3.5 million.
• Deferred maintenance funding, $20 million.

Nevada System of Higher Education News

Investment Fund Windfall

CSN will be receiving $5 million from the NSHE Investment Funds – this is one-time funding that will be spent for immediate needs to address the expected increase in Fall 2018 enrollment as well as to address a few key deferred maintenance issues.

• Increase part-time faculty and hire additional advisors to improve the faculty-to-student ratio and provide additional intensive advising with the goal of improving student persistence and success, $3.8 million.
• Provide additional support for student access with additional late-start courses and instructional support, $150,000.
• Expand concurrent enrollment programs in support of Senate Bill 19 in coordination with CCSD, $150,000.
• Address high-priority deferred maintenance projects including elevator repairs and replacement and fire safety upgrades, $900,000.

Tuition & Fees

The Board of Regents sets tuition and registration fees two years in advance, and the recommended amounts are used to determine estimated revenues for the next biennial budget. This year, the chancellor and a system-wide committee, which includes students and institution presidents, are recommending that tuition and fees for the next biennium be increased 1.8 percent each year at CSN. If enacted, that would bring the following changes for most CSN students:

CSN Tuition & Fees per credit hour	2017-18 Actual	2018-19 Actual	2019-20 Proposed	2020-21 Proposed
Lower Division	$95	$98.75	$100.50	$102.25
Upper Division	$155.50	$161.75	$164.75	$167.75

Non-resident tuition would increase by the same percentage.

The committee chose to recommend increasing tuition and fees to keep in line with inflation in higher education, the minimum increase allowed by Board policy. Regents are scheduled to hear the proposal at the Board’s meeting scheduled for March 1 and 2 at Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas. The Board is scheduled to vote on the proposal at its June 7 and 8 meeting at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno.

By the Numbers

Look for this section each month to learn about the data that drive discussion and decisions at CSN.

Enrollment Information

I have received many questions about enrollment. Generally, we are flat, but there is opportunity for a bit of movement as we look at late-start classes and areas such as apprenticeship. I think the schools enrollment breakdown is interesting and provides an opportunity for discussion. As we prepare for the Nevada Promise enrollment bump anticipated in the fall 2018 term, these data points will be important to consider. Moving forward, please look for updates during all enrollment periods. Meanwhile, the following link offers a snapshot of spring enrollment through the end of late registration, January 22.

And be sure to visit the Institutional Research web page to view additional data.

Keep in mind some of it may require your active directory credentials (Canvas/GoCSN login) for access. Contact them via their web page for assistance.

Student Engagement

During the spring 2017 semester, CSN participated in the Community College Survey of Student Engagement, or CCSSE, a voluntary survey of nearly 300 community colleges across the nation. It is designed to assess institutional practices and student behaviors that are highly correlated with student learning and retention. The results are compiled into five benchmarks, each of which reflect institutional practices and student behaviors that promote student engagement: Active and Collaborative Learning; Student Effort; Academic Challenge; Student-Faculty Interaction; and, Support for Learners.

The table below shows CSN’s scores for each of the benchmarks, compared to other community colleges our size, as well as the entire CCSSE cohort. While these aggregate data generally show what we’re doing well and where we can improve, there is much more detail in the disaggregated data. Please refer to the Institutional Research website for more details in the coming days, and stay tuned for opportunities to come together to discuss these results.

CSN Facilities

Student Union Update

So much is happening with the development of our new student unions that our Facilities Management team will be holding events on all three campuses this month to showcase what’s to come. Sherri Payne and her team will have presentation drawings, models of the facilities and even a virtual reality system that allows you to “see” inside the buildings as if they were already in place. Please consider attending one of the meetings:

• Henderson Campus: 9 a.m. to noon, February 7, C Building lobby
• Charleston Campus: 9 a.m. to noon, February 14, B Building lobby
• North Las Vegas Campus: 9 a.m. to noon, February 21, June Whitley Student Lounge

For more, including photos, visit the CSN Newsroom.

HVAC Program on the Move

Renovations are underway at the Western High Tech Center. You might remember that we are bringing our entire heating, ventilation, air condition and refrigeration program to the center rather than being housed on both our Henderson and North Las Vegas campuses. Because of the construction, the center will be closed during the spring and summer semesters, with the exception of faculty offices and the Call Center. Renovations are scheduled to be completed for the fall 2018 semester.

CSN Foundation

Win a Jamba Juice Party!

Make a Difference – Support the Employee Giving Campaign with your Coyote Commitment and enter a chance to attend a Jamba Juice Party with the president!

I want to challenge each of you to support the Employee Giving Campaign with your Coyote Commitment to support our students and to make a difference in our community. As we invite businesses, community leaders, philanthropists, and alumni to support our scholarship programs and our capital campaign, one question often arises: How engaged are CSN faculty and staff in supporting CSN students? I want to be able to share that the entire CSN team supports our College! For all of you who make your Coyote Commitment, you will be entered into a drawing to attend a Jamba Juice Party I am hosting in the spring. I don’t want to party alone, so make your Coyote Commitment and join me! Be on the lookout for more details.

In Other News

Coffee & Cake

Speaking of parties, I had a wonderful time joining Dr. Richards and visiting with faculty, staff and students during our informal Coffee & Cake events last week. Dr. Richards is leaving CSN in great shape, and his legacy will remain an influential one as he enjoys his retirement. I look forward to scheduling more events where I can talk with faculty, staff and students about CSN and ways we can keep moving forward.

Martin Luther King Jr. Parade

I had an amazing time joining the CSN Black Student Union and the African-American Heritage Committee at this year’s Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in downtown Las Vegas. CSN has had a presence in the parade for the last several years, and I couldn’t have been happier to join them. I’m already looking forward to next year’s parade.

Nevada Promise

Nevada Promise applicants represent a true cross section of our community – more than 5,200 students from schools all across the valley have applied and completed the required training. The next benchmark is early April – completing FAFSA and documenting 20 community service hours. Close to 1,000 mentors have signed up and completed training. Group mentoring sessions are being planned and coordinated in partnership with CCSD schools. These sessions will happen in February, March, and April. I am excited about these sessions and look forward to meeting my own mentees. We continue to recruit mentors, so this endeavor will be ongoing. Have YOU signed up to be a mentor? The opportunity is still available! Even though the state legislature provided only one-time funding for this initiative, we are looking toward meeting Nevada Promise needs of the graduating class of 2019 and will emphasize the need for the legislature to continue to fund this important opportunity.

MyCSN Single Sign-On

We have some exciting news for all MyCSN users: The days of remembering completely separate login information for MyCSN are numbered. Beginning February 17, faculty and staff will begin using the same username and password for MyCSN that they currently use for Canvas and GoCSN. All employees will use their active directory credentials (first name.last name) and their current Canvas/GoCSN password when they log in. Students will use their NSHE ID and current Canvas password to log in.