newsweb March 04 2005

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CCSN, NSC Partner
Auto Dealers Donate $60K
Sprint Donates DSL Gear
Auto Tech Recognized
Education Lab Accredited

Leaders Program
Taylor All-American
Employee ID No.
Department Elections
Faculty & Staff Briefs
Desert Garden Sale
Russell's Restaurant
Coyotes Schedule

The Planetarium
Performing Arts
Fine Arts Gallery
Free Lectures

Women's History Month
Classified Reg Change
PEBPB online
Mental Health
Ramp Meters Installed

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CCSN, NSC Partner for Student Success

At a press conference last Friday at Charleston Campus, CCSN President Dr. Richard Carpenter and Nevada State College President Dr. Fred Maryanski unveiled a creative effort to allow students to move smoothly within coursework and degrees from one institution to the other as early as the fall semester. “Our purpose is to enhance access to quality educational opportunities for Nevada students,” said Dr. Carpenter.

The two schools will develop a formal dual admissions process to allow students to take classes for credit at either college. Equally important will be the chance to implement 2+2 articulation programs for all NSC four-year programs by the fall semester of 2005. These will embrace nursing and teacher education graduates now in short supply, but will also include many CCSN applied technology programs that would lead to NSC’s new bachelor of applied science degree.

Pictured above shaking hands are Dr. Maryanski and Dr. Carpenter. Announcing the partnership and answering media questions are (from left) Regent Thalia Dondero, Dr. Maryanski, Dr. Carpenter and Regent Dr. Jack Lund Schofield.

The new collaboration will strive to coordinate instructional offerings to minimize duplication and ensure student progress toward degree completion. It will also afford the chance to combine and “make” similar classes with low enrollment at both institutions. Joint classes filled with Nevada State and CCSN students will save classroom space and resources at both institutions. “NSC will continue to offer the first two years of degree programs, but elimination of any course will depend on enrollment and timing,” Dr. Maryanski said.

The partners agreed to create a financial aid consortium, a joint effort to allow part-time CCSN and NSC students to be eligible for financial aid, such as direct loans and grants. Other partnership opportunities include: sharing planning information and processes to ensure coordinated growth and to identify further opportunities for institutional partnership; and collaborating on specialized student support services, as well as professional development activities for faculty and staff.

Nevada Auto Dealers Commit $60,000 to Auto Tech Center

The automotive technology program at the Community College of Southern Nevada provides 800 students annually with one of the largest, most advanced training programs in the western United States to support job skill demands of the region’s commercial automotive industry. Unfortunately, it is not large enough.
Four hundred fifty students were turned away last semester due to lack of classroom space. With a job placement rate of 100 percent of eligible students, this is a dilemma the Southern Nevada New Car and Truck Dealers Association (SNNCTDA) and The Nevada Franchised Auto Dealers Association (NFADA) want to help resolve.

Terry Mayfield, Executive Director for SNNCTDA, and Wayne Frediani, NFADA Executive Director, are leading an effort to fund construction of a $20 million auto tech center on CCSN’s Cheyenne Campus. Association members are working diligently to secure legislative support for the project. To demonstrate their support, Mayfield and Frediani yesterday presented $60,000 in funding commitments to Lisa Dove Swisher, CCSN Foundation Development Chair and Dr. Rand Key, CCSN Vice President of Planning and Development. The donation represented $50,000 in pledges from Mayfield’s association and $10,000 donation from Frediani’s.
Commenting on the $50,000 pledge, Mayfield said, “This project will help our customers receive the high quality automotive services they deserve and provide people who live in Southern Nevada and work in automotive industries the opportunity to train and learn in their own community.” The new Automotive Technology Center will not only deliver training classes and certification programs, it will also provide an Associate Degree in Transportation Management.

Receiving NFADA's $10,000 check are the Foundation's Lisa Dove-Swisher, Dean Paul Pate (Applied Technologies), Executive Director Diana Wilson (Foundation), Gary Ackerman (NFADA president and president of Gaudin Motor Co.), Dr. Rand Key and Wayne Frediani (NFADA). On the right, Justin Findlay (SNNCTDA president and general manager of Findlay Volkswagen meets with Lisa Dove-Swisher after presenting $50,000 pledge.

"We are truly honored to be a part of helping fund the Automotive Technology Center at CCSN,” said Frediani. “The Automotive Technician Training Program consistently provides our industry's current and future employees with crucial training and highly desirable skills. Through this donation, Nevada New Car Dealers want to ensure the continued growth of classroom space and equipment.”

The building is planned to be constructed in two phases over a period of five years. The first phase of the project was approved by the Board of Regents in January as No. 7 on a list of new capital budget projects forwarded to Governor Kenny Guinn.

“I am extremely appreciative to Terry Mayfield and Wayne Frediani, and the franchised auto and truck dealers in Nevada for their outstanding support of the Automotive Technology Center,” stated Dr. Richard Carpenter, CCSN President. “This Center is a win-win situation for the college and our community, providing high-tech training for high-demand jobs.”

Business leaders and the CCSN Foundation have pledged more than $1 million in private matching money to help fund the project. Although the Automotive Technology Center was not included on the Governor’s list of capital projects submitted to the Legislative Commission’s budget subcommittee, CCSN Foundation Trustees remain optimistic they can convince the Legislature to fund the first phase of the building.

