College of Southern Nevada

Greetings!  As this academic year winds down, there is much to report to you in many areas of the College.      

Phi Theta Kappa

CSN PTK Students

On March 28, the Nevada/California Region of Phi Theta Kappa held its Spring Conference and Award Ceremony at the California Polytechnic State University campus. CSN’s chapter, Alpha Xi Beta, earned six awards that evening for their diligent work in the 2013 calendar year. The awards are as follow: 

• Five Star Level
• Honors In Action Award, 2^nd place in Theme 6
• 2013 Yearbook Award, 2^nd place
• Regional Project-Financial Literacy (Education in a Financial Context)
• Regional Project-Make A Difference Day (Downtown Las Vegas Dynamos Clean Up)
• Regional Project-Community Project (Exposure to Global Culture & Food)

Congratulations to the student officers of 2013 for leading the chapter in another successful year. 

Minority Serving Institution

This month, CSN received federal designation as a Minority Serving Institution under the Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) category.

CSN is proud to be a Minority Serving Institution and will celebrate this achievement at every opportunity. CSN is a diverse institution and the more underrepresented students who succeed at CSN, the more we can change longstanding achievement gaps that impact our neighbors, friends and family. This reflects the college’s service to our increasingly diverse community and will allow us to compete for federal grants and other alternative funding to support all of our students.

CSN invited public stakeholders to attend a Campus Conversation today at the Charleston campus in for a discussion about what CSN’s new designation as a Minority Serving Institution means for the college community. A second Campus Conversation will take place at the Henderson campus on Wednesday, April 30, at 9 a.m. in C-105. We will be rescheduling the Cheyenne conversation in the near future.

Minority Serving Institutions include Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal College and Universities (TCUs), and most recently the AANAPISI category. Colleges designated as AANAPISIs have student bodies made up of more than 50 percent low-income or Pell Grant eligible students and at least 10 percent of students, who are Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander.

Legislative Preparations for 2015

On April 16, CSN hosted representatives from the Governor’s Budget Office, Legislative Counsel Bureau, and State Public Works Board.  Four topics were covered: 1) the institution’s operating and capital budget priorities, 2) the need for a comprehensive financial strategy to address CSN’s deferred maintenance backlog, 3) the transforming efforts in student success, and 4) the value to students of facilities improvements at the Cheyenne and Henderson campuses.

Yearbook

As you may recall, due to schedule conflicts, we were not able to put on a Reflections of Success awards ceremony this year. Instead, we’re employing a recommendation from the Work Climate Committee and we’ve put together a booklet, titled Reflections of Success. This will be coming out in early May and be delivered to academic department offices and various units throughout the college. All of the Distinguished Award nominees and Excellence Award nominees are highlighted among other accomplishments. In lieu of an event, this is a way for us to communicate the successes of this academic year and showcase our amazing faculty and staff. Thanks to CSN Public Relations Specialist Richard Lake and Graphic Designer Sue Mitchell for their work in putting this together. 

SB 391 Community College Governance Subcommittee Meetings

The two Community College Governance subcommittees met last week. On April 23, the Governance & Funding subcommittee met and heard from community college scholar Dr. Aims McGuinness, who presented on community college structures and reforms. His research can be found on the subcommittee’s site. He had high praise for systems like Tennessee, Kentucky, Louisiana and Hawaii for the cohesion that these structures were able to provide while at the same time representing diverse environments throughout the states and accountability for progress. In general, he did not advance local governance models as a recommended reform for Nevada to pursue. Thank you to the CSN faculty and students who attended and spoke during public comment. In addition, each of the community colleges presented on their processes for seeking grants. Our institutions are 90 percent successful in obtaining the grants we seek. This subcommittee will discuss structure further at its next meeting on June 9. 

The Academic & Workforce subcommittee met the next day and heard from our partners in K-12 on some of our joint programs, including dual credit, community college high schools and AP coursework. The committee indicated an interest in developing strategies to increasing the fluidity, articulation/transfer and data sharing among K-12, community colleges and four-year institutions. They are interested in increasing similar cohesion between community colleges and businesses/ industry outside of current advisory board structures. The next meeting has not yet been scheduled but we will keep you posted as more information arises. We expect that they will narrow their focus to specific recommendations for reform. We see these meetings as a positive vehicle to affirm community colleges and our services to the state. Both subcommittees have discussed the potential for a state Workforce Fund, similar to the Knowledge Fund, previoulsy approved by the Legislature for the research institutions, to assist with our workforce development and training missions. The critical function of a need-based financial aid program to help ensure our students, who often don’t qualify for the Millennium Scholarship, can secure access to community colleges has also been discussed. 

Faculty Election Results:

Congratulations to Dr. Camille Naaktgeboren as the new Chair-elect of the Faculty Senate!

Chairs 

Senators

Congratulations to new and continuing department chairs elected this spring and to the new faculty senators. 

Legislative Budget Priorities

The Board of Regents met Friday to discuss budget priorities for the 2013-15 biennium that the system will put before the state at the next legislative session in 2015. The presidents have recommended as a top priority funding salaries at the full base and eliminating furloughs for all employees. This is in concert with a proposed request to increase the amount each institution receives per Weighted Student Credit Hour (WSCH). As many of you know, CSN and the other colleges and universities are no longer funded based on the number of students we enroll but on the number of courses and programs they complete. Much of the funding relies on the number of students who pass courses multiplied by a WSCH rate. We plan to ask the Legislature to increase the amount each school receives per WSCH to help us claw back from past budget cuts. 

