Photo provided by ASCSN VP Dustin Rains
Approximately 45 higher education students from Southern Nevada, 17 of which were from CSN, took a bus up to Carson City on Monday night, leaving at 10 p.m. to make it to the special session. Senate Majority Leader Steven Horsford invited the students to an impromptu meeting with the Senate, where students told lawmakers about why higher education funding matters.
Following a long day at the capitol, the students got back on the bus and returned home early this morning. I want to applaud these students’ commitment to their institutions and to their education and our lawmakers for taking the time to meet with them. Thank you.
We are eagerly awaiting the resolution of the special session. We have heard, as you may have in the media, that they are discussing cuts below 10 percent for higher education. Now is a crucial time to write your state senator to impress upon him or her your feelings about higher education funding. You can find their contact information here: http://leg.state.nv.us/26th2010Special/Legislators/Senators/slist.cfm.
On another note, I attended the Black History Month Scholarship Breakfast at the CSN Cheyenne campus this morning. It was a wonderful conclusion to Black History Month, which we celebrated at CSN with four weeks of activities and events.
We had a full house, including community supporters, faculty, staff and students, who came to hear keynote speaker Dr. Linda Young from the Clark County School District Board of Trustees and to help raise money for CSN scholarships and academic programs. Sherman Rutledge, Jr., executive director of Strengthening America’s Communities and Dr. Joni Flowers, a CSN professor and executive director of the Cultural Diversity Foundation, received awards for their service to education and the community. Thanks to all who attended.