Dear CSN Family,
It can be difficult when we are moving through a crisis to focus on the big picture, but we have an incredible family at CSN who are able to come together and make sure we fulfill our mission to empower our students and communities to achieve, succeed, and prosper. I want to thank each and every one of you – faculty, staff and students alike – for persevering in the face of an unprecedented situation for all of us.
Today, I want those students and faculty who are preparing to take a break before the start of summer classes to know that we appreciate all you have done. The end of an academic year is always a bittersweet moment, and this year even more so. I have missed seeing all of our faculty, staff and students on campus these last two months, and I hope to see our CSN Family again soon.
After this week, we will replace our daily email updates with weekly updates, but we will always be ready to notify the entire CSN community about important developments as they happen over the summer.
Today, I am pleased to let you know that the CSN Foundation has named the recipients of the 2020 Spirit of CSN Awards. You may recall that these awards fund innovative projects that support the college’s Students First commitment. Each of these well-deserving projects focuses on a specific area of student success, including college readiness, engagement, finances, and closing the achievement gap. The awards, which total $45,000, are made possible through the generous support of CSN employees and donors from our community.
Learning by Hands-on Research
This project will take on college readiness and economic disparities by providing students with individualized help from biology faculty outside the classroom. Students involved will be given hands-on experience to help them better connect to the college and their work.
Meaningful Writing Initiative
Coming from the English Department, this initiative aims to help students become more engaged in their classes, more motivated to succeed, and more likely to complete and achieve their goals.
First Year Experience (FYE) Connection Award
This award will provide spring 2021 bookstore vouchers to approximately 40 students who participate in FYE programming during fall 2020.
Textbook Assistance Program
The program loans students books each semester, saving them the cost of having to purchase the books outright. This Spirt Award will fund the purchase of additional books for the program.
The Collective Project
This project will explore how Academic Advising can help improve the success rate for CSN’s full-time, first-time-in-college African American students.
I want to thank our donors, the CSN Foundation, and the selection committee for its efforts in choosing the winners from among a great group of proposals. Visit the Foundation’s website to read more about the award winners and learn how you can become a donor. New projects like these that benefit our students helps us all remain Vegas strong and CSN proud.
Stay safe and God bless.
Federico Zaragoza
President
College of Southern Nevada