The Board also heard from all the presidents on the proposed tuition and fee increase plan for the next two biennia. CSN has been working closely with student government to create a detailed expenditure plan for the increase that supports access awards, additional support and FTEs and helps reduce lines and bottlenecks in serving students. More information about that plan was included in the March Chronicle. The Board will have a final vote on the tuition and fee increase during its June meeting. 

Strategic Enrollment Planning

With the guidance of Noel Levitz, faculty, staff and administrators at CSN have been hard at work preparing a strategic enrollment plan for implementation this fall. This will lead to the creation of a plan to help CSN achieve long-term enrollment goals and improve student retention. 

The Strategic Enrollment Plan is an arm of the college’s strategic plan that largely focuses on recruitment, retention and timely completion. The Strategic Enrollment Planning Committee has been busy making the rounds to different CSN committees and groups to communicate about how this plan is being developed and why.

Strategic Enrollment Planning recognizes that it is more cost-effective for the college to focus resources on retention of existing students, and retaining/effectively exiting students from degree programs than on consistently finding new students to replace those who drop out. Faculty and staff have gone through extensive data to evaluate CSN practices and those of our competition and are in the process of finalizing recommended action steps that we expect will streamline many of our matriculation and registration processes, more strategically target outreach, recruitment and marketing efforts and revolutionize retention practices. The latter will be assisted through CSN’s Achieving the Dream initiative, another all-college student success initiative. 

If you have questions about the SEP plan or want more information, I encourage you to contact CSN Vice President of Academic Affairs Darren Divine. This has been an extensive effort involving academic and student affairs, faculty, staff and students and we look forward to discussing the action plan this fall. 

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:

“Are we requiring recent high school graduates to take placement tests and see a counselor before they can enroll?”

CSN is implementing a mandatory matriculation policy for all 2014 Clark County High School

Questions I’ve received:

“Are we requiring recent high school graduates to take placement tests and see a counselor before they can enroll?”

CSN is implementing a mandatory matriculation pilot program for all 2014 Clark County School District high school graduates enrolling at CSN this fall. As part of the college’s student success initiatives, including Strategic Enrollment Planning and Achieving the Dream initiatives, we are notifying these students now that these 2014 graduates must complete the following 4 steps before they are allowed to register for classes.

1. Apply for Admission
2. Participate in Orientation
3. Complete the math and English placement process (or submit official advanced placement or ACT/SAT Scores)
4. Meet with an Advisor/Success Coach (either one-on-one or in an advising workshop)

In accordance with new matriculation procedures, Advisors/Success Coaches provide advising services to first-time college students without transfer credits, undecided students without a declared major, and Associate of General Studies (AGS) students only. Returning, continuing, and transfer students with declared majors seek academic advice from Academic School Counselors in their selected major/department.

Prospective students who have questions about this are encouraged to contact the CSN Call Center to speak with a college representative at 702-651-5555.

“Why did we pursue Minority Serving Institution status before pursing Hispanic Serving Institution status?”
The designations are based on historic academic full-time equivalent enrollment data from two years prior.

The college submitted an application to receive the designation as a Minority Serving Institution under the AANAPISI category this spring, based on fall 2011 enrollment data, which we knew met the federal criteria for this designation.

Next year, the college expects to be the first higher education institution in Nevada to be eligible to successfully apply for Hispanic Serving Institution status, based on fall 2012 enrollment data. Among other criteria, at least 25 percent of full-time equivalent students must be Hispanic to achieve the HSI designation.

 “In the new fiscal year do we still have furloughs?”

Yes. The furloughs will continue over the course of the next fiscal year. However, eliminating the furloughs and enhancing benefits is a top legislative priority for CSN and the system in the upcoming legislative session. We have heard a lot of positive feedback from lawmakers on the elimination of furloughs and we will be asking you to contact your legislative representatives on this matter as we approach the session to reinforce the importance of making contracts whole again for all state employees.

“Has CSN completed work on salaries and benefits?”

We are not finished.  In fact, there is much to do, constantly, on this topic.  Several items are on the horizon:  1) full implementation of the salary compression (emphasis added) recommendations, 2) implementation of the merit pay plan for 2014-2015, 3) college-wide discussion (probably in the fall) on faculty ranks, and 4) work on adjusting the CC target from 78% of the university median to 83%.  And then there is always the need to improve PEBP.

“What kind of rating do I need to receive on my evaluation to obtain a merit increase?”

Under the proposed policy that the Faculty Senate will consider next month, faculty (academic and professional) need an evaluation rating of satisfactory or better to be eligible for merit consideration.  Put another way, employees who receive an unsatisfactory rating on evaluations are not eligible for merit consideration.

My next Chronicle to you will be after the SB 391 committee determines its recommendations for community colleges.  This may be after graduation.  Also, in the next Chronicle, I will be providing a list of new institutional policies approved by the Faculty Senate during this academic year.  The Senate has revised faculty evaluation, merit pay, and student matriculation policies this year in a dedicated effort to improve CSN.  I commend the Senators and the leaders of the Senate for all of the hard work.  Now we need to get the word out.

Thank you all for your continuing and remarkable service to our students. 

–Mike Richards

CSN biology students

Greetings and welcome to The CSN Chronicle for March 2014.  For a year when the Legislature is not in session, this spring semester is unusually busy with studies, events and policy changes that I want to share with you.     

Salary Equity Progress
Staff in Human Resources are engaged in implementing the necessary payroll/contract transactions for full-time administrative and academic faculty members to process the salary adjustments necessary to implement recommendations for the new/revised salary structures and salary compression. These were recommended by the consultant and Transition Management Teams and ultimately adopted by the Steering Committee.  Each individual full-time administrative/academic employee will receive a letter from HR detailing how he/she was affected by the salary study.  Those receiving salary adjustments will have revised contracts issued.  HR will send out information notifying affected employees when their revised contracts will be ready for review and signature.

