Dear CSN Family,
During our last Town Hall meeting, we discussed our move-forward strategies and how to best serve our students as we prepare for the fall semester and beyond.
We continue to work with the chancellor’s office on the hiring freeze waiver provisions and have received approval to fill key, critical open positions. CSN has received approval to move forward with hiring 39 academic faculty, as well as 29 administrative faculty and classified staff. In collaboration with our Budget Reduction Task Force, the guiding principles in hiring during this freeze are ensuring student success, maintaining institutional accreditation, honoring shared governance and institutional values, and maintaining business operations.
In addition, we have formed a task force that includes Human Resources, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Facilities, and Environmental Health & Safety that is researching return-to-work protocols and practices for employees when we return to campus. We will use the strategies this task force devises to guide us through the process.
The Public Employees Benefits Program (PEBP) Board met earlier this week to plan for budget reduction as required by the governor’s office. The good news is that none of the options considered by the Board will change the plan design nor increase premiums for participants.
Finally, I want to remind faculty that they should check their email for a link from CSN-NFA to vote on the proposed collective bargaining contract. The notification included a unique verification code that is specific to the voter. Faculty can email Dr. Andrea Brown if they did not receive a ballot. Also, remember there will be a Q&A session on the topic at 3 p.m. today, which you can access here. No password is necessary. Please email Emily King if you have questions.
Thank you all for remaining Vegas Strong and CSN Proud. Stay safe and God bless.
Federico Zaragoza
President
College of Southern Nevada