February 2013 Chronicle

Posted on February 26, 2013 by CSN

 

The CSN Chronicle

 Greetings to all!  There is much activity on many fronts that I’d like you to know about.     

 Black History Month

Last week, as has been our custom this academic year with heritage months, CSN hosted a President’s forum on student success, this time focusing on African-American persistence and completion. We appreciated the participation of Congressman Steven Horsford and the address by Dr. Harriet Barlow.  These forums included a data review and analysis of our students as well as remarks from a student and guest speaker on how CSN can better serve its minority populations.

On Tuesday, the Black History Month Committee will host the annual scholarship reception with keynote speaker CSN Professor Karen Laing-Urbana. I encourage you to come if your schedule permits from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in K101 at the Charleston campus.

 There have been many other great events taking place at CSN, DRI and UNLV during this month.  A full calendar is available online at www.csn.edu/blackhistory.

 Work Climate Survey

Many faculty and staff participated in the recent work climate survey. I understand that the results will be available by April. The work climate committee will review the findings and seek input from the community on the challenges identified so they can develop recommendations. Typically, these kinds of surveys reveal positive observations and areas for improvement. Areas targeted for improvement in 2011 included campus communications, policies and training. We’ll see what changes occurred in these areas. Again this year, we intend to take the recommendations seriously. The aggregate survey data will be posted on the IR website.

At its regular meeting on February 28 and March 1, the Board of Regents will receive a report from Dr. Richard Katz, a consultant on trends in E-Learning.  Although there will be some general discussion and responses from the presidents, issues of coordination or next steps will be the subject of many subsequent meetings among institutions and with the Board.  While some of the report’s recommendations have merit and reflect suggestions CSN has made for several years, the bulk of the report needs significantly more discussion and, in many cases, extensive new investment of funds that neither NSHE nor the institutions have at their disposal. 

Legislative Advocacy

ASCSN Student Body President Travis Brown, Vice President Antonio Guerrero, Secretary Charles Winters, Senator Michelle Tewes and dental hygiene student Michelle Fasbinder at the Grant Sawyer Building on Friday

NSHE and its institutions have now had four hearings during the early days of the 77thRegular Session of the Nevada Legislature. The hearings have covered NSHE’s budget request and the new funding formula recommended by the Interim Committee of the Legislature on Higher Education Funding. On Friday, a group of our students, including ASCSN Student Body President Travis Brown, Vice President Antonio Guerrero, Secretary Charles Winters, Senator Michelle Tewes and dental hygiene student Michelle Fasbinder were present for the joint meeting of the Assembly Committee on Ways and Means and the Senate Committee on Finance. The committee met to review the impact of the economic recession and subsequent budget cuts to NSHE and K-12. Due to time constraints, only a few students from NSHE institutions were able to testify. They did a wonderful job and represented all Nevada students well. In addition, CSN Classified Council President Rob Telles provided comprehensive and heartfelt testimony about the impact of pay and benefit cuts to CSN employees. We appreciate all of their efforts to support the college and higher education this legislative session. We now need faculty, staff and students to engage in regular contact with legislators to advocate the budget request of the Board of Regents and to tell legislators we need the new funding formula. 

CSN’s legislative priorities include supporting the proposed funding formula, as approved by the interim Legislative Committee on Higher Education Funding and the Board of Regents, and salary restoration for employees. This link provides suggestions on contacting legislators. 

On its website, the CSN Foundation has set up a legislative information page with links to individual legislators, bills and committees. This site may also be helpful to you.

 As the legislative session proceeds, we will provide updates and more information. 

National media reports on breaches of cyber security and email threats remind us of our vulnerability. OTS reports that in 2012, our systems intercepted 112,000 email threats per day. In 2013, that number rose to 350,000 threats per day. Precautions you can take include locking your personal phone, using a security cable for laptops, which you can request from OTS, updating your passwords regularly, staying current on security in the OTS newsletter, and having a VPN account for email (contact the help desk for this account). 

Student Affairs also has a new blog. Check it regularly for content related to our student support services. As discussed in the last Chronicle, there are a lot of changes occurring in this area of the college as we focus more on student success and retention.

Bradley Honious

I would also like to welcome the new assistant vice president of College Access Services, Bradley Honious. His experience includes service as associate vice president of Enrollment Management for Onondaga Community College; managing director of Financial Aid and Veteran’s Affairs for Valencia College District; director of Student Financial Assistance for Gateway Community College, part of the Maricopa Community College System; acting district director of Student Affairs for the Maricopa Community College District; and program coordinator of Financial Aid Information Services and Counseling at Arizona State University. Honious was selected after a national search and will oversee Student Financial Services and Veterans’ Affairs. 

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:�

 “How many students are enrolled spring semester?”

Our spring enrollment is still not finalized, but we are down by about 4 percent over last spring. While declining enrollment at community colleges is currently a national phenomena, research also suggests that one of the best ways to improve institutional enrollment is to focus on retention. This fits in with much of the student success work underway at the college that many of you are involved in. We are also evaluating our outreach and enrollment processes for improvements. 

“What is your position on the E-Learning report?”

As many of you know, CSN is a major provider of online instruction. I frequently tell people that CSN is Nevada’s Virtual College. This year nearly 5,000 FTE students or about 14,000 total students are enrolled in our online campus. CSN offers 28 complete programs and certificates online in addition to hundreds of class sections taught by innovative faculty.  Dr. Richard Katz, retained by NSHE as a distance education consultant, was aware of our efforts but did not summarize the scope of distance education operations on any campus in his recent report to the Board of Regents. 

The report will prompt much discussion, which is good. I am hopeful it may also lead to improvements long advocated by CSN faculty and staff.  But of the 16 recommendations in the report, 13 require major infusions of new funding that NSHE and its institutions do not have. The lack of resources will certainly constrain the impact of the report and be an issue going forward. 

“What good does a Work Climate Survey do? What kinds of changes, if any, can we expect from another survey?”

This is a great question. I can’t tell you what to expect from the results of the most recent survey as we have not received them or analyzed the responses. Below are the results from the previous survey and if they are any indication, I think you can surmise that the surveys produce meaningful results at CSN. 

Consistent policies and procedures

Human Resources

  • HR website reorganized for easier access to information and forms.
  • Faculty and staff handbooks with live links to current policies developed and posted on HR website.
  • Employee resources section of HR site for common topics and questions by new and continuing employees
  • Short video tutorials and thematic FAQ page created for common HR questions.

Evaluations

  • New part-time faculty members must be evaluated their first semester and continuing part-time faculty members must be evaluated at a minimum every three years.
  • An online evaluation system was deployed and is now the required tool for evaluating full-time faculty and professional staff.
  • An online evaluation system for classified employees is under development.

Faculty Senate and Curriculum

  • Faculty Senate updated its by-laws which eliminated internal inconsistencies and created two voting seats for contingent faculty.
  • Curriculum Committee is moving to a completely electronic curriculum system with electronic approvals which will allow for a yearly curriculum-to-catalog cycle rather than the current three-year cycle.


Communication/Communication of values
Administration

  • Members of the administration are working more visible to employees every day and at Ketch-up type events for employees.
  • The President’s Monthly Chronicle, cabinet minutes and the President’s Blog communicate CSN news, provide answers to employees’ questions.
  • More frequent updates are provided to all employees by email and on the CSN home page.