Board of Regents Meeting
The Board of Regents held their March meeting at the Charleston campus. I would like to thank all of our staff that helped to make this meeting happen, including Daniel Gonzalez and his colleagues in facilities, CSN Police and security staff and Suzan Workman in the Office of Communications, OTS, Greg Hampton, Dave Morgan, Eric Garner, and campus administration.  CSN hosts the Board of Regents every two years, and preparations for the meeting are extensive.  Many thanks to all who made the meeting successful.   

Tuition & Fees
At the meeting, the Board discussed tuition and fee increases for the 2015-2019 academic years.  For community colleges, the proposal includes a 4 percent increase each year for the next four years for resident students, beginning in fall 2015. Normally, the Board reviews proposals for tuition and fees changes for the current biennium, but this extended time period is being proposed to help students better plan their academic careers.

CSN’s proposal, developed in coordination with student government and endorsed by student leaders, will directly impact student services. The highlights are summarized below and more detail is available here.

Current Fee: $84.50 per credit.
Proposed Fall 2015: $88 per credit
Proposed Fall 2016: $91.50 per credit
Proposed Fall 2017: $95 per credit
Proposed Fall 2018: $98.75

Students taking 15 credit hours would pay a reduced rate at $52.50 more per semester in fall 2015.

For 2015-16:
·         CSN would take 15 percent of the increase and put it toward access scholarships
·         CSN would hire 18 additional full-time-equivalent staff, including eight academic counselors, two disability resource center and counseling and psychology services positions, four staff for the Office of the Registrar and four financial aid staffers to support student needs
·         An additional $155,000 would go toward capital improvements to improve student services spaces, including providing privacy spaces for students to meet with staff. 

For 2016-17:
·         CSN would take 15 percent of the increase and put it toward access scholarships
·         CSN would hire 25 additional full-time-equivalent staff, including eight academic faculty for high-demand programs, two academic counselors, five academic success coach advisors, three staff for the CSN Call Center, three staff for the Office of the Registrar and four financial aid staff for financial literacy education to help students navigate financial aid better and borrow responsibly
·         An additional $177,000 will go to capital improvements to enhance student support spaces

The Board will vote on this proposal in the coming months.

Regents Awards

CSN Business Professor Kevin Raiford selected for 2013-14 Regents award.

Congratulations to Business Professor Kevin Raiford, who received the Regent’s Teaching Award for community colleges. Professor Raiford’s work in the classroom and with young entrepreneurs is making a significant impact in our community and economy. He’s an inspiration to us all.

In addition, congratulations to CSN student Carlos Holguin, who received the Regents’ Scholar Award. Carlos is graduating this spring with associate degrees in music and psychology. Carlos is a remarkable young man who aspires to give the gift of music to others. We will honor him and other students at the annual Outstanding Student Awards on May 9 at the Telecommunications Auditorium at 5 p.m.

Thank you to the Internal Recognition Committee for your work in soliciting nominations for these awards and thank you to all who nominated wonderful faculty, staff and students!

Legislative Committee to Conduct an Interim Study on Community Colleges
The Legislature’s SB 391 subcommittees met this month. The subcommittee on governance and funding heard testimony from the legislative counsel bureau, regarding what governmental entity has jurisdiction over community colleges. There were several media articles regarding the question of governance authority that describe the issues. This topic will be discussed more in future meetings and may inform what actions lawmakers decide to take. The subcommittee on governance and funding will explore alternative structures, federal grants, Hispanic Serving Institution status, articulation and shared services at its next meeting on April 23.

In addition, CSN Division of Workforce & Economic Development Executive Director Dan Gouker did an excellent job testifying about CSN’s workforce development initiatives before the subcommittee on workforce and academics. Each of the community colleges had an opportunity to present information on this topic. He was joined by Robert Buntjer, assistant director of the Electrical JATC of Southern Nevada, who testified about our work in apprenticeship and the 15 trades we work with to help deliver postsecondary education throughout the valley.

There were a number of questions, regarding community college curricula and how we stay abreast of the changing needs of business and industry and how we might improve this connectivity. The next meeting for this committee is April 24.

Two changes CSN is advocating in this and other venues are: 1) a need-based financial aid program for students who do not qualify for federal financial aid, and 2) legislative support for a workforce development fund.

NSHE Budget
NSHE’s budget request for 2015 is underdevelopment with a request to fully fund, and thereby eliminate, employee furloughs as a key priority. Elimination of furloughs continues to be CSN’s top priority.  Additionally, CSN is joining other institutions to advocate for an increase in the dollar value per weighted student credit hour (WSCH)—currently at $137 per WSCH.  This is the core value in the new funding formula, and is the state funding support per WSCH for CSN.    

Faculty Evaluation Policy
At its meeting earlier this month, Faculty Senate passed an evaluation policy. I should receive the final copy next week. The policy is available at http://sites.csn.edu/jmatovina/evaluation/. The page contains the latest version of the Faculty Evaluation Draft Proposal, FAQS and other useful information.  This policy has been long in development, and I’d like to thank the leaders and members of the Faculty Senate who have contributed to developing the policy.

Construction at Charleston
Construction on the A building (and, eventually, part of the B building) on the West Charleston campus is underway and proceeding on schedule.  Work will be completed in about a year, and we all look forward to recovering the parking spaces that are now a construction staging area.