Sprint Donates $28K in DSL Test Sets

Displaying the DSL test sets are Dr. Peg Pankowski, dean of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Sprint LTD Western Region Vice President Steve McMahon, CCSN President Dr. Richard Carpenter and John Paulbick, Sprint district manager.

Sprint Nevada recently donated another $28,000 worth of test equipment to help outfit CCSN’s Telecommunications Building. This latest gift is in addition to Sprint’s half million dollars in state of the art digital equipment that established CCSN’s Sprint Lab. According to Warren Hioki, associate dean of Information Technology & Telecommunications, Sprint contributed eight new Digital Subscriber Line test sets valued at $28,000.

DSL is a dedicated high-speed Internet connection between a customer and a telephone company's central office. Unique about DSL is that the high-speed Internet connection occurs over existing 2-wire copper phone lines. Sprint’s donated DSL gear is being used to analyze and test the digital and analog format of the asymmetric DSL and how voice and data are combined and sent simultaneously over the same twisted-pair phone lines to homes and offices. The Engineering Technology Department is attempting to get DSL lines installed in its telecommunications lab so live signals can be tested. ET is also working with Sprint and other partners to acquire a Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplexer that links many DSL lines to a single high-speed asynchronous mode line, that in turn connects to the Internet backbone.

Auto Tech Recognized for Alternative Fuels Training


Larry Thomas, chair of Transportation and Industrial Technology, and Paul Pate, dean of Applied Technologies receive a plaque from NAFTC Executive Director Al Ebron in an informal ceremony held in Washington, D.C. The plaque recognizes the college as a National Training Center of the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium.

CCSN recently was recently recognized as a National Training Center member of the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium. The college is one of only 25 institutions nationwide that have helped establish the United States’ only national, nonprofit organization dedicated to alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) training and outreach.

Powered by natural gas, ethanol, methanol, propane, hydrogen, electricity, and hybrid gasoline-electric systems, alternative fuel vehicles are one means for improving air quality and weaning the nation from foreign oil. NAFTC National Training Centers help promote the adoption of AFVs through a variety of automotive training programs for technicians, fleet managers, and the interested lay public.

CCSN was invited to join the Consortium after a rigorous review of its automotive training program and its commitment to alternative fuels. NTC schools are dedicated not only to training of technicians, but also to forming partnerships with local utilities, companies that operate fleets, high schools, and any other private or public organization that would benefit from learning about AFVs.

"Southern Nevada is already a leader in alternative fuel vehicle use, and becoming an NTC positions the college to prepare trained workforce participants in this new technology," said Dr. Richard Carpenter, CCSN president. "Alternative fuels support U.S. goals by reducing dependence on foreign oil, by providing cleaner vehicular emissions and improving air quality, and by preparing students for high tech wage careers in the alternative fuels field."

CCSN offers pre-service and in-service automotive technicians courses that are thoroughly researched and instructionally sound. The college and other NAFTC schools nationwide offer standardized courses on the operation, maintenance, and repair of AFVs. Standard training programs are offered locally at CCSN or the college may tailor training to meet a particular client’s needs and offer that training at the school or the client’s location.

Education Lab Earns National Accreditation

CCSN’s Early Childhood Education Lab School, under the direction of Janis Fikes-Buntjer, recently received a five-year accreditation by the National Academy of Early Childhood Programs.

The Academy is a division of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), America’s premier organization for early childhood professionals. Through position statements, work with other organizations, and its national voluntary accreditation system, NAEYC leads in promoting excellence in early childhood education for youngsters from birth through age eight.

“NAEYC sets research-based standards and provides resources to improve early childhood program quality, enhance professional development and working conditions of program staff, and help families learn about and understand the need for high quality early childhood education,” said Fikes-Buntjer.

Much of CCSN’s program coursework is supported through NAEYC research, position statements and publications. “Operating as a laboratory early childhood program within the Education Department, we continually strive to model exemplary practice for children, students, families, and administration within the college, our community and throughout the state,” said Dr. Dale Warby, department chair. “With that in mind, we felt it was critical to earn accreditation by NAEYC, become a leader in the nationwide effort to raise the quality of early childhood education, and to help give children, families and students a better start.”

The accreditation process consisted of CCSN’s extensive self-study based on the Academy's Criteria for High Quality Early Childhood Programs, including family evaluation, staff evaluation and director's evaluation. This study was used to determine how well the program meets the quality standards. Finally, a validation visit was conducted in 2004 when independent, professional validators observed the CCSN program and reported findings to a national panel. Once accreditation is achieved, programs are required to submit annual reports regarding programming, and are subject to unannounced visits from the Academy.

The Commission commended CCSN’s staff and program in numerous vital areas. Singled out were the effective administration, evaluation and assessment process, communication and interaction; well-qualified staff with emphasis on professional development; and sufficient staffing to meet standards for group size and teacher ratios. Further praise was earned for warm and positive interaction among teachers and children, and reciprocal relationships among teachers and families. CCSN’s report card also contained high marks for creating a productive physical environment for children that fostered growth and development, physical health and safety, and nutrition.