Departments

  • Integrated communication between and within departments, and through social media and MyCSN, have improved.
  • Budget Services published annual overview of CSN budget and will post quarterly updates with current budgets and year-to-date activity on updated website in 2012.
  • Department chairs have been encouraged to increase communication with part-time faculty.

Campus Events

  • CSN events and information are disseminated via ICS video screens, weekly CSN Events newsletter and the master events calendar on the website. 

Training and access to it

Relevant and Convenient Training

  • CAPE offered hundreds of training workshops throughout the year on all main campuses and online. These included NEATS/supervisory training, FERPA and MyCSN training, leadership training, policy training, customized trainings by request.
  • CAPE developed additional online training options, relevant resources and an improved online registration and evaluation system that can record participation.
  • Diversity-related workshops, including anti-discrimination training and adaptive technology/disability awareness events, have been developed by CAPE and DRC.

Administration Support

  • Convocations and Classified Staff In-Service Development Days were redesigned to be more relevant to workplace needs. Supervisors were specifically encouraged to arrange for their employees to attend.
  • Support for sabbaticals, travel, grant-in-aid and professional development was protected during budget cuts.

Faculty Development

  • Annual part-time faculty conference (Adjunct Impact) was developed and offered successfully. Opportunities for training for part-time faculty have increased.
  • Professional development is considered in full-time and part-time faculty evaluations.
  • CAPE developed a Virtual Faculty Orientation website 

Customer Service and Relationships

Human Resources

  • HR now holds regular office hours on all three main campuses.

Student Affairs

  • A “mystery shopper” study was conducted in 2010, resulting in equipment upgrades, procedural changes, and new broad-based customer service training for front-line employees.
  • The MyCSN call center was created to assist Student Affairs departments and OTS in supporting students; making correct referrals using consistent information is emphasized.

Academic Affairs

  • Counseling was moved to Academic Affairs and to a school-based model to allow more focused advising and support for academic programs. Faculty-driven advising is being advanced in departments.

Recognition

  • Recognition awards program for faculty has been instituted; outstanding faculty achievements promoted on website and ICS screens.
  • Process for nominating colleagues for recognition opportunities has been promoted and managed by Internal Recognition Committee.
  • End-of-year Reflections of Success event and Retirees’ Luncheon created for recognition and service awards. 

Other Areas

Campus Spaces

  • At all main campuses, directional and building signage have been installed.
  • Public spaces, classrooms and offices have been renovated at Cheyenne (CY) campus.
  • Obsolete air conditioning and heating systems have been replaced at CY and high-tech centers.
  • Task seating has been replaced across Henderson campus.

Safety and Security

  • Safety and Security Committee has been formed and has had its first meeting.
  • Emergency phones and towers have been installed.
  • The emergency alert system has been upgraded.
  • The Emergency Operations Plan has been created and disseminated.

Because so many active shooting incidents occur at schools, I asked that all faculty, staff and students take 15 minutes for the Active Shooter short course from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  So far, over 500 have taken the course and submitted certifications of completion.  Thank you for taking time to prepare for incidents that we hope will never happen at CSN.  

Best regards to all. 

–Mike Richards

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CSN January Chronicle

Posted on January 22, 2013 by CSN

Happy New Year to all of you! Welcome back to another year and to spring semester. There is considerable information to share with you. 

Sandy Hook Tragedy and CSN

As the fall semester ended, the tragedy at Sandy Hook School occurred in Newtown, Conn. The horror of this event shocked the nation, stunned us with grief and prompted every one of us to ask, how could this happen? Some of us, myself included, thought when and where will it happen next? 

Rather than let fear and anger paralyze us, we must let these motivate us to be prepared. Over the last few months, I’ve reported on steps CSN has taken to address student and employee safety and campus preparedness for emergency situations. I want to remind you of what resources CSN has in place to help address emergency incidents and keep our campus safe. 

We are fortunate to have consummate professionals, who are trained to handle emergency incidents, leading our CSN Police Department and our Office of Emergency Management. Although we depend on their expertise, we are not relieved of our personal obligations to be alert and aware of what’s going on around us. 

Every one of us has a responsibility to review the college’s Emergency Preparedness Guidelines so that we know what to do in an emergency at CSN. This report, which we rolled out last fall and promoted at convocation, includes emergency telephone numbers and instructions on how to respond in a variety of manmade and natural disasters, including an active shooter situation. They will also provide you with a greater understanding of how first-responders will act in accordance with each situation. Please make sure your colleagues and direct reports have read these guidelines. Be ready. 

I am pleased to report that since the beginning of the fall 2012 semester, a total of 931 employees have attended the Emergency Management Overview sessions and 78 of your colleagues have attended the Floor Warden training and made the commitment to act in that role in the event of an emergency. 

CSN police officers maintain continuous patrols on our campuses and at our centers. Our officers work closely with community law enforcement agencies to share information and CSN recently joined the Southern Nevada Area Communication Council, which fosters relationships between police agencies and the interoperability of enhanced communication equipment that is vitally important to first responders. 

New “Blue Light” Emergency call boxes have been installed at strategic locations throughout CSN’s three main campuses. When you push the “information” or “emergency” button (depending on the model), you are immediately linked to the CSN Police Department personnel who will quickly respond to your call and dispatch aid. In addition, the tower units act as an emergency notification system from which campus public safety personnel can broadcast critical incident information across campuses.

We are in the process of enhancing our Emergency Notification System and I urge you to sign up now at www.csn.edu/alert to receive email, text and/or phone calls during and after campus emergencies that will provide you with the latest information. In addition, our Intercampus Communication System (ICS) screens provide updates on breaking situations as we receive them.

Additional information

  • Visit the CSN website for our more information on our policies and public safety.
  • Know that incidences and all threats are investigated by trained professionals.
  • If you have information pertaining to threats of any kind at CSN or to our students, it is imperative to report these to the CSN police.
  • Our campuses utilize sophisticated camera systems to monitor activity at all CSN locations.
  • CSN police officers perform around-the-clock random checks of our campuses. 

Finally, CSN hosts many children each day on our campuses.  They enrich our lives and the learning experiences we offer.  Let us be mindful of their safety and security as well as our own. 

Changes to CSN Diversity Function

Diversity is one of three pillars supporting CSN’s mission alongside quality and access. This means that CSN must represent the diverse community we serve and provide a welcoming environment, where all have the opportunity thrive. There are many ways to accomplish these goals, some which include education and celebration and others that require us to build, strengthen or transform relationships within our community, and we have limited resources.

To lead us in these endeavors, I have reorganized our diversity function.  While some institutions can afford 8 to 10 FTEs in diversity, CSN has to be more prudent.  We have had a search underway for several months – a fact that caused much frustration this fall as faculty and staff have come to depend on institutional leadership and guidance in this area for a multitude of activities and issues. I believe this speaks to how valued the diversity function is at CSN, a function I have split:  establishing a line position for internal diversity efforts, and a staff position for outreach.

