This message is sent on behalf of Carol Fimmen, Director of International Programs:
Dear Colleagues,
The CSN International Office would like to invite faculty and staff to participate in upcoming webinars and learn more about various Fulbright opportunities. Through these sessions, you will learn about the opportunity we have to bring scholars from many countries around the world to give lectures and presentations for our faculty, staff and students. You will also learn about opportunities to go abroad and participate in the Fulbright programs. After you view these webinars, I will be happy to meet with you and discuss the details.
- Fulbright Outreach Lecturing Fund
- The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program
- Fulbright U.S. Scholar Opportunities in Western Hemisphere
- Fulbright U.S. Scholar Opportunities in Europe and Eurasia
Have a great semester and please do not hesitate to contact me or stop by my office anytime.
Carol
I wanted to let you know that Chief Human Resources Officer candidate Tracey Cleveland has withdrawn her acceptance of our offer for personal and family reasons. We wish her well.
As the end of the semester and the end of the year quickly approach, I want to wish you all a very happy holiday season. I hope you will join us at the CSN Holiday Party on December 12. I also want to acknowledge the hard work you put in every day to make sure our students always come first. On behalf of all 35,000 of them, I thank you.
I am thrilled to invite you to the debut local performance of Mariachi Plata, CSN’s new competitive mariachi! Mariachi Plata is comprised of students from our mariachi courses in the fine arts music curriculum. Their local debut at 7 p.m. December 10 will follow their first competition at the Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio, Texas. This is incredibly exciting for our students and for our community. There is much interest in mariachi in Southern Nevada, as well as a strong desire by members of the Hispanic community for programs that recognize and celebrate their cultural heritage. With nearly one-third of our students identifying as Hispanic, it is imperative that we ensure a good fit for them at CSN.
I am very much looking forward to this year’s 
I recently met with presidents of technical colleges from Mexico and toured CSN’s campuses with them as they learned about some of our specialty programs. We signed a memorandum of understanding with the delegation of college presidents from the Associacion Nacional de Universidades Tecnologicas, pledging to continue the cross-cultural partnership we have developed. We are just getting started, and hope to soon develop new programs and initiatives that will lead to opportunities for our students to interact with the students from Mexico, who will come to CSN. This is a very exciting time for our college. 
Please join me in welcoming to CSN our new Director of International Programs Carol P. Fimmen, who started last month. Fimmen will be responsible for helping strengthen the college’s international programs, internationalization of the curriculum, faculty development initiatives, development of partnerships with international institutions, organizations and governments, and will oversee the area of international student recruitment and international student services. She plans to establish an international student alumni association, develop new study abroad opportunities for our students and faculty, establish international exchanges for students and faculty, and develop new international and workforce training for institutional and governments.
Our Nevada Promise students need you. As you know, students who receive the Nevada Promise scholarship are required to periodically meet with a mentor. Many CSN faculty and staff have been gracious enough to volunteer to mentor students, and for that we are grateful. More mentors are needed, though. If you can, please volunteer by filling out a 
I hope you will be able to join us when we officially dedicate the student union on our North Las Vegas campus in honor of the late Assemblyman Tyrone Thompson on November 14. Thompson was a great friend to our community and our campus, a true believer in the Students First philosophy guiding all of us. I remember him greeting CSN students warmly into his office when we were in Carson City earlier this year. You can find details about the event 
As you know, the unions on each campus have quickly become popular spaces for our students to study, grab a bite to eat, relax between class and gather with their friends. The unions make the college experience better for all. They began as an idea from student government leaders years ago and I’m proud to see them come to fruition.
CSN has built an impressive array of athletic programs over the years, and Coach Tim Chambers was at the foundation of it all. Chambers, who coached the CSN Coyotes baseball team from 2000 to 2010 and brought home a national championship in 2003, died on October 27. He will be sorely missed by everyone at CSN. The success of our student athletes both on and off the field was always a priority for Coach Chambers, and his legacy will live on. 
I hope you all saw the message from Associate Vice President & Director of University Police Services, Southern Command Adam Garcia noting the changes regarding our Henderson facilities. As of now, University Police Services is providing 24/7 service to the CSN Henderson Campus, the Green Valley Tech Center, and the Water Street Centers, including dispatch services via UPD’s Dispatch Center. This change will provide improved response times for police, fire and medical services while also continuing to provide calls for service for campus security and after hour emergency requests for Facilities Management. Police will also provide increased patrols of these properties, including in vehicle patrol coverage and targeted foot patrols.
Please join me in congratulating Dr. Vartouhi Asherian, the new interim dean of the School of Arts and Letters! Dr. Asherian has been with CSN for many years, and she has a strong professional background in community college and public school teaching. She also brings a strong understanding of educational technology and has demonstrated great skill in working with faculty. She holds advanced degrees in Instructional Design and Distance Education, Curriculum and Instruction, and Education Administration. She serves on a national AACC-affiliated board and is engaged with NWCCU, our accrediting body, representing CSN in a professional capacity. She is also deeply committed to our community, and is particularly engaged in the arts.
Please join me in congratulating CSN English Professor Bruno Rhodes, who was recently honored by the Phi Theta Kappa honor society for his service as CSN’s PTK advisor! I was pleased to present Bruno with a pin from PTK in appreciation of his dedication to his students and to our student success mission. CSN will also purchase a brick in Bruno’s honor to be placed at the Phi Theta Kappa Center for Excellence Alpha Courtyard at the organization’s national headquarters. Congratulations!
As required by federal law, we recently released our annual security report, which includes three years’ worth of statistics for specific crimes that were reported to have occurred on campus, in or on non-campus properties owned or controlled by the college, and on public property within or immediately adjacent to the campuses. You can read the full report at the link below.
I hope you were able to attend the HSI/MSI Symposium in the Horn Theater last week. The daylong symposium was part of a three-day event in collaboration with the other NSHE institutions where we heard from national experts on issues related to diversity in higher education. I am so thankful to all our elected leaders and to the higher education community for their enthusiastic participation and support. We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with other professionals and community members to leverage our resources to help achieve high-level outcomes for minority students.
I am pleased to announce Nora Mirabal has been named interim executive director of inclusive learning and engagement. Nora has been with the College of Southern Nevada in a number of different roles for the last 24 years, most recently with the Jumpstart Concurrent Enrollment Program. She started in the human resources department and working in marketing and public relations as well. She has been with the Jumpstart program since its inception and has helped grow the program to more than 3,500 students. As you know, I am committed to our diversity efforts and putting out students on path to graduate, complete transfer and prosper and I know with Nora as an executive director we’ll continue that work. 
Please join us as we celebrate the official Grand Opening of our three new student unions. Students, colleagues, friends and special guests will convene on the Charleston Campus from 1-2 p.m. October 29. I hope to see you there!