Along with Fikes-Buntjer, Dr. Warby was quick to heap praise on the entire Early Childhood Lab staff. They include: faculty Ann Adams, Alyce Gray and Cheryl Rowe, and state-licensed early childhood teachers DeErin Begley and Valerie Stevenson. The stellar staff also includes Kym Afong, Pam Alexander, Carolina Cajica, Dawn Chase, Beth Cortez, Aubrey Heffron, Kim Kennedy, Cassie Rogers, Joyce Rossiter, Margaret Schrieken, Susan Smith, Jannie Wrencher and Phyllis Zsorey.

Pankowski, Adams, Crawford Advance in LEADERS Program

A trio of CCSN staff are participating in the international LEADERS program for rising administrators and faculty in higher education. Dr. Peg Pankowski, Anneli Adams and Chemene Crawford were selected by the National Institute for Leadership Development for their professional abilities, interests in advancement in higher education, and quality of their proposed projects.

A year-long program, LEADERS is designed to enhance skills participants need to assume decision making roles in their institutions. The developmental program includes institutional practice in supervisory and human relations skills, planning and budgeting, and organizational transformation. Additionally, there will be discussions with national experts on issues confronting higher education during the next decade.

“We have to do a project that is outside our usual job description and extend this to other parts of the college,” said Dr. Pankowski, dean of information technology and telecommunications. Her project involves the student assessment process and developing student evaluation portfolios. Faculty and administrators would be able to qualify student work by evaluating their portfolios to judge whether they are learning the right skills to advance in coursework and to graduate. She will be mentored by Kathy Mowers, from Owensboro Community and Technical College who is president-elect of the American Mathematics Association of Two-Year Colleges.

Pankowski received her doctorate in higher education and bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh and her master’s in secondary education from the University of Pittsburgh. She came to CCSN from the Community College of Allegheny County (Pittsburgh) where she served as interim dean for Instructional Technology and chair of the Mathematics/Engineering Technology Department.

Anneli Adams directs CCSN’s International Center, managing marketing efforts to attract foreign students that now number nearly 700 from 60 nations. She also oversees the center’s registration, counseling and orientation of students and CCSN’s compliance with federal visa regulations. Born and educated in Finland where she earned her master’s in education at the University of Helsinki. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in higher education leadership from UNLV. Adams joined CCSN after 20 years with the U.S. Embassy in Helsinki. Earning numerous honors and awards, she served as a consular official and administered public diplomacy and academic and cultural exchange programs. At CCSN, she promotes the importance of global awareness and cross-cultural understanding as needed competencies for all CCSN students and faculty.

In her project to support student persistence and success, she will focus on studying effective design of student services to enhance minority and non-traditional student adjustment to college studies and demands. Her mentor is a highly regarded student services expert, Dr. Kay Martens with the Phoenix Community College District.

For the past 20 years, Chemene Crawford has been a student services administrator and consultant with four segments of higher education – from proprietary school to graduate university. As a student service administrator at CCSN, she directs the college’s financial aid operations that support students with more than $22 million annually. The aid serves two-thirds of CCSN’s students in the form of state and federal grants, loans, work/study funding and scholarships. Crawford’s been recognized with the UCCSN Outstanding Administrator’s Award. She will be working on projects to aid the institution and foster professional growth with her mentor, Dr. Kathryn Jeffrey, chief campus administrator for the Charleston Campus.

Crawford holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational behavior and master’s in human resources and organizational development from the University of San Francisco. She is completing a dissertation at Nova Southeastern University for a doctorate in education with emphasis in organizational leadership.

She speaks nationally on issues such as small business management, personnel supervision, effective workplace communication and various student aid topics, and has been a trainer for the National and Western Associations of Financial Aid Administrators. She serves as a founding member of the Nevada State Millennium Scholarship steering committee and the Nevada State Nursing Loan advisory committee. A published author, her writings include a book entitled “I’ve Got Something To Say!” and a study of California’s Chief Executive Officers. She serves on the editorial board for the NASFAA journal to which she contributes articles.

All-American Applies Life Lessons to Help Students Succeed

Football fame sometimes turns talented athletes into legends of the game. Sometimes that fame can detour an athlete from the right path and wear down a legend. Then it may take a heavy dose of reality, the right intervention, and the right vision to spin a life around again and make it worth living.

One such storied tale involves Dr. William Taylor Jr., CCSN’s interim director of retention, athletic compliance officer and part-time English instructor. All-American halfback Billy Taylor is still a University of Michigan legend where, from 1969-1971, he was known for his deceptive speed – a power runner with great balance at six feet and 210 pounds.

Dr. Taylor and his former mentor, Michigan football coaching great Bo Schembechler, are both Buckeyes from Barberton, Ohio, but both were lured away to arch rival Michigan. Today both states proudly claim their exploits. In fact, the two legends are now enshrined in the Summit County (Ohio) Sports Hall of Fame.

Number 42 was a three-time All-American (1969-71) and All-Big Ten First Team player who also won Michigan MVP honors in 1971. Dr. Taylor broke the Wolverines’ career rushing record in those seasons with 587 rushes, averaging five to six yards per carry. He still holds Michigan’s all-time record rushing for a career average 102 yards per game. He finished second to the legendary Tom Harmon in career touchdowns with 32 and points with 194.