Please welcome Kimiko Walton in her new role as CSN’s diversity coordinator, effective immediately, as an outcome of our national search. As the former head of recruitment, she has demonstrated leadership in outreach and has a unique understanding of whom we serve. She will provide educational programs and resources, including support to heritage month committees and consultation to faculty and administrators in strengthening diversity. She will provide educational and social activities that serve to celebrate diversity and eliminate discrimination. She will also support student clubs and organizations as they endeavor to do the same.

To lead our outreach and community relations, I have appointed Maria Marinch to fulfill this role, effective Feb. 1.  Maria has more than 20 years of experience in community outreach. She has designed and implemented award-winning campaigns for government agencies and private businesses. Maria served the college this fall in her capacity as president of Language Sources, a multicultural media firm, to strengthen the college’s outreach efforts and help us in our goal to become a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution. She has developed strong relationships with our faculty, staff and community partners. She will hit the ground running to bring CSN closer to the many diverse groups that call Southern Nevada home and want this institution to be their community’s college.

Please welcome Maria to CSN.

On January 29th we will celebrate our new student transfer office, a unique partnership with UNLV.  While we have had transfer centers for some time to provide general advice to students, UNLV has funded two FTE positions full time on West Charleston and Cheyenne campuses, respectively, and a “circuit” advisor travelling from Cheyenne to Henderson.   

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members: 

“How many students are enrolled at CSN?”

Our final numbers for fall 2012 were 37,696 students for headcount and 19,531.4 FTE.

“Why are we doing all of this construction now and how are we paying for it?”

There are a lot of projects underway that represent years of preparation by our Facilities Management Department. A great deal of planning, and pre-construction (or destruction) work is done in advance of the winter and summer breaks to ensure minimal disruption to students. 

A variety of revenue sources are funding these projects, including standard maintenance budgets, deferred maintenance or state funding and capital improvement fees. 

Initially, we requested funds from the Legislature for all of the major projects, such as the Henderson campus A Building mechanical retrofit, the Charleston A Building mechanical retrofit and the Charleston A Building renovation. However, these projects were not funded. The A Building Mechanical work at Henderson was approved by the Board of Regents last March and is being funded through the capital improvement fee. The A Building renovation for the Charleston campus is being accomplished through the proceeds of a bank loan that was approved by the Board of Regents at the November 2012 meeting. The funds to repay that loan will be from capital improvement fees. 

“Is CSN hiring more Student Affairs support staff and why?”

The entire institution is aware of the need for more frontline staff.  While we are striving to fill vacant frontline positions in the admissions and financial aid offices, we also have needs in advising, recruiting, retention and student life.  But even as these are filled, we are also working to add positions. For example, the financial aid office is in the process of adding a total of six new positions in client services, processing, and programming. This is an initial step. However, the plan for student affairs is much bigger than adding a few staff positions.

“How and why is Student Affairs reorganizing?”

Higher education is changing with a much greater emphasis on completion and student success. While community colleges will continue to provide access, the emphasis must expand to include support services that lead to student success. 

CSN Student Affairs is re-orienting, more than reorganizing, to adapt and the envisioned organization being developed includes re-purposing of positions since the “what we do” and the “how we work” shape the “type of positions” that are needed.   

The re-orienting includes the development of CSN Central. This is a “one-stop center” which will serve a triage function, addressing student issues and responding to questions concerning admissions, cashier, financial aid and registration issues. This approach will be functional by summer and will be available at all three sites. CSN Central will reshape the initial student experience at CSN.  

There are parallel functions which have been and are being developed to complement CSN Central.  The CSN Call Center, 651-5555, which has been in operation for one year, captures calls, provides information to all callers and returns calls as needed. The institution has added 20 part-time staff to answer calls and provide information. These part-time positions will be converted to full time as the range of services provided by the Call Center expand. In addition, technology solutions are underway to create a virtual presence, which will increase accessibility, allow students to better engage with CSN services and provide timely information. 

Student Affairs is piloting CSN College Connections, a targeted recruitment model for expansion of outreach services. This is a comprehensive recruiting initiative designed to help high school seniors navigate every step of the admissions and financial aid application processes and to connect them to what we are now calling Student Success Coaches. 

The expansion of the advisor role toward a proactive and intrusive case management model eliminates some of the silos in the operation by reshaping the functions of recruiters, retention specialists and advisors. A new title, Success Coach, reflects the expanded role. More importantly, the goal is to connect students with appropriate educational pathways, resources for success, and hence promote successful college attainment as reflected in increases in participation, completion and graduation. The spring semester will allow time for piloting with full implementation for the fall semester. 

The immediate focus is on the final stages of development of these transformational initiatives and initial implementation. Although this vision relies heavily on an effective and cohesive student affairs leadership team, the reality is a successful student experience is totally dependent on each of us.  

I will report on this as more information becomes available.

Best regards to all.

–Mike Richards

 

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CSN 2012 Hungry Games Photos

Posted on December 3, 2012 by CSN

Congratulations to CSN’s Administrative Faculty Assembly for winning the faculty and staff softball tournament!

Photos from the 2012 CSN Hungry Games are now available at http://sites.csn.edu/csnweekly/Hungry%20Games/index.html

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November Chronicle

Posted on November 26, 2012 by CSN

November Chronicle

Greetings! This November Chronicle addresses three specific topics:  compensation, distance education and legislative advocacy.  I would ask you to take time to read this Chronicle carefully. It is critical that you understand what’s happening in these three salient arenas, provide feedback and get involved.

COMPENSATION:

  • The Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor’s four-year study of community college salary schedules:
    • Every four years a committee of faculty and staff from the four community colleges review the salary schedules and offer recommendations.
    • CSN’s Carolyn Collins, John Scarborough, Chuck Milne, Patty Charlton and others have been actively engaged in this process.
    • It has become increasingly clear that past model is not sufficient, and in fact, it has allowed the community college salary median to fall from 83.3% of the university median to 71.5% currently.
    • For the November 9 meeting of the Faculty Senate, I have prepared the statement that follows in support of the committee’s recommendations.
  • Of concern to all faculty and staff, the Governor’s initial direction for preparing 2013-15 budget requests
    • All state agencies, including NSHE, initially received directions to submit a budget request this fall to the Governor’s Office that restored salaries to their base level (i.e. eliminated salary cuts and furloughs)  – an action estimate at about $100 million in additional expense for the state.
  • The Governor’s change of mind:
    • Due to other statewide needs, including health and social services, the governor has recently said he will not include the salary restoration in the executive budget and will let the Legislature act on this issue. 
    • This position diminishes the prospect of restoring salaries to the base.
  • The PEBP benefit study:
    • NSHE Vice Chancellor Renee Yackira and UNLV Senior Vice President of Finance & Business Gerry Bomotti have worked with the PEBP board on improvements to health benefits for system employees. 
    • For the next fiscal year, the PEBP Board approved a mid-tier PPO option that will be available to employees next year.  
    • The Chancellor also established a committee to review benefit options.
    • A consultant’s report, a result of the committee’s work, will be released later this year.

Where I stand:  Regarding the revised salary schedule.  My position from the beginning favored aggressive indexing.  I also favored removing the steps, turning the schedule 90 degrees, if you will, and developing salary ranges.  I realize this changes salary administration and requires CSN to address, quite appropriately, the equity and compression issues that have accumulated in the past five years.  But, in the end, our employees should have more flexibility in the schedule, a benchmark much higher than the current schedule offers, and a compression plan.  I applaud the work of CSN’s representatives on the salary committee and remain hopeful that a four-institution solution can be presented to the Board of Regents.

