College’s efforts to improve student services such as tutoring, counseling, a key to success
LAS VEGAS, May 8, 2017 — The College of Southern Nevada expects to graduate its largest class ever at its 45th annual commencement ceremony May 15 at the Thomas & Mack Center.
A record 3,440 students are eligible to receive 3,569 degrees and certificates, according to preliminary data. Official numbers for the spring 2017 semester will be available once final semester grades are available.
“This record number of students completing their degrees and certificates speaks to what this college is all about,” CSN President Michael Richards said. “Strengthening Nevada’s workforce depends on a growing number of residents earning college degrees. I am pleased that CSN has been and will continue to be a part of that growth. We are proud of the Class of 2017 and I look forward to celebrating the students and their commitment to their education.”
The college has continually graduated record class sizes for over five years, which college officials attribute to a laser-focus on student success. Since 2012, the college has launched or expanded services such as free tutoring, opening math and writing resources centers on each campus, and dedicated counselors for degree-seeking students. In addition, new freshmen are required to attend orientation sessions, take placement testing and meet with advisors or counselors prior to enrolling in classes.
Among the graduating class, one-third are graduating with honors or high honors. The graduating class includes some extraordinary students, all of whom are available for media interviews:
- Jill Robinson, CSN’s study body president, dropped out of high school when she discovered that many of the credits she’d earned in private school did not transfer to the public school district. Eventually realizing that she needed an education to succeed, she enrolled in CSN’s high school diploma program, earned her GED, and is now graduating with an Associate of Arts Degree in Psychology. “No matter what job I had, I always was the employee who gave 200 percent or 300 percent and it never seemed like it mattered. I wanted it to matter. I wanted it to make a difference,” she said. Robinson plans to earn her bachelor’s degree from Nevada State College and ultimately become a school counselor.
- Larissa Marcum, graduating with an Associate of Arts Degree in Communication, will be CSN’s student commencement speaker. Marcum, a first-generation college student, says she’s pursuing her education to help her family. When Marcum was a child, her single mother was diagnosed with cancer, and is now undergoing treatment for a separate terminal illness. Marcum attended her mother’s medical needs, helped raise her sister, and still learned to thrive in school. It wasn’t always easy, but she says she wants to be an example for others and to speak for underrepresented minorities who don’t always have a platform to speak for themselves. She plans to pursue a degree at Nevada State College.
- Erika Stokely, who will graduate with an Associate of Arts Degree in Business, went straight to college out of high school in California, but it did not work out for her. She left college, moved to Las Vegas, and began to work. Soon, she realized that she would need an education to succeed in the way she was confident she could. She enrolled at CSN, excelled in classes she’d formerly done poorly in, and is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in marketing at UNLV.
CSN’s 45th Commencement Ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Monday, May 15 at the Thomas & Mack Center on UNLV’s campus. Media interested in talking to students prior to the commencement between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. are encouraged to contact CSN Public Relations specialist Richard Lake at richard.lake@csn.edu on the day of the event. The ceremony will also be streamed live on the internet and available to the public at www.csn.edu/live.
Who: Thousands of new college graduates
What: 45th CSN Commencement ceremony
When: 6 p.m. Monday, May 15
Where: Thomas & Mack Center
Streaming: www.csn.edu/live
Hashtag: search #csngrad
CSN DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES AWARDED PER YEAR
| Academic Year | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17* |
| Degrees/Certificates | 2,881 | 3,094 | 3,245 | 3,569 |
| Students | 2,665 | 2,929 | 3,029 | 3,440 |
*2016-17 totals are projected. Final numbers will be available once spring 2017 semester grades are in