He led the team to two Rose Bowls as well as an undefeated regular season (11-0) as a senior, rushing for 1,358 yards. Running for 150 yards and two touchdowns in the 1972 East-West All-American Game, Dr. Taylor won MVP honors for the west team coached by Alabama’s Bear Bryant and Schembechler. His fondest memory was beating Ohio State 10-7 his senior year, scoring the winning touchdown on a 33-yard sweep to seal the Wolverines’ Rose Bowl berth and number two national ranking behind Nebraska. His saddest moment came soon after in 1972 with his mother’s passing within days of a heart-breaking 13-12 Rose Bowl loss to Stanford.

“My mother was my greatest teacher,” said Dr. Taylor. “Mariah Marie Taylor first taught in a one-room Mississippi schoolhouse. She pushed education and prayed for one of her children to go to college. That became my dream. And she fed my hunger for education and learning.”

Born in Arkansas as the youngest of seven children, Billy Taylor spent his first five years in Tennessee until his father’s death caused his mother to move the family to Ohio. There he excelled in sports and academics and was sought by power house football rivals Ohio State and Michigan when he gained 1,200 yards as a senior and All-State running back honors. Fifty-five other schools including Notre Dame and USC also recruited him. Michigan’s football scholarship enabled him to become the first in his family to go to college.

“I was recruited to Michigan by Bo Schembechler and my mom,” Dr. Taylor recalled. “When Ohio State Coach Woody Hayes came to call, all my mom needed to hear was his occasional ‘damn’ and ‘hell’. As she looked at me and shook her head, I knew I wasn’t going to play at OSU.”

Taylor is flanked by famous Michigan coaches "Bump" Elliot, Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr

But the family knew and respected Schembechler. “He played at Barberton High before me and we knew him from the time I was nine years old,” Dr. Taylor related. “Both our moms knew each other; his was a bank teller and my mom worked in a Chinese Laundromat. He pushed education, so she knew I would be in good hands and get a good education at Michigan.”

Because of his mother and coaching mentor Schembechler, Dr. Taylor also graduated with his class earning a B.S. in education and later completed his master’s at Michigan in adult and continuing education.

Meanwhile, he was drafted in the fifth round by the Atlanta Falcons and played in Canada for the Calgary Stampede and in the World Football League in a career limited by several knee injuries.

A series of setbacks, including his mother’s loss and several other tragic and violent deaths in his family, started a long downward spiral of depression, drinking and drugs. In 1997, a spiritual rebirth on the streets of Detroit caused him to reclaim his life, heed his mother’s wisdom and turn to education for his ascension. He joined the CCSN staff and began to work on his Ed.D in educational leadership at UNLV.

“Dr. Paul Meacham, CCSN’s former president and a great educator and leader, became my doctoral advisor and academic ‘Bo Schembechler,’” Dr. Taylor confided. “He was tough on Billy Taylor! His passion for excellence and belief in me forced me back to the drafting table again and again to perfect my dissertation. Even when I thought it was good enough, he helped me see how to make it better and encouraged me to revise it once more.”

Still carrying the physique of a college running back and enjoying the memory of those achievements, Dr. Taylor would just as easily talk about retaining and successfully graduating CCSN students. His staff conducts proactive student advising, connects with faculty via the E-Alert program to identify and help troubled students, and performs free tutoring with resources like Student Coaches, the Supplemental Instruction program and Master Coaches.

“We’ve increased student retention rates over 4 percent from fall 2000 to fall 2003 and increased contact with students 125 percent from spring 2002 to spring 2003 as an example,” he said. “We added success concepts like Supplemental Instruction and Master Coaches that are being successfully piloted at Charleston.”

SI Master Coaches audit designated classes and take notes. Any enrolled student can then immediately meet with the coach for help and tutoring for topics covered that day. The courses were selected for their difficulty or overall importance; they include Biology 189, 190 and 223, Math 93 and 96, and English 101 and 102.

“Surveys of students coached and tutored reflect nearly unanimous success with 99.5 percent reporting they do better in class,” he reported. “Meanwhile Retention is working with many academic departments to identify other SI needs and opportunities.”

Dr. Taylor is just as upbeat about the study skills and academic performance of Coyote baseball and softball players. “Like me, both head coaches Tim Chambers and Ric Grenell are concerned about the entire individual. Our coaches are ‘old school’ and base their coaching on developing academic success and character in players,” he said.

That formula is also behind his quest to help student athletes grab hold and succeed in life – and learn how to handle the success and other important life lessons. He started Billy Taylor Initiatives to privately consult with student athletes at colleges and universities as they navigate the rough road of intercollegiate athletics.

“Using transitional dynamics, I work with players, coaches, athletic directors and administrators to identify both positive and negative aspects of their individual and collective behavior, their environment, attitudes, actions and outcomes that can define and shape the student athlete experience,” he explained.

Drawing upon his athletic achievements, academic expertise and life lessons, Dr. Taylor develops an understanding of the fundamental causes, predictable attitudes and priority issues affecting athletic programs. He then follows up with recommended intervention and discipline for both institutional and individual success.

Dr. Taylor’s been as positive an influence on his children’s lives as his mother was on his. His oldest son attends university on a baseball scholarship, another earned an academic scholarship and his third son served honorably in the Army and then became a skilled chef. His youngest, a daughter, is a seventh grade honor student.