Regarding the Governor’s decision not to include salary restorations in his executive budget, I see this as a setback.  You may recall my priorities for the 2013 session were two items:  salary restoration and new formula adoption.  These remain my priorities. But CSN and other institutions will need to muster more focused legislative advocacy in order to succeed. This is where you must be involved. I discuss this more below. 

I applaud the recent PEBP changes, which reflect the hard work of many, many folks who continue to strive to improve the employee benefits plan.  Much still needs to be done for a more competitive model, but the mid-tier option PPO will help our people.  A key unknown that remains an issue for many states, including Nevada, is “Obamacare,” including the implementation of an individual mandate, state/federal healthcare exchanges and a potential Medicaid expansion.  Time will tell what this means for our state; we are watching closely. 

Statement to the CSN Faculty Senate

Community College Salary Schedule Methodology Review

November 6, 2012 

At the November 9, 2012 meeting of the CSN Faculty Senate, the update of the salary schedule for Nevada’s community colleges will be on the agenda for discussion and possible action. 

The update is the work of a system-wide committee of faculty and staff appointed by Chancellor Klaich pursuant to policies of the Board of Regents requiring a methodology review every four years.  The committee’s recommendations have been shared with all CSN faculty members.  I have also shared the committee’s work in my periodic communications to all CSN employees since the committee began deliberations last spring.  

I support the committee’s recommendations for indexing, for creating salary ranges, for flexibility by removing steps, for phased implementation, for addressing equity and compression issues, and for laying groundwork for future studies of methodology.  

Implementation of the new methodology is complicated by the lack of employee compensation for the past five years during which new employees were hired.  Clearly, compensation for existing employees has not kept pace during tough economic times in the state.  As a result, I will retain a third-party vendor who specializes in compensation issues to provide recommendations on implementation and on addressing equity and compression.  I have shared this approach with the Chair of the Faculty Senate, Dr. Charles Milne, and with CSN’s faculty representative on the methodology review committee, Professor Carolyn Collins.   Once the new model is adopted by the Board of Regents, CSN will engage the consultant. 

Salary obligations, however, are not exclusive to teaching faculty.  Salaries for CSN’s administrative faculty and staff have been retarded by recessionary times.   I will also task the compensation consultant to include all non-classified employees/salaries in the analysis and recommendations, for there are equity and compression issues among non-teaching faculty and staff as well. 

Now, I’m hopeful that the committee’s methodology review and recommendations are received by the Faculty Senate as an essential first-step in positioning CSN for better compensation and fairer salary administration.  I applaud the work of the committee and the leadership that came from CSN in this important NSHE process.  I urge the Senate to debate the proposal for clear understanding of its provisions, and then adopt it as a pathway for the future. 

Thank you for your thoughtful work as members of the Senate and as part of the governing team of CSN. 

Sincerely, 

Michael D. Richards, President

College of Southern Nevada 

 DISTANCE EDUCATION

  • NSHE has contracted with Richard Katz & Associates to look at the state’s eLearning programs, to reconcile what they’ve learned with best practices and to recommend investments and approaches to the Chancellor and Board of Regents.
  • The Chancellor has sent an email to all NSHE staff asking for your input on the future of online or distance education in Nevada.  A few of our faculty have provided input both to the Chancellor and to Dr. Katz.  Thank you.
  • In that same email, the Chancellor outlined the need for a review of eLearning for the following reasons: the proposed funding formula will reduce the premium funding for DE classes; there is a need to address the emergence of massive open online courses or MOOCs; the maturation of online education and development of new and standard practices; and the changing cost structure in higher education.
  • The Chancellor has expressed his hope that the Katz review will help Nevada institutions work more collaboratively, enhance statewide access and build on the hard work and dedication of our faculty.
  • He has asked that you send your questions, concerns and advice to (jane_nichols@nshe.nevada.edu) or Richard (richard.n.katz@gmail.com)

Where I stand: Myriad issues surrounding distance education will be salient for higher education and CSN in the next decade.  Concern about the Katz report is the most immediate of issues for CSN and NSHE, but other aspects are on the horizon.  I continue to advocate that CSN’s Online Campus, with more than 900 online class sections offered, more than 13,000 students enrolled and 28 online degree and certificate programs, is Nevada’s virtual college.

Nevada heavily uses CSN’s online campus to obtain education and training.  The college, and in particular, our faculty, have invested immense resources in the success and quality of these programs.  As Dr. Katz and his team initiate recommendations to shape or re-shape DE, CSN faculty input becomes essential.  Please share your perspective.

A senior faculty member shared with Dr. Katz and others a Wall Street Journal article well worth reading.  The effectiveness and variety of online course delivery described in the article and the complexity of DE issues prompts a suggestion that some format be developed internally at CSN to debate Dr. Katz report and recommendations.  The Faculty Senate is always a good place to start. 

LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY

  • I note that some employees have concluded that the Great Recession is over, salaries will be restored, a new salary schedule will be adopted, along with a new funding formula that benefits CSN and that the Legislature will be generous.
  • Please keep your expectations realistic.  Be cautious. 

 

Where I stand:  CSN and the system have considerable ground to cover before June when legislative decisions will be made for the next two fiscal years.  There is very limited new money, and there are many, many unknowns.  My own expectations are modest:  salaries to the base and adopt the new formula.  Anything else would surprise me.  Nevada has not completely emerged from this terrible recession. 

Although recent legislative sessions have had a CSN liaison or representative, our most effective advocacy has always come from faculty and staff communications, and student initiatives that include treks to Carson City.  With the election over, CSN can begin formulating strategies for the 2013 legislature session. 

We owe gratitude for advocacy planning in past years, led by faculty and staff leaders, student government and CSN General Counsel Richard Hinckley, that helped communicate NSHE and CSN messages.  For the 2013 session, Constance Brooks will be in Carson City on behalf of both NSHE and CSN since the system’s priorities and CSN’s are tightly aligned with the same top priorities to restore salaries to the base and urge the adoption of the proposed funding formula.

I’m working with Constance, Patty Charlton, KC Brekken and others on a plan that will roll out in January. More information will be forthcoming on how you can get involved.   

Please do not hesitate to contact me or some of the faculty and staff leaders mentioned here if you have further questions or concerns. Again, I urge you to learn all you can about these three issues which will greatly impact the CSN community in the near future.  Please be as involved as you can.  I extend a special invitation to those who have not always agreed with me, or NSHE leadership.  On these pressing issues, your input and ideas matter to me and to the future of this college.

Lastly, may I remind you that on Thursday, December 6, 2012 at 6 p.m. at Texas Station we have our “out-of-this-world” holiday party.  Announcements about the party are already being circulated.  I hope you can join us!

Sincerely,

Mike

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October Chronicle

Posted on October 22, 2012 by CSN

The CSN Chronicle

Greetings to all!  I hope your semester is going well. There are a number of activities I’d like you to know about.     