This is a renovation of the western half of the building and a small addition that will create more spacious classrooms that can be used more effectively. We expect to move back in this December.

Integrate 2
NSHE’s second phase of a new administrative computing system, SCS has issued a request for proposals for a financial and human resources system.  Nevada is one of the last states in the nation to have an integrated administrative computing system for higher education.  CSN is also advocating for a review of the major modules within iNtegrate 1 in order to address existing functionality with the hope of making the Student Information System more effective.

Snap Shot Survey
Your colleagues on the CSN Workplace Climate Committee request that you respond to the following 10-minute survey. The deadline is 5 p.m., Friday, March 28. Your responses will be confidential. A report of the summary results will be released by the committee to all college faculty and staff.

To access the survey please click here. If the survey does not open automatically, please copy and paste the following link to your Internet browser’s address bar:
http://studentvoice.com/p/?uuid=1b46feb85d5044688e5b86509da224c1

Your responses matter and lead to committee recommendations that help make CSN a better place to work, a better place to learn for students and a more inclusive and welcoming community for all. 

If you have questions about this survey, please contact Cameron Basquiat, Chair of the Workplace Climate Committee, at Cameron.Basquiat@csn.edu  or 702-651-5998. If you have trouble accessing or completing the online survey, please contact Laura Yavitz, Institutional Research, at Laura.Yavitz@csn.edu or 702-651-5874.

 Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:

“What is the enrollment picture for spring semester?”

As of the March 15^th census date, headcount for spring semester was 35, 278 (down 0.7% from the same period last year) and FTES was 18,233.6 (down 2.6%).  

“What is the NVision program from PEBP?”

 NVision is the Health and Wellness program of PEBP and is intended to engage a preventative health program for employees.  However, I’m getting reports that our people are having a mixed experience with NVision, that the web site is not working properly, that the program is intrusive, and not worth the cost.  I’d like to know about your experience so that information can be shared with PEBP to make the program better.  If, you have had experience with NVision, good or bad, and would like to share it with PEBP, please send it to me and we will forward it.

Best,

–Mike Richards

Greetings!

Happy New Year and welcome to the CSN Chronicle for January 2014. There is a lot of  information below that is important for you to know.

Events in January

CSN 2013 Holiday Party

Holiday Party

Through the Foundation Board of Trustees and the President’s Cabinet, I have extended your collective appreciation to the Foundation for the outstanding holiday party we enjoyed at the Santa Fe Station last month.  Food donations that evening provided for 817 pounds of food or 680 meals through Three Square. Thank you all for a great evening and a great cause!

Salary Equity

Upon receiving the recommendations from Ulibarri group at the end of this month on salary equity and compression, I’m planning town hall meetings on each campus to get your feedback on the recommendations. We will then expedite the implementation plan to the extent financially possible.  My thanks to the faculty and staff who are serving on the advisory committees for this important project.  It is essential that equity issues be addressed as fully as possible.

Work Climate Committee Recommendations

The campus Work Climate Committee (WCC), chaired by Professor Cameron Basquiat, has completed its analysis of the 2012 survey and provided recommendations. The full report is located here on the committee’s web page. 

I value the work of the committee, the survey it administered and analyzed and the recommendations it provided. The culture of CSN is improving and will continue to as the work of this committee unfolds and becomes a replicated path for data collection, analysis and targeted changes. My thanks to all faculty and staff who participated in this effort. My thanks, too, to the members of the committee for the deliberate analysis the report represents. I’m committed to keeping this committee and its work in place as CSN strives for incremental improvement and action on the recommendations.

The following comments and responses parallel suggested changes from the committee’s analysis:

I. Hiring and Training Process
A. Hiring Process

Recommendation:   

• Increase training on the hiring process (for all relevant personnel) 
• Training on compliance  issues (offered by Human Resources office) including training on constructing a useful, effective job posting 
• “Lessons learned/best practices” session offered by Human Resources & previous hiring committee chairs/members
• Consider a mechanism for supporting CSN candidates when appropriate
• Examine search committee appointment process. (WCC suggests reflecting on how committee members are nominated and notified.)

My Response: I agree, and further suggest that more people be trained on chairing a search committee.

Faculty Senate will consider a new hiring policy later in the spring.

I’m asking HR to review the search committee appointment process.

B. Supervisor Training

Recommendation:

• Develop “supplemental training” (beyond “Mandatory” training as outlined by NSHE policy) specifically for supervisors to address management skills and persistent issues
• Potential Issues to Cover: Management, Communication, Problem-Solving, Ethics, Mentoring, Evaluation, Budget, Disciplinary procedures, Reporting, Legal issues, Team Building, Leadership, Student Code of Conduct, Onboarding New Employees
• Consider an extended retreat/summit format for training new deans and dept. chairs
• WCC recommends some training be required for both new and current deans and dept. chairs

My Response:  I enthusiastically agree and will ask HR to put a training program together.  I have also suggested that the CSN Executive Leadership Institute be supplemented with a CSN leadership program for managers and aspiring managers. 

NOTE:  I have asked HR representatives and the Work Climate Committee to meet and discuss all the committee’s recommendations in the area of hiring and training.

