At 10 a.m. Thursday, March 25, University Police Services will be testing all on-campus emergency notification systems at the College of Southern Nevada (and other supported institutions) which may include:

• SMS text, voice call, and/or e-mail alert
• Posts to campus and/or University Police Services’ Facebook & Twitter pages: @UPDSouth or @CSNCoyote
• Desktop computer, public monitors, and VOIP office phone notifications.
• CSN MobileSAFETY App

It is important to note that this alert is only a practice drill of the systems and not an actual emergency.

In the event of an emergency, these platforms will be used to notify the CSN community of the incident and provide information and instructions. In the event of an actual alert, the CSN community is reminded to seek a safe location and monitor media reports, emails, computer monitor screens and emergency texts. 

To learn more or to update your contact information, visit updsouth.nevada.edu and select your campus location for further instructions.

To receive notification of UPD news and events, follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit us online at updsouth.nevada.edu.

The CSN Foundation Board of Trustees invite faculty, staff and student clubs to apply for a Spirit of CSN award. The purpose of this award is to support CSN’s commitment to students first. Selection will be based on work that supports CSN success metrics and student-centered projects during the 2021-2022 academic year. Funding for this grant is made possible through the generous support of CSN employees and community donors.

Application deadline: Friday, April 9, 2021 at 5:00pm PST via email to Foundation@csn.edu 

Awards announced: May 19, 2021 

Application Process:  To apply for the Spirit of CSN award 2021, download the four documents listed on the website and email the completed documents to Foundation@CSN.edu before the deadline.

Website: https://csnfoundation.org/spirit-of-csn-awards/

Applicants may request a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $10,000. Final award amount is at the discretion of the committee. 

All awards must be spent in full between July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2022. Impact reports are due to the Foundation on December 1 and June 10. 

CSN Foundation is funding awards that move CSN student success metrics forward. Please keep these in mind when writing your proposal.

• Increase CCSD High School and Second Chance Access to CSN Education
• Increase graduation rate from 14% to 19.5% by 2025; Increase transfer rate from 25% to 30% by 2025.
• Increase graduation rates for African Americans from 3% to 14%; Transfer rates from 12.5% to 30%. Sustain Latino cohort success gain rates at 14% graduation and 25%transfer rates.
• Increase enrollment and graduation rates in high demand occupations.
• Increase STEM-based research opportunities for CSN students and in undergraduate research.

Questions? Please contact the CSN Foundation at Foundation@csn.edu.

A new tool donated to the College of Southern Nevada’s Division of Workforce & Economic Development will help local job seekers obtain the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly crowded job market. CSN received a donation of  a  Skill Boss Manufacturing: MSSC CPT Plus Certification & Assessment from Klein Educational Systems. The machine, housed at CSN’s Sarah West Center, is valued at $25,000 and tests proficiency in more than 66 skills commonly utilized in manufacturing trades. The donation was made by Ken and Linda Baxter.  

CSN President Federico Zaragoza explained the impact the donation will have on workforce development in Southern Nevada. “My appreciation and thanks go to Ken and Linda Baxter for this generous donation,” he said. “It supports our commitment to workforce and economic development.” 

The assessment tool and certification are expected to serve as a bridge to high-paying manufacturing jobs. “We know that the jobs of tomorrow will go to those who are prepared to fill them,” said Zaragoza. “This donation allows us to certify in-demand manufacturing skills to help diversify the workforce ecosystem of Southern Nevada.”  The tool will help produce a skilled workforce with nationally recognized industry certifications.  

Manufacturing is expected to contribute to the diversification and transformation of the state economy on the heels of the COVID-19 global pandemic. “I witnessed first-hand how advanced manufacturing education can transform a community,” said Zaragoza. “I have seen indications that Southern Nevada is on a journey towards diversification.” He noted that manufacturing is the fastest growing industry in the state and leads an expanding list of industries considering the benefits of operation in the Silver State.  

Modern manufacturing jobs require a workforce trained to perform a variety of complex technical tasks. Employers need skilled technicians with an ability to understand, assess, and troubleshoot in the moment. The tabletop Skill Boss Manufacturing: MSSC CPT Plus machine offers a significant advantage over older, alternative assessment methods and helps students obtain industry certification for manufacturing skills.   

“Technicians manage an entire manufacturing cell that is carrying out multiple processes using many machines for just one product,” said Joe Russo, Regional Sales Manager for Klein Educational Systems. “In a single manufacturing cell, there may literally be hundreds of different points of failure that may cause the cell to stop unexpectedly and cause financial loss.”  