CSN Cheyenne Campus

Accreditation Visit
You may recall that the regional accreditation process now includes annual reports and a series of visits.  CSN is in the Year Three cycle, so this year we filed and extensive report on specific accreditation standards, and this past week we hosted a team visit.  Dr. Hyla Winters led a committee effort to prepare the report and host the visitors.  Although we will see more specifics on the three recommendations when the written report is submitted, I’d like to dwell on the four commendations.   As stated in the e-mail I sent out last Wednesday, the commendations were: shared governance, community partnerships, HR access and website, and library resources and website.  These four commendations illustrate years of work by many, many people.  The CSN shared governance model works well for such a large institutions with so many stakeholders.  This is a credit to our faculty and staff leaders year in and year out.  DWED’s tireless work with community partners and the work in academics on our relationships with CCSD were recognized.  The improvements made in Human Resources with service, information and a new website are a tribute to the dedicated staff in this key office.  And for students, faculty, and staff, our library resources, services, and web-based features are, indeed, exemplary.  It gives me great pleasure to call everyone’s attention to the excellence occurring around us.  To the capable and talented faculty and staff who make CSN such an outstanding institution.  Thank you all!

Accreditation Recommendations
As expected, the NWCCU team also pointed out areas that need improvement before the next accreditation review. The team will have recommendations regarding our need to further develop program outcomes and assessment. They will also have recommendations on how to address audit findings and other challenges within our financial aid area and regarding our lack of private space and limited staff in student support services. I feel comfortable with these recommendations since we’re already working on several of them.  This won’t be the last time you hear about them.  

The commission is expected to vote in January on CSN’s accreditation status, following a thorough report from the NWCCU team.  Our Year Seven visit, a more extensive review of compliance, will also include an examination of the recommendations. 

Salary Recommendations
Every four years the Chancellor appoints a group of faculty and staff to review the community college salary schedule and offer recommendations.  The report from this year’s review is available here.  I want to thank Carolyn Collins and John Scarborough for representing CSN in this important process.  In my mind it is critical that salaries be indexed properly — 83.3% is much more appropriate than the current 71% — and that greater flexibility be gained by removal of the steps.  I strongly supported the indexing (although wanted a higher percentage) and the removal of the steps.  The recommendations of the salary committee position the College for future funding and for equity/compression solutions.  Now we just need healthy appropriations for compensation.

Salary Prospects for the Next Biennium

This summer, Gov. Sandoval directed that budget requests from state agencies, including NSHE, for the 2013-15 biennium include salaries funded at the base and omit furloughs.  This action would have restored the nearly 5% pay cut to all state workers.  Now, however, he has decided to not include this in his budget recommendations.  Rather, salary issues will be a matter for the Legislature.  There is no real good news in this.  It means our legislative advocacy for the funding formula must also include an advocacy plan for base salaries and the elimination of the furloughs.    

Texas Station will be the site for our annual Holiday Party on Thursday, Dec. 6.  Please mark your calendars and plan to join us for this wonderful celebration.

Distance Education 
In the next few weeks, we should see a draft of Dr. Katz’s recommendation regarding distance education in Nevada.  As I talk to our faculty, I know there are many concerns about where the Katz report might lead us institutionally and as a system.  The leadership of the Faculty Senate and I discuss this matter often.  So much of what we do at CSN is linked to distance education that the report is likely to impact us. I will share it with you when I receive it. 

The Hungry Games Softball Tournament and BBQ is a CSN family event at the Henderson campus.  It’s a time for good food, games for children of all ages, and for socializing.  So that we know how much food to prepare, please RSVP and plan to join us on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

 Questions from Faculty and Staff Members: 

“How many students are enrolled this semester?”

Our official census date was Oct. 15. CSN has a 37,516 student headcount this semester, a 2.5% decrease from last fall. As for FTE, CSN has 19,536.6, a 3.4% drop from last fall. The decline in enrollment is not unexpected. We suspected the new payment due date on June 1 and the slow stabilization of the economy nationwide (although it’s hard to see evidence of that here) would diminish the robust enrollment growth that CSN experienced in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The Great Recession likely gave CSN an artificial bump in enrollment as people lost their jobs and came back to school for new skills. 

“What are the ‘President’s Forums’?”

As you know, we have multiple heritage months throughout the academic year.  We start with Hispanic Heritage month in October, followed by Native American Heritage Month and International Education Week in November, Black History Month in February, Women’s History Month in March and Asian/Pacific Islander Month in April.  In the past, the heritage months have included some terrific cultural awareness events. This year, I would like to add to this with some events that are designed specifically for faculty and staff to generate meaningful discussions on how to better serve these and other underrepresented student groups. So this year, I added a President’s Forum on Student Success, a two-hour discussion of how we can help students succeed.  I plan to do one for each major heritage month and for Women’s History Month.  The first one will take place Nov. 8 at the Cheyenne campus in the Telecommunications Auditorium at 2 p.m. 

The following is an example of the questions we should begin to ask ourselves: 

  • Nationally, we are losing many Hispanic and African-American males.  They are dropping out of education.  What are they doing?  How can we help them stay engaged?
  • In Nevada, Asian students are generally well prepared for higher education, but, although we offer scholarships and match financial aid, these students are leaving the state in large numbers.  How can we help them stay, get their education here and contribute to Nevada?
  • Urban and rural Native Americans have unique learning challenges.  How can we help them more effectively?
  • Women, particularly single mothers,  also have unique needs.  Can we package our financial aid to better help them attend full-time or create more flexible course schedules that meet their needs? 

Anyway, the idea is to discuss internally, among our faculty and staff, ways we can help students be more successful.  The format is straight forward:  a review of our data by the IR staff, a guest speaker, and a discussion leading to action steps. I hope you will participate in each of these. 

“What is the performance pool for community colleges?”

Since early in 2010, national and state attention to certificate and degree completion has eclipsed other metrics for understanding the success of community colleges.  Many states are adding a performance dimension to higher education funding.  Nevada wants to adopt a similar model beginning in FY 2015 and have 5% of the general fund appropriation linked to performance metrics.  The 5% would increase each fiscal year until a 20% cap is reached.  Regent Jason Geddes, chair of the Board of Regents, has appointed a committee to complete work on performance metrics, segmented by institution type.  The recommendations of this committee will be submitted to the Legislature for action early next year. I will report on this as more information becomes available. 

Best regards to all.

–Mike Richards

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August Cabinet Minutes

Posted on September 18, 2012 by CSN

Cabinet Notes

August 13, 2012

Cabinet Members:

President Mike Richards
K.C. Brekken, Director, Communications
Constance Brooks, Director, Government Affairs & Diversity Initiatives  
Thomas Brown, Senior Advisor to the President
Travis Brown, President, Student Government
Patty Charlton, Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration – absent
Darren Divine, Vice President, Academic Affairs   
Darin Dockstader, Faculty Senate Chair-Elect – absent
Richard Hinckley, General Counsel
Santos Martinez, Vice President for Student Affairs  
Jacque Matthews, Executive Director, Foundation  
Joan McGee, Chief Campus Administrator, Charleston Campus  
Charles Milne, Faculty Senate Chair
Rob Telles, President, Classified Council
Josh Ruter, Interim Campus Manager, Henderson Campus
Mugunth Vaithylingam, Chief Information Officer   
Nancy Webb, Chair, Administrative Faculty Assembly

The meeting was called to order by Dr. Richards at 9 a.m.