II. Work Life
A. Internal Communication

Recommendation:

• Share more details on decisions including:
• Decision(s) taken
• Rationale of/for decision
• Process of decision making
• People/positions involved in decision-making
• Inclusion practices via increased communication
• Require part-time workers to use CSN email addresses for institutional communication
• Create an institutional e-mail list for all active part-time faculty each semester and link to “All” mailing list
• Keep “All” list and web directory updated
• Focus communication efforts towards part-time employees (contract and wage workers, student workers, and part-time teaching faculty)
• Routinize and consolidate routine communications:
• Circulate weekly “Hotlinks” electronic sheet (brief document with hyperlinks and concise annotations of upcoming policy and deadline updates) to employees
• Encourage use of consistent templates/formats and communication checklists in all divisions for routine communications to increase consistency and frequency of communication (e.g., welcoming a new employee, reporting a deadline or policy update, etc.)

My Response: This recommendation asks for explanatory information as well as better communication pathways for employees.  Transmitting information in a more timely

manner is also implied with this recommendation.  For my part, I will start implementing this suggestion with this issue of the Chronicle, but that is not enough. The Office of Communications will begin circulating a weekly update and we are exploring new communication forms and processes to increase consistency and frequency of communication among and throughout our departments and units.

I will also asked that the CSN online directory be updated more swiftly to add new employees and will explore how to incorporate part-time faculty.

B. Committee Service

• Recommendation:
  Broaden participation and awareness
• Circulate an annual list of existing college and faculty committees/project teams.
• Send an annual “Topics/Committee Interest” Form to all employees to solicit interests in college service opportunities in order to develop a broader recruiting pool and encourage committee service. (WCC suggests administering this from President’s Office.)

My Response: These are very good suggestions.   We will post and update a list of all existing committees on the college’s website (an announcement will go out when it is posted) and we will evaluate the best mechanism to regularly and systematically solicit membership from the entire college community.

C. Space Availability

Recommendation:

• Establish a place/space for employees to use when on break where not presently available. (WCC suggests all work zones on main campuses have such a space.)
• Establish a place/space for part-time faculty to use when not in class to meet with students where not presently available. (WCC suggests a location on each campus to be open during and after regular hours.)

My Recommendation: Space at CSN is at a premium and I’m not expecting the state’s capital budget to allow for us to construct new space any time soon. We will continue to evaluate all possibilities to best utilize our limited space with a priority on finding designated areas for part-time faculty and, frankly a lesser priority, for breaks.

D. Career Development

Recommendation:

• Develop a mentoring program for all levels of employment at CSN (including mentor/mentee training and matching).
• Develop succession planning (career development planning) capacity at CSN for all full-time and part-time employee groups.
• Encourage employees to construct a 5-year plan for employment goals/growth plan.
• Have supervisors follow-up with plan to assist employees with professional goals when relevant. 

My Response: These suggestions have been referred to Professor Michele Fogg, chair of the Internal Recognition Committee (IRC), with a recommendation that she discuss these with the committee and create an implementation plan.

III. Organizational Clarity
A. Institutional Organization

Recommendation:

CSN Organizational Chart:

• Construct and update a complete (with filled and vacant positions) Organizational Chart every semester and post on website
• Create a similar/parallel structure across all Administration Divisions
• Create a similar/parallel structure across all Academic Departments

External Partners:

• Post an Office of Technology Service (OTS) organizational chart
• Post contact information and identification of appropriate CSN liaisons for key external units including Bookstore, OTS and Food Vendors

My Response: Organizational charts are posted on the website but need to be updated regularly. We can certainly pull out contact information for key external units. I would like to note that many of these are already listed in the CSN app. We will work with OTS to obtain important structural information that will be of service to our users.

I plan to discuss the recommendations for parallel organizational structures with the vice presidents to see what we can accomplish to still allow for the flexibility that is paramount for community colleges to be able to respond to our ever-changing environment but provide for consistency and accountability. I am confident that a balance can be found.

Financial Aid Update

CSN has processed through Department of Education channels all of the records and funding changes needed to comply with DOE directions. Over and under payments have been transacted and the immediate challenge has been completed.  However, the recommendations from the Evans Consulting Group are now getting underway, and we expect a full report from them shortly. Issues regarding personnel, policy and procedure and technology are being addressed in earnest. My goal is to create a national model for processing aid in a student-centered manner. I commend the staff for rallying to the challenge this goal represents. To achieve it, CSN is assessing staffing needs, hiring more staff, implementing regular training, restructuring financial aid offices, implementing new policies and procedures with third-party monitoring of processing (this is being done at other large schools such as ourselves) and making technology changes to better serve and more accurately process student records. 

CSN’s Operating Budget Request for 2015-17

CSN met with the Nevada System of Higher Education and Chancellor Klaich to present our budget priorities for the 2015 legislative session. It is my hope that these are incorporated into the Board of Regents’ priorities.

CSN’s Top Legislative Budget Priority:

• Eliminate furloughs and address cost-of-living increases and fringe benefit expenses – health insurance particularly;
• Increase the dollar amount received for each weighted student credit hour (WSCH) – as you know CSN is now primarily funded by the number of credits students complete and increasing the amount that CSN receives for each credit completed is paramount to eliminating funding equity issues that have persisted for decades, improving student success services and other goals we intend to accomplish;
•  Obtain legislative approval to include the less-than-30-credit certificates with industry certification in our performance pool so that CSN receives funding for the hundreds of students that graduate from these programs, which lead directly to employment and advancement;
• While progress was made in consideration of tuition and fees, CSN supports a continued focus on seeking full retention of fees and tuition;
• Complete iNtegrate 2:  while an initial allotment from the NSHE operating pool has been identified, a comprehensive plan for implementation and ongoing support needs to be addressed; and
• Develop a community college funding source to support economic development – work force needs, similar to the state’s Knowledge Fund for research at the university level.

Capital Budget:

Deferred maintenance is a key priority at CSN. We support continued evaluation of alternatives that will provide a resource to address these needs. 