As he advises his children or counsels student athletes when life gets toughest, he is guided by his mother’s wisdom. “She always reminded me – ‘Son, oftentimes the longest way around is the shortest way home,’” said the All-American in football and in life. “That’s the way it often is with achieving your dream.”

New ID Numbers to Protect Employees

To protect employee privacy and minimize misuse of personal information, the UCCSN Human Resources Departments have coordinated with System Computing Services to implement a method to protect social security numbers. The Human Resources Management System and most personnel forms will use the employee ID number as the reference, rather than the social security number. It will also be used to access the Employee Self Service system (ESS).

On Mar. 14, each employee will be assigned a system-wide employee ID number. Notification will come via a mailer sent to home addresses. If any portion of the 9-digit social security number appears on paychecks after Mar. 14, or on statements of earnings, report it to Human Resources at 651-5800. You will also use this number to access the Employee Self Service system (ESS). ESS will not be available Mar. 11-13 due to the conversion in the Human Resource System from social security numbers to employee identification numbers. The ESS will again be available for use Mar. 14. At that time, employees will be required to use their employee identification number and PIN to access the system. For more information on employee identification numbers, contact Human Resources.

Third annual "Spring in the Desert", Saturday Mar. 26 at 8:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

Plant Sale and Gardening Event. Rare and unusual desert plants for the landscape will be for sale, free educational workshops will be offered all day and floral will be having a sell of dry and silk flowers, vases, floral containers, and holiday containers. All proceeds from the floral sale are put into a floral scholarship.

Savor Gourmet Flavor at Russell's Restaurant

CCSN flavors its spring semester with gourmet cuisine open to the public through Apr. 21 at Russell's Restaurant on the Cheyenne Campus. Offering lunch and dinner service, Russell's is a training and development center for people studying culinary arts and food and beverage management in CCSN's nationally recognized Resorts and Gaming Department. The restaurant seats 90 patrons.

Shortly after each semester's advanced culinary and restaurant management courses start, CCSN's favorite eatery opens under the professorship of the college's international award-winning faculty, in particular Chefs John Metcalfe and Levy Acosta. Operating Russell's are student culinarians and managers who go on to successful careers in the worldwide hospitality industry, but especially with top-rated Las Vegas resort hotels and restaurants.

Menus are posted online and accessible via the CCSN homepage; they come from CCSN's treasure trove of blue ribbon recipes. Students from aromatics and international cuisine classes prepare savory four course meals, with tables waited by restaurant management students. Luncheons are served Tuesdays through Thursdays with a one-hour seating from 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Dinner is only served Thursdays from 5:45 to 6:45 p.m. All meals from soup or salad to dessert and beverage are economy priced: just $6.95 for Tuesday (aromatics menu) and Wednesday (French Bistro menu) lunches and Thursday dinner (also aromatics), and $7.95 for the fish and shellfish Thursday lunch. No reservations are taken, but special groups or parties may be accommodated by calling food and beverage instructors Joseph Quagliano and Shaun Martin at 651-4701.

Faculty and Staff Briefs

Department Chair Elections.
According to Faculty Senate Chair Dr. Terry Jones, 13 departments are electing chairs for positions that take effect in July. Election results will be announced as soon as all ballots are counted and verified. Those departments' candidates include:

Public Safety & Human Services - Jim Santor; International Languages - Kenneth Umland; Art & Art History - Joanne Vuillemot; Communication - Tim James, Diana Roberts; Performing Arts - Dick McGee, Kelly Roth; Accounting, Finance & Office Administration - Robin Nelson; Resorts & Gaming - Tom Rosenberger, Terri A. Jones, Terry K. Jones; CIT - Alok Pandey, Chris Egemba, Randy Harwood; Physical Sciences - Mark Garner; Mathematics - Jim Culliver, Ingrid Stewart; Education - Dale Warby; Human Behavior - Richard Knies, Jerry Hodges, Kevin Rafferty; Philosophical & Regional Studies - Fran Campbell, John Hollitz.

Faculty Senate News
The next Faculty Senate meeting will be Apr. 1 at 1 p.m. at Cheyenne Rm. 2410. Compliments of Prof. Joshua Levin, you will find that your Faculty Senate Brief for the meeting on February, 25th, is now online at: http://www.ccsn.nevada.edu/hb/levin//Senate/

Spring Career Fair
To match job seekers with employers, the Community College of Southern Nevada is hosting a Spring Career Fair on Apr. 6 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Cheyenne Campus.

Open to local residents as well as CCSN students, the Spring Career Fair will feature dozens of employers in the June Whitley Student Center on the Cheyenne Campus at 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue. Employers will conduct a variety of activities: providing company information and job applications, accepting resumes, scheduling interviews and holding on-site interviews.

Participating employers will include, but are not limited to: Advantage Consulting, AFLAC, All Valley Home Health Care, City of Las Vegas Leisure Services, Client Logic, Easter Seals of Nevada, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Fastenal Company, Luxor Resort Hotel, Nevada Power Company, State of Nevada Department of Corrections, Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, UPS and the United States Army.
For more information, contact CCSN Career Services at 651-4700.