The notes of the June & July cabinet meetings were approved. Dr. Richards reviewed upcoming dates including the Adjunct Impact Conference on August 18, Convocation August 20 and the Special Board of Regents Meeting on August 24.

Joan McGee is meeting with key employees to discuss progress on the CSN Strategic Plan (Enterprise 10-17) today after the cabinet meeting. The progress report is in its final stages before being presented to the Cabinet and posted on the web page.

K.C. Brekken reminded everyone to RSVP for convocation and the President’s Round Table discussions. She also informed everyone about a town hall at the Cheyenne campus in the Telecommunications Auditorium. The public is invited to the event which features prominent GOP members.

Travis Brown said Student Government has planned some events to encourage student involvement at CSN, including: Fall Kickoffs September 4,5,6 at each campus, Club Rush September 11,12,13; and the CSN Supershow at the Charleston campus October 4. The Supershow will feature music, talent, show cars and many vendors. It will take place on the Charleston campus in the general area between the L Building and the G Building.

Darren Divine encouraged everyone to attend the 2nd annual Adjunct Impact Conference at the Texas Station on August 18. The keynote speaker will be a Senior Analyst from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE), whose presentation will include videos of student focus groups around the country. Dr. Martinez and Dr. Divine are working with CCSSE to possibly have student focus groups here at CSN. Santos and Darren are also working to freshen up the welcome back events for students. Dr. Divine also reported that over 40 new faculty members were hired this year to meet the demand for instructors.

Charles Milne reported the Policy for Faculty Evaluations is moving forward. A committee has been formed and a consultant hired to assist in the process. He also reported that there has been a good turnout of faculty at the Funding Formula meetings and that Faculty Senate Chairs have been invited to participate in NSHE’s salary review.

Mugunth Vaithylingam said there is currently an aggressive refresh taking place in about 100 classrooms. OTS is also working to standardize resets to laptops, and when a laptop is worked on, the resolution settings will automatically be set to the individual machine. Mugunth reported a $60K gift-in-kind from Cedar Crestone which will be used in the renovation of D-101 on the Charleston campus. He also reminded everyone of the importance of changing log on passwords regularly, not sharing passwords and not writing passwords down. It is just as important to lock your computer when you walk away from it. Locking can be done easily by pressing the ‘Windows’ key and ‘L’ at the same time, or Ctrl-Alt-Del and choosing ‘lock computer.’

Dr. Richards said that Constance Brooks will be splitting her time between CSN and NSHE for her government relations duties, and a search will be held for a diversity coordinator to assume her diversity responsibilities at CSN. He sent an announcement on August 7 to “all,” outlining the transition.

Dr. Richards reminded everyone that the funding formula subcommittee would submit recommendations to the Board of Regents on August 24, and the Regents would submit the approved recommendations to the LCB on August 29.

A Bachelor’s Degree program in Medical Lab Science will begin this fall at CSN, followed next fall by Cardiorespiratory Science. These two Bachelor’s Degrees are no longer offered at UNLV.

Meeting adjourned at 9:40 a.m.

 

Next meeting scheduled September 10, 2012.

 

aml

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September 2012 Chronicle

Posted on September 11, 2012 by CSN

The CSN Chronicle

Greetings and welcome to The CSN Chronicle for September 2012.  Each month, the Chronicle lets me share news and respond to important questions raised by our faculty and staff members. 

First, I would like to say congratulations to all on a successful start of the school year. Every member of the CSN team plays a critical role in welcoming our students.  A special thanks to our facilities team that made sure our campuses and sites were clean and ready, to OTS for their assistance with technology, Academic Affairs and Marketing and many staff and faculty for the great Welcome Back BBQs at each campus and our staff working the CSN Call Center (651-5555) that answered thousands of student questions over the last few weeks about everything from financial aid to password resets. 

CSN Convocation Musical Flash Mob

I would also like to thank Drs. Dick and Joan McGee and the wonderful faculty and staff that joined them for the surprise musical flash mob at Convocation. You made this year’s annual event unforgettable. 

Emergency Management
Emergency call boxes have been installed at each of the three campuses and are in the final stages of activation. Emergency phones are also in place in each CSN classroom.  We have also distributed the Emergency Operations Plan and initiated training for our people.  More training is scheduled to occur as are plan updates and plan exercises.  It is critical that our students and employees feel safe at CSN and know what to do in case of an emergency.  

The volunteers and participants in the process to date have been fantastic and we encourage more to get involved. 

Emergency Phones in Classrooms
Please be advised, the telephones located in each classroom are for emergencies only and automatically dial campus security. Please do not pick up the receiver, unless you need to speak to campus security.  If you need to contact OTS for assistance in your classroom, please call the Help Desk at 651-HELP from an alternative phone. 

MyCSN Service Disruptions
Periodic service disruptions occurred this fall.  The longest — 72 hours — was due to a software anomaly that occurred with the database.  When disruptions for service are anticipated, OTS is prompt to notify the campus community, but some disruptions occur without notice.  The Nevada System of Higher Education’s System Computing Services has been quick to respond to unforeseen disruptions, and, although we’re inconvenienced, we appreciate the rapid response to restore service.  We have asked SCS to develop service level agreements with CSN and all institutions so that greater specificity of service is better understood. 

Online Education Consultant and CSN Visit
Next week representatives from Richard Katz and Associates (RKA) will be on campus to discuss online education on September 18.  Chancellor Klaich has retained RKA to review online course delivery at each NSHE institution to make recommendations to the Board of Regents regarding possible expansion.  Many faculty and staff will be scheduled to meet with these representatives.  A final report to the Board is expected in early spring.   

Budget Outlook for 2013-15
The Board of Regents, following instructions from the Governor’s Office, approved a 2013-15 budget request that includes restoration of employee salaries to the base and eliminates furloughs.  We appreciate that the Board and Governor recognize the paramount importance of eliminating salary cuts.  For all institutions in the system, this $110 million commitment was top priority, and we are hopeful that the Legislature will follow the Governor’s recommendations. 

F Grade in the Funding Formula
During the final meeting of the legislative interim Funding of Higher Education Committee, members finalized their funding formula recommendations that they will bring to the full Legislature in 2013. There has been much debate about how lawmakers would fund course completion and whether colleges and universities would receive funding for students who receive an ‘F.’ It appears the ‘F’ grade for non-attendance (Fn) will be excluded from the new funding formula for higher education in Nevada.  Students who complete a course with an ‘F’ will be included.  We are not entirely certain how the Fn will be tracked and reported as the formula is implemented. 

Performance Pool
The funding formula proposal put forth has two parts: a base that is funded based on weighted student credit hours (WSCH) for course completion and a performance pool.  Metrics from the National Governor’s Association have generally defined the performance pool, but action by the Legislature’s interim Committee on the Funding of Higher Education referred the performance pool to the Board of Regents for greater specificity.  Regent Dr. Jason Geddes, Chair of the Board, will be appointing a committee to complete recommendations on the performance pool metrics, weights and implementation.  We expect this work to be completed before January in time for legislative consideration. 