Our capital priorities include the following:

• Renovation of the B Building at Henderson to address Student Services needs. The building housing these services provides limited space and not enough to allow for adequate spaces for student privacy or to create desired pathways that help students locate the services they are seeking. ($7.6 million)
• Continual revitalizing of the Cheyenne campus by addressing mechanical systems, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) issues, and exterior weather proofing. In addition to addressing deferred maintenance needs, these projects also assist CSN with decreasing utility costs. ($7 million)

Budget priorities for NSHE will be reported and action will be taken at the June meeting of the Board of Regents.

Tuition and Fees

In accordance with the Board of Regents’ policies, tuition and fees recommendations to the Board of Regents begin with deliberations of a committee comprised of students, presidents, faculty and staff.  This this committee developed recommendations for the next four years, rather than recommendations for the upcoming biennium, to assist with students’ financial and institutional planning.

For community colleges, the proposed rate change is 4% per year for four years.  This would apply to resident student registration fees.  For non-resident students, the proposed change is 0% for the first two years and 2% for the next two years. The reason for the difference in rate changes is that non-resident tuition is closer to the median of surrounding states than are registration fees for resident students.  The committee’s recommendation goes to the Board of Regents in March, following a series of hearings with students at the respective institutions.  CSN supports the recommendation, and at the CSN hearing on February 21^st we will explain why.

Concurrent with the hearings and the review process, CSN is developing an expenditure plan for use of the projected revenue. That plan will also be shared and vetted publically.

Interim Study on Community Colleges

The Legislature’s interim study on community colleges will begin January 28^th with the first committee meeting. Here are the details of the study’s structure and timetable as of today:

The logistics of the committee hearings between January and May (potentially June) are as follows: 

• Meetings will be held at the Grant Sawyer Building in Las Vegas, and video conferenced to the Legislature in Carson City.
• One meeting per month, January – May (potentially June) each lasting a full day 
• First meeting is scheduled for Jan. 28, 9:30 a.m. (dates for the subsequent months have not been scheduled. 

Meeting Schedule:

• Jan. 28th – 9:30 a.m.-12:00pm full committee meets, 1 p.m.-5 p.m. subcommittees meet (all committee members are expected to attend for the entire day)  
• Feb. – 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. subcommittees meet 
• March – 8:30 a.m. subcommittees meet; 1 p.m. subcommittees report to the full the committee
• April –  8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. subcommittees meet
• May – 8:30 a.m. subcommittees meet, 1 p.m., subcommittees report to the full the committee. Committee should conclude its business.
• June – meeting only if absolutely necessary

Jan. 28th Agenda:

• LCB – Overview and purpose of committee
• Chancellor and Board Officer – Discussion and overview of community colleges from system perspective; successes and challenges. Desired results of the study, how can the committee help?
• Four Community College Presidents – 20 min. (each) presentation on successes, challenges and any other information important to share
• Dr. Geri Anderson – Shared Services Alliance

Committee Membership:

• Senator Joyce Woodhouse – Chair
• Senator Barbara Cegaske
• Senator Debbie Smith
• Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick
• Assemblyman Paul Aizley
• Assemblyman Pat Hickey

Subcommittee on Governance and Funding:

• Senator Debbie Smith, Chair
• Senator Joyce Woodhouse
• Assemblyman Paul Aizley
• Regent Allison Stephens
• Dr. Mary Pierczynski
• Carson City Supervisor John McKenna
• Churchill County Commissioner Bus Scharmann
• Elko Mayor Chris Johnson

 Subcommittee on Academics and Workforce Alignment:

• Speaker Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Chair
• Senator Barbara Cegavske
• Assemblyman Pat Hickey
• Regent Kevin Melcher
• St. Rose Hospitals President and CEO Vicky van Meetren
• GOED Deputy Director Michael Skaggs
• Nevada Copper VP Timothy Dyhr
• DETR Director Frank Woodbeck

**There is a possibility for more appointees to the subcommittees

CSN has been asked to provide a student member to the committee.  As more information becomes available, to include future hearing dates, I will provide updates.  

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:

“What is next with CSN’s HSI status?”

CSN meets the criteria for HSI status and is eligible to apply in the fall of 2014 for funding under Title V.  This is a competitive funding process.  CSN has retained the help of a grant writer to help prepare the proposal for funding.  Typically, up to $750,000 is awarded in a Title V grant. We will be suggesting a theme for the proposal and will be correlating our efforts with the community as the process unfolds.  I am very optimistic that CSN’s initial proposal has a great chance of being successful.

 Finally, the Faculty Senate has adopted and I have signed a new policy on registration.  It is posted here with other institutional policies.  I urge you to read it and take note of the changes in operation that it requires.

Best wishes for the New Year and for spring semester.

 –Mike Richards

Holiday greetings to all!  This is the last Chronicle for 2013 and I’ve dedicated most of it to money issues. 

Please Note:  During January, I will again hold roundtable meetings on each campus.  You will be e-mailed an invitation shortly.  We can discuss any of the following topics as well as other issues you may wish to raise. 

Salary Equity and Compression

As you may know, a study of CSN’s salary equity and compression challenge has been underway during fall semester.  The final report is expected in January.  A large group of faculty and staff have participated in the process, coordinated by John Scarborough in Human Resources.  I have been kept informed of the study’s progress, and I remain committed to resolving equity and compression issues. Although a phased approach may be needed, we won’t know that until the final report is submitted and analyzed. 