“There are over 600,000 jobs left unfilled, just waiting for a skilled workforce,” said donor Ken Baxter. “We are here today because we realized there was a great need to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States. This tool helps assess the skills needed for those jobs.”  

CSN Programs Director Belkiss Rodriguez spoke about the significance of the donation. “The CSN Sahara West Center is in the heart of the community,” she said. “It is the first of what we hope will be many CSN facilities that provide access to this type of critical job training.”  

Rodriguez said that the average earnings impact of one entry-level manufacturing position is over $68,000 annually. “This equates to $2 billion in regional gross earnings for the community and it is only the beginning,” she said.  

Jaime Cruz, Executive Director of Southern Nevada’s Workforce Development Board, Workforce Connections explained the impact to workforce development in the region. “This donation is timely and important,” he said. “This is what we need to tell the story of how these jobs will transform our community. We are proud to have Ken and Linda Baxter in this community.” 

In addition to the Regents’ Scholar award, the Board also honored CSN Nursing professor Ronald Gonzalez with the Nevada Regents’ Teaching Award. 

Gonzalez is from Philadelphia and moved to Las Vegas in 1998. He and his wife moved to North Dakota in 2002 while she to completed medical residency training at the University of North Dakota before returning to Las Vegas in 2005.  

Gonzalez has been a registered nurse for over 28 years. His clinical experience includes medical/surgical, operating room, emergency/trauma, IV and nursing administration. He obtained a Master’s in Healthcare Administration in 2006 and began teaching as adjunct faculty at the CSN the following year. Gonzalez received a Master’s in Nursing and joined CSN as a full-time Nursing instructor in 2008 and received tenure three years later.   

Gonzalez is the co-coordinator of NURS 101 Fundamentals of Nursing at CSN, where he teaches lecture, lab, and clinical. He has taught NURS 115, NURS 205, NURS 208, and was the Program Director of the Practical Nursing program. “I love working with students from all walks of life,” he said. “It’s very special to see them develop on their journey towards becoming health care professionals. I am thankful to do the work that I do.” 

Gonzalez has been married for 21 years, and his hobbies include playing the piano and traveling. He is currently pursuing a doctorate degree and names his parents as the inspiration for his dedication to his students and the nursing profession.  

“Things came full circle for me in a very personal way,” he said. “I recently lost my father but before he passed four of my former students were with him in hospice care.” He could not help feeling proud. “Despite my feelings of grief, it was very rewarding to see my former students shining as practicing healthcare professionals.”  

His father saw him become a Regents’ Award recipient before he passed, and Gonzalez knows he is proud of his son’s accomplishments. “I feel so grateful and happy. My accomplishments are his accomplishments. It means everything to me that I could share that with him.” 

Gonzalez finds contentment educating and helping influence future nurses and has no plans to stop sharing his knowledge and experiences with future generations of health care workers. He tries to impart what it means to be a health care professional and lead by example. “Nursing is a career of service to the community,” he said. “It’s not just a job.” 

Gonzalez will continue to volunteer his time to a variety of community and professional organizations and encourages his students to do the same (as he did when he was the faculty advisor for the Student Nurses Association at CSN). Gonzalez mentors and precepts students from other colleges and universities pursuing graduate level medical education whenever possible because he wants to help shape future practitioners.  

College of Southern Nevada Student Adrian Edward Bell earned the Regents’ Scholar award today from the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents. 

Bell has a tremendous work ethic and strong desire to one day create a successful Fortune 500 company. Bell explored his entrepreneurial instincts early by selling Little Debbie Honey Buns before ever leaving elementary school. Bell attended Advanced Technologies 

Academy for high school. At the time he enrolled the school was not known for a particularly remarkable business program. But that began to change when, with the help of others, Bell created the school’s first student store which provided the school with income to help students directly.  

Bell spent the summer before he started high school in Utah learning how to operate a successful small business in a town with less than a thousand people. Facing the challenges of weather, location and fluctuations in tourism, Bell learned to adapt a small business to overcome adversity and explored career path options for the future. “This helped me discover my passion for business,” he said. “I knew my first step was to declare a major in Finance to build a solid foundation for my future endeavors.” 

The CSN sophomore is a first-generation, full-time college student on track to graduate with an Associate of Business degree in 2021. He plans to continue his education at a four-year institution after graduation while he continues to hone his business skills.  Bell credits his success thus far to a strong support system led by his parents, mentors and teachers. 