On October 15-17, a team of five representatives from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities will visit CSN for an accreditation review.   A committee of CSN faculty and staff  prepared an excellent Year Three report on institutional resources and capacity that forms the basis for the visit.  Also, key to the success of the visit is our strategic plan, its annual report and update.   Thanks to all who have contributed to the report and the strategic plan.  CSN is well positioned for this important visit.     

Employee events
Plans for a CSN employee softball game and BBQ are underway for Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Henderson campus.  Additionally, we have completed the furniture refresh for the Henderson campus.  Next, new building signage will be added. 

On Friday, Sept. 28, CSN will hold the Cheyenne Ketchup BBQ in front of the main building for CSN faculty, staff, students and guests. We hope to see you there. 

On Oct. 5, CSN will host the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Southern Nevada Diversity Summit. Click here to R.S.V.P. 

Collegiate Brain Trust

We have retained the services and expertise of the Collegiate Brain Trust (CBT) to assess and provide recommendations on Student Affairs operations and how to better serve students.  Representatives of CBT will be on campus next week to begin the review.  We have many dedicated folks in Student Affairs, yet external demands and increased expectations impact our campuses and challenge our employees.  We are hopeful that CBT can help us.   

As many of you know, I have a blog at http://blog.csn.edu. To it, we post our notes from CSN Cabinet meetings and this Chronicle for ease of access.  We use the blog as an additional communications arm for the college community so you can be better informed about what’s happening and add your comments and suggestions. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Question from Faculty and Staff Members: 

“What is the official fall enrollment for CSN?”

Our official enrollment report is due is mid-October. Our enrollment as of September 10 was 34,972 (headcount) and 18,809.7 (FTE) and will likely continue to grow.  Headcount is flat compared to the same time last year, and FTE is down 2.2%.  Until office enrollment reports are filed next month, we won’t know the enrollments of sister institutions this fall. 

 

  –Mike Richards

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Summer 2012 Chronicle

Posted on August 21, 2012 by CSN

The CSN Summer Chronicle

 Greetings, and welcome to The CSN Chronicle for summer 2012.   This has been a busy summer, and I want to give you a brief update on a number of projects and studies. 

CSN Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Santos Martinez

Welcome, Dr. Santos Martinez, Vice President for Student Affairs.  Dr. Martinez joined us in June, just in time for annual audits and reviews of Student Affairs.  Under his leadership a broad review of Student Affairs is underway, and a third-party assessment of the entire function will start this month. Dr. Martinez has quickly become an expert on Student Affairs at CSN and a wonderful member of the executive team.  We’re very pleased that he has joined us.

Plan to Become a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI):  CSN has completed a formal plan to become eligible for Title V funds as a Hispanic Service Institution (HSI).  Once achieved, this designation, which requires CSN’s student body to be made up of 25 percent full-time equivalent Hispanic students for two years, will allow CSN to compete for federal grant funds under Title V for projects that benefit all students.   

Preparations for Regional Accreditation Visit and Year-Three Report:  A committee of faculty and staff members has completed the Year-Three Report, and it’s an excellent one, full of current information about CSN activities.  Other preparations are also underway for the October visit of the accreditation team.

Legislative Interim Study on the Funding Formula for Higher Education:  Occupying much of the spring and summer, this study is expected to conclude on Aug. 29 with a meeting at CSN.  A committee of legislators, regents, and gubernatorial appointees has engaged in an overhaul review of the funding formula.  Three subcommittees are examining formula mechanics, performance funding, and community college funding, respectively.  The subcommittees are expected to make final recommendations at the Aug. 29 meeting.  CSN has been consistently following and participating in the revision process.  Faculty and staff members have provided helpful testimony at committee meetings.  Working with the Chancellor’s staff, CSN has provided input into the new model(s) and has met with committee members and legislative leaders to ensure that the historical equity problem is funded and that CSN receives fairer treatment in any new funding formula.

Review of Salary Schedules for Community Colleges:  Carolyn Collins, John Sc arborough, and Dr. Charles Milne have been part of a committee to revise the salary schedule for community colleges.  This complicated and difficult work is essential to CSN’s ability to offer competitive compensation and to appropriately recruit and retain qualified faculty and staff.  CSN appreciates the service of these three folks, particularly because their research, advocacy, and articulation have generally shaped recommendations for a better salary schedule.

Meeting of the Board of Regents on Aug. 24:  The Board of Regents will set budget and capital priorities for the 2013 executive budget and legislative session at a special meeting at DRI in Las Vegas. CSN’s capital priority is to complete the renewal of the Cheyenne campus.  For the operating budget, CSN has three priorities:  1) restore faculty and staff compensation to contract base levels and discontinue salary cuts and furloughs, 2) adopt and fund the new funding formula, and 3) fund PEBP improvements for employee benefits.

CSN was ranked the No. 1 associate-degree granting institution in science technologies/technician for Latino students, according to a recent report by Excelencia in Education. This summer, CSN was also ranked the top producer of two-year science technologies degrees in the nation, according to Community College Week’s Top 100 Associate Degree Producers 2012 report. 

Budget Outlook for 2013-15: CSN and the system of higher education are cautiously optimistic about the budget outlook for the next biennium. After six years of budget cuts and retrenchment, all institutions of higher education would like to see improved funding for compensation and a more earnest investment in higher education services for students.  

Early indications are that state revenues are modestly up and the budget preparations will include no further cuts to education in Nevada.  

However, new expenditure demands as a result of changes in Medicaid funding and health coverage may impact Nevada, as well as other states.  CSN will follow these developments as closely as possible.

For my part at CSN, I will continue to keep you updated so that you remain informed about the state budget and legislative processes.  All CSN employees and students have a stake in a successful legislative session next year.

Congratulations:  Associate Vice President of Financial Services Mary Kaye Bailey has been selected as a recipient of the Rising Star Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers.

Sr. Vice President of Finance and Administration Patty Charlton was honored during NACUBO’s 50th anniversary in Washington, D.C., as they highlighted the past and future role of the business officer in higher education.

CSN floral student Teryl Tollefsen-Soren won first place honors in the American Institute of Floral Designers’ (AIFD) 2012 Student Floral Design Competition last month in Miami. Out of 12 colleges and universities with 37 students competing, CSN was represented by three outstanding floral design students and consistently placed in the top 10. The college took second place for best overall school.

In addition, CSN’s competitive culinary team won bronze at the Western regionals.

 

Upcoming Events:
On Thursday, Aug. 9, CSN will host the U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis, Women’s Bureau Acting Director Latifa Lyles, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Assistant Secretary David Michaels and the Office of Disability Employment Policy Assistant Secretary Kathy Martinez to discuss challenges facing working women and resources available to address those challenges. The forum will take place in D101, starting at 2 p.m.

CSN has developed emergency management plans and made a number of physical improvements to strengthen campus security.  A newsletter on our emergency management efforts will be forthcoming to let you know about these plans and improvements.  We all have an obligation to keep CSN a safe working environment.

A reminder that Convocation will be held on Monday, Aug. 20, at Texas Station at 8:30 a.m. Please make sure to RSVP at rsvp@csn.edu.