Anticipating a solution, funding to address faculty and staff equity and compression issues was earmarked at the beginning of this fiscal year.  We will use it, disbursing it in revised contracts as expeditiously as possible. You will receive advance notice before this occurs. 

It is important to know that this project does not mean that everyone will have an adjusted contract.  The study’s singular focus and my intent is to address fairly and squarely equity and compression problems that emerged during years of salary freezes and rollback during the recession.  Should you have questions about the study or its objectives, please ask – Faculty Senate Chair Darin Dockstader. Employee involvement and transparency are critical to success.

Financial Aid

This week past week we updated the Board of Regents on financial aid issues with the following information.

CSN is moving forward on overhauling the CSN Financial Aid Department, following the problems with verification discovered this past academic year.  We are currently awaiting the final report from Evans Consulting.  Following its assessment, Evans’ staff will make recommendations in the areas of organizational structure, process and policies and technology.

Once we receive the final report, we will create an implementation plan. As part of that, we expect to be able to effectively evaluate additional staff positions and operations. We know we will need to develop our services in terms of financial aid literacy and financial aid counseling. We will also begin a search for a new director of financial aid.

We know we will need to develop a comprehensive and ongoing professional development and financial aid training program to ensure CSN staff have the latest information about complex financial regulations.

On that note, I would like to highlight the very large contingent of CSN employees who attended the U.S. Department of Education 2013 FSA Training Conference this week, which was conveniently held in Las Vegas and free. The conference, which featured a keynote by Secretary Arne Duncan, provided four days of valuable information on every aspect of financial aid services for higher education institutions. 

Lastly, we will continue to outsource the verification process for the files that the federal government asks us to double check. This is not uncommon for a college of our size. Through outsourcing this process, we can immediately secure quality assurance while we work to overhaul the department. 

 Budget Request for 2015-17

Later this month, CSN will present to the Chancellor its budget request for the 2015-17 Legislature. That request will include the following priorities:

• Fund the face value of contracts such that furloughs are eliminated.  This is CSN’s top priority.
• Increase the dollars per Weighted Student Credit Hour that we receive for each student who completes a course in the funding formula to begin to replace funding cuts that occurred during the recession.
• Increase funding for PEBP to improve employee benefits and health options.
• Allow institutions to truly keep tuition revenues without having to ask the state for them. 

There is likely to be few capital dollars, although CSN needs urgent funding for deferred maintenance priorities.  There is also likely to be no enhancement funding for new initiatives, although such funding would benefit the state and our community.  

Tuition/Fee Increases

The NSHE Tuition and Fees Committee is recommending a 4 percent increase in registration fees for resident students for FY 2015 and in each of four years thereafter.   Hearings with students on the recommendation will occur during January and February.  The Board of Regents will act on the recommendation, however it may be modified, at its March meeting.  

Preliminarily, CSN plans to use revenues from the proposed fee increase as follows: 

• Scholarships and need-based financial aid;
• Staffing in Student Affairs;
• Improving our full- and part-time ratio with more full-time faculty; and
• Enhancing advising and academic support services.

Formula, AtD, CCA Convergence

With Achieving the Dream, CSN has laid out a constructive plan and timeline to improve completion rates and retention with deliberate actions that, in turn, complement the Complete College America (CCA) goals Nevada has adopted, and that, in turn, complement CSN’s position under the new funding formula where course completions and performance metrics yield funding.  (Take a breath after that sentence.) There is a fusion of relationships here that I’d like all faculty and staff to see.  Initiatives CSN has adopted and that faculty are engaging interrelate for greater student success and improved funding under the new formula.  I’m so very pleased with the work of faculty on streamlining developmental education—it’s great work!  I’m so very pleased with the faculty and staff efforts to improve student matriculation by removing barriers to success!  Thank you, all, and please keep up the good work!  You are making a transformative difference for our students!

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:

“What is the status in ACT testing?”

In 2011, the Board of Regents approved a resolution urging the State of Nevada and district superintendents of public K-12 instruction to adopt the statewide administration of the ACT test for all high school students in their junior year.  This action was reaffirmed in 2013 by all NSHE presidents.  However, NSHE staff also wish to explore the SBAC test and have established a committee of institutional representatives for that purpose.  State superintendents still support the ACT test.  Under provisions of AB288 passed during the 2013 legislative session, a decision by the school districts must be made by 2015.  Ideally this assessment would replace the Nevada High School Proficiency Exam. 

“What is the status of the community college interim study?”

You may recall that the Legislature authorized a study to examine governance and financing of Nevada’s four community colleges.  A committee comprised of six legislators is conducting the study.  Senator Joyce Woodhouse will chair the committee.  The work of the committee is expected to start in January and extend to June 2014.  Recommendations will be submitted to the 2015 Legislature.

Happy Holidays to all of you!

 –Mike Richards

The CSN Chronicle

Greetings, and welcome to The CSN Chronicle for November, 2013. I know this is a busy time for everyone and I appreciate you taking a moment to read the Chronicle to get the latest information.   

The CSN North Las Vegas Advisory Board

Earlier this week, we signed an agreement to create the new CSN North Las Vegas Advisory Board, which — as I’ve discussed in the Chronicle and elsewhere — will provide broad input on local concerns, trends and needs and help share information about CSN and the Cheyenne campus with others in the community.

Community colleges are designed to meet local education and workforce needs. CSN already has 46 advisory boards in place for academic programs to enhance curricula. I believe this partnership will ensure CSN is responsive and has its finger on the pulse of our community. We think this may be a model for our campuses in Las Vegas and Henderson.