Community College High School Program
If you know of a junior or senior in high school who would be interested in the Community College High School program, the CCHS application is now available online and can be downloaded and printed. For anyone interested in applying to the program, the web site is www.cchseagle.org and has all the pertinent information. The FAQ section contains answers to questions that are most frequently asked by parents and potential students. If the answer to a question is not covered in the FAQ section, people can contact CCHS directly through the email section of the web site.

Salvation Army to the Rescue
The Salvation Army is asking the people of Southern Nevada to donate to the food fund now through Apr. 30 so that it can qualify for matching funds from Rhode Island philanthropist Alan Feinstein, who is offering a part of $1 million to nonprofit anti-hunger organizations. Each organization that feeds and distributes food to the needy is eligible to receive part of the million-dollar commitment. Anyone interested should send their donation to: The Salvation Army, Feinstein Food Challenge, P.O. Box 28369, Las Vegas, NV 89126

Fund Raiser for Entrepreneurial Club Apr. 19
CCSN members are invited to attend an Economic Empowerment Summit, a fundraiser for the Entrepreneurial Club, featuring Mr. Farrah Gray, author of "Realionnaire: How to become rich from the inside out." It will be held Apr. 19 from noon - 3 p.m. in the June Whitely Student Center, Cheyenne Campus. Kim Cordy is president and advisor is Dr. Al Valbuena, vice president of Information Technology. For more information, contact Kim Cordy at ext 4379 or email: kim_cordy@ccsn.edu.

Coyote Women, Men's Diamond Teams Continue Season Play

Sky Watch and Clouds of Fire At the Cheyenne Campus. Times are Fridays at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Weather permitting after evening performances, telescopes at the Student Observatory will be open for viewing starting at 8:30 p.m. General admission $5; discount admission $3 for youth groups, children under 12, seniors over 55 and CCSN students.
CCSN Student Observatory click on picture for more info	Sky Watch presents the latest information about occurrences in the sky. Current astronomical phenomena and the locations of the planets and constellations are presented. Recent data from major space programs such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the International Space Station, Mars Global Surveyor and Cassini are displayed. The audience can ask questions of The Planetarium staff. While the program running time is variable, it is typically about 20 minutes and suitable for all ages.
Clouds of Fire explores the interconnection of all matter in the Universe. It presents an overview of star formation and our current view of stellar life cycles. The program has a running time of approximately 32 minutes. It is suitable for grades 3 and up. It was originally produced by the Adler Planetarium in Chicago. PLaying through May 28. link to The Planetarium Home Page back to top

CCSN CHORAL GROUPS PERFORM “TESTAMENT OF FREEDOM”

The CCSN College Singers and Chamber Choir will present the “Testament of Freedom" concert on Mar. 12 at 7:30 p.m. at Mountain View Presbyterian Church, 8601 Del Webb Boulevard in Sun City Summerlin.
This performance will feature inspirational selections celebrating our American heritage, including Randall Thompson's "Testament of Freedom," Rene Clausen's "Heartland" and “Amazing Grace.” The College Singers will also perform two selections from the Broadway stage, "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables and "You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel. There is no admission charge for the concert but a goodwill offering will benefit the vocal music program at CCSN. For more information contact Dr. Mark Wherry at 651-4529.

2005
Performing Arts Center at Cheyenne Campus - Free admission.
Gallery hours: Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

back to top	Thru March 18 "Watercolor Paintings & Black & White Photography" featuring Alex Hirsch & Dana Fritz Alex Hirsch	Dana Fritz
	The Community College of Southern Nevada Fine Arts Gallery will exhibit watercolor paintings and black & white photography featuring artist’s Alex Hirsch and Dana Fritz. There will be an opening reception for the artists’ on Friday, February 18, from 1 to 3p.m. in the CCSN Fine Arts Gallery. For more information please call (702) 651-4205

Cheyenne Campus, 3200 E. Cheyenne Ave.
For Information call 651-LIVE (5483)

CCSN Sociology Club Lecture & Forum

"Towards Understanding Islam" is the next lecture and forum hosted by the Sociology Club of the Community College of Southern Nevada. It is free and open to the public on Monday, Mar. 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Henderson Campus in the Caviglia Academic Computing Building, Room C133.

Moderated by Prof. Carlo DeFazio, the panel will include the following participants. Dr. Aslam Abdullah is author and editor of two prominent Muslim American newspapers in Los Angles and Detroit, with a Ph.D. in journalism (University of London). He is also known for his involvement in relief activities. Abu Kathir is a 20-year U.S. Army veteran with master’s degrees in psychology (U.S. International University) and in business administration (University of Phoenix). Houda Afifi is working on an education degree at CCSN, but already holds a bachelor’s in hotel management (International Institute of Tourism, Morocco). She has worked in the industry in France, Florida, New York and Las Vegas. Mohamed Said Rouas works for the Nevada Department of Transportation as a construction engineer and holds a master’s in engineering (UNLV). Dr. Aziz Eddebbarh holds a Ph.D. in environmental sciences (Colorado State University), serves on the Board of Directors of the North American Interfaith Network and is co-director and founder of the American Muslim-Jewish Dialogue (Colorado). Tony Eddebbarh is assistant director of Dar Al-Islam Teachers Institute (New Mexico); she also teaches English as a Second Language.

The club’s mission is to develop student objectivity skills by sensitizing them to societal issues and to foster the college’s reputation as a community center for discussing those issues.