 Also on Aug. 20, please join us at Cheyenne in the Telecommunications Auditorium for the CSN Achieving the Dream Kick Off at 2:15 p.m.  CSN’s data and leadership coaches Dr. Ken Gonzalez and Dr. John Nixon will talk about what ATD means for CSN. 

Questions from Faculty and Staff Members:

“Can part-time employees attend the Convocation Kick Off in addition to the Part-time Faculty Conference?”

Yes. Part-time faculty are encouraged to attend both events if they so choose. At convocation, we will provide multiple reports that will be of interest to those employed at CSN. In addition, I have the honor to present the Distinguished Employee of the Year awards to classified, administrative faculty, full-time faculty and part-time faculty members.

Best wishes,

 

  –Mike Richards

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May Cabinet Minutes

Posted on June 14, 2012 by CSN

May 14, 2012

Cabinet Members:
President Mike Richards
K.C. Brekken, Director, Communication & Events
Constance Brooks, Director, Government Affairs & Diversity Initiatives
Thomas Brown, Senior Advisor to the President
Patty Charlton, Senior Vice President for Finance & Administration
Chemene Crawford, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs
Darren Divine, Vice President, Academic Affairs – absent
Richard Hinckley, General Counsel
Shellie Keller, Chair, Administrative Faculty Assembly
Rob Telles, President, Classified Council
Jacque Matthews, Executive Director, Foundation
Joan McGee, Chief Campus Administrator, Charleston Campus
Charles Milne, Faculty Senate Chair-Elect – absent
Aimee Riley, President, Student Government
Josh Ruter, Interim Campus Manager, Henderson Campus
Tracy Sherman, Faculty Senate Chair
Mugunth Vaithylingam, Chief Information Officer

The meeting was called to order by Dr. Richards at 9 a.m.

The notes of the March cabinet meeting were approved.

Dr. Richards reminded everyone about important upcoming dates, including the first Reflection of Success event at the Texas on Friday, May 18, Commencement on Monday, May 21 and the Formula Funding Committee special meeting on May 23.

Dr. Richards introduced the new Faculty Senate Chair-Elect, Darin Dockstader, and welcomed him to Cabinet.

Joan McGee reported that she has met with everyone who is in a leadership role regarding the Strategic Plan. The updates to the deliverables are due on July 1 for compilation. Joan will meet once more with those leaders to clarify issues after all the updates have been made, and then bring the report to the cabinet members in August. The progress report will be a key component of the October 15 accreditation site visit.

K.C. said there has been a lot of good press for CSN among the various news networks on the Legacy of Achievement Gala. The Gala was discussed on Channel 3, Fox News Network, the Ralston Flash and on George Knapp’s blog. The Reflection of Success event on Friday is still lacking a few volunteers, and those employees willing to help should contact Michelle Word. K.C. also gave an update on the Commencement ceremony to take place on Monday. The latest numbers indicate over 2,300 students are eligible to participate in the ceremony—the largest number of graduates ever. Included in this group are the first graduates earning a degree in Sustainable Energy.

Chemene Crawford distributed the Spring 2012 Student Affairs Newsletter containing highlights from Deans, updates in the various departments, important dates and more.

Shellie Keller reported positive feedback from the AFA regarding the participation in their meetings from Human Resources, Dr. Richards and Patty Charlton. Stephanie Hill will be a guest at the next meeting as well, to discuss student success initiatives. AFA has been partnering with NASCAR on Fridays for fundraising. AFA members work in concessions to raise funds for worthy causes.

Jacque Matthews said the Legacy of Achievement Gala went very well this year. The event raised $300,000 and the Honorees, who all had personal ties to CSN, were exceptional. The scholarship challenge amounts were met and exceeded as well. The Las Vegas Review Journal will print a 4 page insert again on June 6 to highlight CSN alumni. The 4th Annual CSN Golf Classic will take place on June 15. The committee to plan the event is doing an excellent job; only two more teams are needed to sell out. The tournament will occur at the Badlands Golf Club. Proceeds will benefit CSN Athletics.

Joan McGee has been busy representing CSN by attending numerous mixers, fundraisers and meetings on the College’s behalf and by participating in community service events all around the Las Vegas Valley. She will also be assisting with the Reflection of Success festivities on May 18.

Aimee Riley told the group being a part of the Cabinet as Student Body President was a very broadening experience and it was good to sit down with the College decision-makers regularly. She thanked the administration for the opportunity. Dr. Richards also thanked Aimee for her service the past year. Travis Brown, the newly-elected Student Body President, will begin his term and attend the next cabinet meeting in June.

Josh Ruter updated everyone about Henderson campus improvements. A rebate from Nevada Power should be paid soon as a result of the solar panels on the B Building. Also in B a new chiller was installed. The A Building renovations are contingent upon funding, but he is hopeful. In July the Boulder City site will belong to the City.

Tracy Sherman said it would be her last cabinet meeting. Charles Milne will take over as faculty senate chair, but they will both be working on several policies through the summer. Dr. Richards thanked Tracy for serving as chair the past year.

Mugunth Vaithylingam reported the lowest number of login issues ever. The load balance went well—much better than at other institutions. He reported that all VOIP conversions are complete. OTS is working with certain departments on call trees. OTS also sent out instructions for faxing long distance and is working on fax receiving ability for smart phones. OTS is working with a new vendor (Cox) and doubled the College’s bandwidth at a low price. Apple gave a discount for the first time in addition to a buy-back program—another first for them. The Help Desk is now processing self-serve tickets. You can email the help desk at help.desk@csn.edu . Faculty and staff computer refreshes are on track with 300 new computers and 100 classrooms refreshed this year. The RFP for Smart Classroom upgrades saved about $300,000. The project will upgrade auditoriums, lecture halls and 54 classrooms by the fall semester.

OTS has a newsletter, Get Connected, that includes great information each month. You can bookmark this page http://blog.csn.edu/ots for updates, videos, and all the latest news from OTS. Mugunth said that the Tech Connect conference for faculty and staff has raised over $50K in scholarships over the last 2 years. The event has had 469 attendees, 39 vendors and has offered about $32K in free training. In addition, there are prizes raffled totaling over $5,000 in merchandise. The attendee survey indicated 87% were very satisfied and 90% will attend again next year. The optional comments in the survey about Tech Connect were also very positive.

Mugunth made a presentation and led a discussion on IT security.

Dr. Richards said the Formula Funding committee will meet on May 23 and will focus on two reports in particular—HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) status and the Fresh Look Task Force. Patty Charlton will give an update on the meeting outcome at next Cabinet in June.

Dr. Richards said the meeting with the CSN Foundation Trustees was excellent. The Trustees were introduced to Funding Formula information and the impact the formula has on CSN.

The summer will include many activities to begin CSN’s responsibilities as an Achieving the Dream institution. Janice Glasper will report on our progress at the next cabinet meeting.

Today begins a program review of Financial Aid by the Department of Education. The representatives will be with us for the whole week to audit disbursements and processes in Student Financial Services and the Registrar.

Rob Telles reminded everyone of the Classified Luncheon on May 24, and also Classified in-service offerings the week of May 29-June 1.

Meeting adjourned at 9:40 a.m.

Next meeting scheduled June 11, 2012.

aml

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April Cabinet Minutes

Posted on June 14, 2012 by CSN

April Cabinet was canceled.

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