“My parents are my biggest inspiration,” he said. “I am proud of what I have accomplished. But, making my parents proud is an incredible feeling.” Bell says his work ethic was largely modeled from the example his parents set. “My parents have made so many sacrifices for our family,” he began. “They taught me to work hard and my father in particular instilled a sort of ‘don’t stop, don’t quit’ mentality in me that has figured prominently in my pursuit of academic success.” 

That frame of mind paid off. Bell maintained a 4.0 GPA at CSN while working two jobs and balancing family and multiple extracurricular projects. He is currently serving as a facilitator for the Nevada Promise Scholarship program at CSN helping increase the number of Nevada residents who pursue a college education.  

He is a scholarship recipient himself and praises the program for pairing recipients with mentors to help them find success in higher education. “My mentor Hillary Butrico provided guidance and support when I needed it the most,” said Bell. “She has my respect and gratitude; I really cannot thank her enough.” 

Bell also looks to mentor Greg Bailey as a role model for overcoming adversity to reach his full potential. “Mr. Bailey helped me see and believe in my own potential,” he said. “Representation of successful black men in business still lags behind reality. Mr. Bailey provided me with a living, breathing example of success.” Bell continued, “he showed me that my goals and dreams are attainable through education. He encouraged me to believe in myself.”  

Bell uses his experience as a first-generation college student to help students like him accomplish their dreams and aspirations through education. He looks forward to making an impact on his peers and his community and is excited about what the future holds. “It is truly an honor to be selected as a Regents’ Scholar,” he said. “I have received texts, emails and phone calls wishing me well and it feels really good to work hard and enjoy success.” 

Take this survey to help Clark County create a lasting 1 October Memorial.

Las Vegas will never forget what happened on 1 October 2017. Now, Clark County is working to create a lasting memorial that remembers the victims, honors the survivors and first responders and celebrates the resilience of the Las Vegas community. Should the memorial be a park, a monument, a sculpture or something else? Your input is critical to the success of this effort.

Please take this short survey and let the county know your thoughts. Also, please consider sharing this survey (before March 14^th, the last day this survey is available).

To follow the progress of this project, please visit www.ClarkCountyNV.gov/1OctoberMemorial and subscribe to email updates from the 1 October Memorial Committee. Follow the committee at www.Facebook.com/1OctoberMemorial.

The CSN Division of Workforce & Economic Development is offering personal and professional development courses focused on enrichment for youth ages 8-14. A variety of fee-based, noncredit courses are enrolling now and will be available online and in-person.

ROBLOX® Makers teaches best practices and techniques for ROBLOX Studio, the online game platform and game creation system that allows users to program games and play games created by other users. Students will learn to build 3D models and create adventures by bringing characters to life through animation. Student-created projects will be available on a password protected Black Rocket website to share with friends and family. NOTE: This only course is compatible with MAC and Windows OS only.  

Minecraft® Modders uses the popular Minecraft game to learn the basics of modding and the foundations of programing. Students will learn scripting and logic statements. Introductory coding will be taught through a simulated environment inspired by Minecraft. Student projects will be available on a password protected Black Rocket website to share with friends and family.  NOTE: Students must own a Java version of Minecraft to take this class. Tablet, phone, and game console versions of Minecraft are not compatible. Returning students can create more advanced projects that build on previous years. This only course is compatible with MAC and Windows OS only.  

Introduction to Building Electronic Devices will show students how interfaces, micro computer chips, and displays work on electronic devices operate by building simple projects. By then end of the class students will have their own working electronics device that will run a PONG game. NOTE: This course is recommended for youth ages 9-14 years old.

Creative Writing for Teens will explore poetry, autobiographical journaling and short story writing. Students will discover ways to express themselves using the power of the written word. Students will learn techniques to improve the expressiveness of their writer’s voice and sharpen literary skills. This course is useful for developing critical essay writing skills needed for advanced level learning.

Basic Cake Decorating teaches the fundamentals of cake decorating which make party cakes, cupcakes and cookies possible. Students will learn how to bake a cake from scratch, prepare a decoration bag, correct bag position, tint icing, use the star decorating tip, and basics dimensional decorating. This course is open to students 13 years old and older and students will learn to apply techniques to create a variety of buttercream icing flowers and leaves.

Learn more about available courses from the CSN Division of Workforce & Economic Development.