Free Lecture: The Social Psychology of Terror
Mar. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Jonathon H. Turner, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, what could possibly motivate people to commit suicide in the name of a political or religious cause? For an answer, Professor Turner will focus primarily on the biology of emotions and psychology of this disturbing subject.

DIANE DI PRIMA COMING TO CCSN!

Lecture/ Workshop: Mar. 17, 3-4 p.m., Charleston D- 221
Poetry Reading: Mar. 18, 7:30 p.m., Charleston D-152

Legendary Beat poet Diane di Prima is coming to CCSN. For the past 34 years, di Prima has lived and worked in northern California, where she took part in the political activities of the Diggers, and wrote Revolutionary Letters. She also studied Zen and Tibetan Buddhism, Sanskrit and alchemy, and raised her five children. In the 1970's she began her epic poem Loba. From 1980 to 1987, she taught Hermetic and esoteric traditions in poetry at New College of California, which she established with poets Robert Duncan and David Meltzer. She has also taught at California College of Arts and Crafts, and the San Francisco Art Institute.

Diane di Prima is the author of 40 books of poetry and prose, including Pieces of a Song. Her work has been translated into at least 20 languages. She has received grants for her poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts. In 1993, she received an Award for Lifetime Achievement in Poetry from the National Poetry Association. In May/June 1994 she was Master Artist-in-Residence at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. In 1999, she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Literature degree from St. Lawrence University. In spring, 2000, she was Master Poet-in-Residence at Columbia College, Chicago. In 2002, she was one of three finalists for the position of Poet Laureate of California.

A Loba: Books I & II was published in the Penguin Poets Series in August 1998. Her autobiographical memoir, Recollections of My Life as a Woman, was published by Viking in April 2001. Recent poetry chapbooks include Towers Down (with Clive Matson), published by Eidolon Editions in 2002; and The Ones I Used to Laugh With, Habenicht Press, San Francisco, 2003.

An expanded edition of Revolutionary Letters, with 23 new political poems from the past two decades, will be published in 2005 by Last Gasp Press of San Francisco. Opening to the Poem, a book of exercises and essays on poetics, will be available from Penguin in Spring 2006. Other works in progress include The Poetry Deal: Poems from the 1980s and 90s; Death Poems for All Seasons; Alchemical Studies (poetry); Not Quite Buffalo Stew, a surreal novel about California life; The Mysteries of Vision, a book of essays on H.D.; and One Too Like Thee, a study of Shelley's use of traditional Western magic in his life and work.

Diane lives and writes in San Francisco, where she teaches private classes and workshops and does individual writing and creativity consultation sessions.

Music: Student and Faculty Recital
Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

In the Henderson Campus Auditorium, Bldg. C133. Free admission and refreshments after the event. Talented CCSN music students will be joined by faculty musicians for a memorable night of chamber music.

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Dance: Student Dance Concert
Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m.

In the Little Theatre, Cheyenne Campus. Admission: $5 adults; $3 students and seniors. Various types of dance will be staged in the Sixth Annual Dance Concert, a totally student generated display of kinetic creativity. Call 651-4201.

The Commanders Jazz Ensemble

The United States Air Force Band of the Golden West Commanders Jazz Ensemble will be performing a free concert at the Nicholas J. Horn Theatre at the Cheyenne Campus, Mar. 19 at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at the CCSN Box Office.

Come listen to one of the bay area’s finest jazz groups in an evening of contemporary jazz, Latin hits, driving funk, and popular standards. Under the direction of Technical Sergeant Anthony Seres, this 18-piece big band is considered one of the finest of its kind on the West Coast. Music ranging from the Big Band sound of the ‘40s through the hard pounding jazz styles of today ensures an exciting concert that will rouse audiences of all musical tastes.

An historic ensemble, the Commanders was established in 1959 as a component of the North American Air Defense (NORAD) Command Band and then subsequently merged with the Air Force Band of the Golden Gate in 1979 at Travis Air Force Base, California. The group has extensively toured the western U.S., appeared on numerous radio and television shows, and performed at the famed Carnegie Hall in New York City. In addition to performing for millions of listeners live, the Commanders Jazz Ensemble has produced an array of recordings. Marvin Stamm, Steve Smith, Bob Hope, Walt Levinsky, and numerous other guest artists have collaborated with the band over the years.

Free Lecture: Muslim Culture and Politics
Mar. 31 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Mehran Tamandonfar, Chairman, UNLV Department of Political Science. The events of Sept. 11, 2001 and the on-going fear of terrorism have made it imperative for the West to acknowledge and understand Islam as a major political force of the 21st century. Discussed will be the theological and cultural underpinnings of Muslim politics in an attempt to understand their contemporary propensity towards violence.

Theatre: Live Theatrical Readings

Apr. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the Henderson Campus Auditorium, Bldg. C133. Free admission and refreshments after the event. An exciting live script reading of a new play will be performed by budding CCSN theatre students. Call 651-3010.

2005
    Performing Arts Center at Cheyenne Campus - Free admission.
    Gallery hours: Weekdays, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
     Call 651-4205

Fine Arts Gallery: Ceramics
Apr. 1 – May 6, featuring artist Robin Stark in the Performing Arts Center, Cheyenne Campus.