I have selected the Board members in consultation with Mayor Lee.  Board members include Lee, myself and the following:

Dave Hales of Ohana Matters Foundation, Las Vegas Metro Chamber of Commerce Vice President of Government Affairs Brian McAnallen, North Vista Hospital CEO Cathy Story, ViaWest President and CEO Nancy Phillips, Brady Industries Vice President Travis Brady, First African Methodist Church Pastor Ralph E. Williamson, Lunas Treasurer Norberto Madrigal, CSN Student Government Secretary Selena Torres, Vice President and General Manager of Cannery Casino Hotel Patrick Hughes and CenturyLink Director of Legislative Affairs Randy Robison.�

CSN Successes    

CSN History Professor Dr. Michael Green

Congratulations to CSN History Professor Dr. Michael Green, who has been selected as the winner of the 2013 Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Award. The Asher Prize is awarded annually by the American Historical Association (AHA) in recognition of outstanding teaching and advocacy for history teaching at two-year, four-year and graduate colleges and universities. The prize will be awarded during a ceremony at the association’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., in January.

In the nursing program, CSN Professor Ron Gonzales coordinated with the University of Phoenix to bring in eight hospital nurse recruiters to conduct interviewing workshops for our graduating nursing students.  He organized this in April and we learned that Sunrise hired 16 students from that April event and Summerlin Medical Center hired six. This was a wonderful event for our students and just the kind of program to promote as part of the poster presentations on student success initiatives that will take place on Jan. 13 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Cheyenne campus in the June Whitley Student Center.
 

Salary Update

The salary equity study continues as previously discussed with the first set of recommendations slated to come out at the beginning of 2014.

Holiday Party

The 2013 Holiday Party, sponsored by the CSN Foundation, will take place at the Santa Fe Station (please note the location) on December 12. This year’s event is all about giving back to help spread holiday cheer. Tickets will be $5 per person and go to support student scholarships and programs. You can get your ticket at any campus cashier’s office. Please bring non-perishable food items to the party for collection by Three Square.  We have many in our community who need help this holiday season.

Hungry Games

CSN Faculty, James Lee, Alok Pandey, Jodie Mandel and Patrick Villa pose with the Hungry Games trophy.

With the exception of one injury during the kickball tournament, the second annual Hungry Games at the CSN Henderson campus was otherwise a huge success.

Although these Hungry Games tournaments seem particularly dangerous for Faculty Senate chairs, we must congratulate Faculty Senate, which won the kickball tournament.  

Thank you to all who made the event such a fun day for CSN employees and their families!

TIAA-CREF

TIAA-CREF being the new sole record keeper for both the mandatory Retirement Plan Alternative (Non-NV PERS Retirement Plan) and for the 403(b) plans including the Roth 403(b). Previously the record keeper function was handled by three companies (TIAA-CREF, FIDELITY and VALIC).  This means TIAA-CREF will handle all the administrative functions associated with the plan including – payroll interface, processing of loans and distributions, generating quarterly statements, on-line account access, financial consulting services.  These changes are a different approach in the management of the retirement plan compared to how it is managed now. 

The new investment lineup (please click on this link to see the lineup) for the plan has also been finalized. This investment lineup is different from the existing lineup in that there is only one proprietary fund from TIAA-CREF on the lineup. These will be your investment choices within the plan for your contributions beginning January 1, 2014. If you are not planning to go with the default fund, you will need to take action prior to January 1, 2014.

HR has sent out emails regarding workshops with TIAA-CREF and for those of you unable to attend these meetings, TIAA-CREF will also be hosting webinars in November and December.

Transition packets were mailed from TIAA-CREF to employees’ U.S. mailing addresses last week. Please contact HR if you have additional questions.

Nevada Workforce Development Center

Nevada Workforce Development Center ribbon cutting with Chancellor Daniel Klaich, left, DETR Deputy Director Dennis Perea, CSN President Michael Richards, Nevada Senator Majority Leader Sen. Mo Dennis, CSN DWED Executive Director Dan Gouker and Nevada Sen. Ruben Kihuen on Nov. 20, 2013.

 Also this week, CSN and the Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation officially opened the Nevada Workforce Development Center at the Cheyenne campus. This is a one-stop shop for local businesses to get information about workforce assessment, customized employee training, identifying potential hire with specific skillsets and obtaining local industry specific data at no cost. The center will be staffed by DETR and CSN’s Division of Workforce & Economic Development.

DETR plans to implement similar centers at the state’s other three community colleges.

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:

When will we know whether our salary will be impacted by the equity study?

I’m prepared to begin acting on the study findings early spring semester.  Many of our staff and faculty have participated in this work in process.  My thanks to each of you. 

How can we improve enrollments in the future?

Vice President Divine and many others are deeply involved with Noel-Levitz in the Strategic Enrollment Plan (SEP), a comprehensive review of what CSN is doing/not doing to manage its enrollments and to retain students.  I have high hopes for this important process because it will engage everyone in improving enrollments and student success.

Will a campus name be changed?

Recently CSN sent out a survey asking for your thoughts about changing the names of CSN’s Cheyenne campus to the CSN North Las Vegas Campus and the CSN Charleston campus to the CSN Las Vegas campus. CSN was exploring this issue at the request of community constituents, particularly the Mayor of North Las Vegas, to better market our campuses and affiliate with the local community. Approximately 60 percent of employees and students voted against changing the names. Most cited costs as a factor in their decisions.  I conveyed the findings to the Mayor’s staff.  We are pursuing more substantive ways we can show our support for our local communities

Best wishes to you all for a Happy Thanksgiving and I look forward to seeing you at our Holiday party.

–Mike Richards