Free Lecture: “Memoirs of A Woman of Pleasure” and the Literature of 18th Century Britain
Apr. 2 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Koch Auditorium (south of Lied Library), presented by Robert Folkenflik, Professor of English and Comparative Literature, University of California, Irvine. With Fanny Hill, or Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1749), John Cleland brought the literature of the boudoir into the open. In a lecture that bears relevance to the recent spread of pornography across the Internet, Robert Folkenflik discusses cultural contexts for the early libertine novel and its avid middle-class readership.

Free Lecture/Recital: The Trombone and the Pipe Organ
Apr. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Doc Rando Hall, Beam Music Center (near the Judy Bayley Theater), presented by Ken Hanlon, Professor, UNLV Department of Music. For several hundred years the trombone was considered a sacred instrument widely used in both Roman Catholic and Protestant church services. This presentation will provide historical background and performances of important works composed for the trombone and organ. The era covered will be the 16th through 20th centuries, featuring the Music Department’s new pipe organ.

Music: Vocal Jazz Solo Night
Apr. 5 at 7:30 p.m. in the Horn Theatre, Cheyenne Campus. Admission: $5. Join the CCSN Jazz Singers as they showcase their vocal talent. In addition to group performances by the ensemble, each vocalist will perform a solo, ranging from jazz standards to Broadway. Call 651-LIVE (5483).

Free Reading: From Almonds to Zhoof: A Reading by Richard Stern
Apr. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Richard Stern, fiction writer and Professor Emeritus, University of Chicago. Witty, charming, master of word-play, a writer’s writer, Richard Stern is the author of 21 books, including the novels Other Men’s Daughters, Natural Shocks, and his prize winning memoir, A Sistermony. Stern is also winner of the prestigious Medal of Merit for the Novel awarded by the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters. This fiction reading celebrates From Almonds to Zhoof: Collected Stories, newly published this Spring.

Music: Faculty Chamber Music Concert

Apr. 8 at 7:30 p.m. in the Henderson Campus Auditorium, Bldg. C133. Free admission and refreshments after the event. This will be an evening of solo and small ensemble performances by renown CCSN music faculty, featuring music from the classics to jazz. Call 651-3010.

Free Reading: A Poetry Reading by Marilyn Chin
Apr. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Marilyn Chin, Professor and Co-Director of the Creative Program, San Diego State University. Acclaimed Chinese-American poet Marilyn Chin will read from her work in her inimitable, dynamic style. She is the author of Rhapsody in Plain Yellow, The Phoenix Gone and The Terrace Empty. She is also winner of the PEN Josephine Miles Award, and Dwarf Bamboo. Her many honors include fellowships from National Endowment for the Arts and four Pushcart Prizes. (Co-sponsored by the International Institute of Modern Letters and the Red Rock Review)

Free Lecture: Is Manliness Obsolete?
Apr. 19 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Harvey C. Mansfield, Professor of Government, Harvard University. Is the concept of manliness obsolete in our gender-neutral society? Until recently, most men have held a confident belief in male superiority. But thoughtful males of all kinds have had something to say – mainly critical – about manliness. This lecture explores related questions by examining what some classic works have said about the idea.

Music: 3rd Annual CCSN Jazz Week

A sterling jazz series of five singular performance events Apr. 25-29 in the Horn Theatre, Cheyenne Campus. Admission: $5 per person for each event. Call 651-LIVE (5483).

Big Bands - Apr. 25 at 7:30 p.m. The college’s 17-piece Monday and Wednesday Night. Jazz Bands will perform along with special guest artists from the Los Angeles jazz scene.

Combo Night - Apr. 26 at 7:30 p.m. CCSN’s Jazz Combos will perform jazz music from the ‘50s through the ‘90s. The extraordinary Faculty Jazz Sextet will be featured guest artists.

Vocal Jazz - Apr. 27 at 7 p.m. The CCSN Jazz Singers Area high school jazz choirs and guest artists will perform, backed by a top jazz combo.

Jazz Invitational - Apr. 28 at 7:30 p.m. Top local high school and middle school jazz bands, selected by special invitation, will perform to showcase the area’s young talent.

Free Lecture: Waterfollies: The Impact of Groundwater Pumping on the Environment. (slide-illustrated)
Apr. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Robert Glennon, Professor of Law, University of Arizona. The excessive pumping of our aquifers has created an environmental catastrophe known to only a few scientists, a handful of water management experts, and those unfortunate enough to have suffered direct consequences. As our groundwater use has increased, pumping has caused rivers, springs, lakes and wetlands to dry up, ground beneath us to collapse, and fish, birds, wildlife, trees, and shrubs to die. This talk will illustrate the scope of the problem with cases from around the country. These water follies are tales of human foibles including greed, stubbornness, and, especially, the unlimited human capacity to ignore reality.

Arranger’s Holiday

Apr. 29 at 7 :30 p.m.

A nationally renowned arranger will guest conduct jazz selections with a 17-piece professional jazz band – a smashing conclusion to a rousing week of jazz.

Stage: Nevada Trivial Pursuit

Apr. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in the Henderson Campus Auditorium, Bldg. C133. Free admission and refreshments after the event.

Discover all the things you never knew you needed to know about Nevada. Enjoy an evening marking the Las Vegas Centennial through trivial pursuit of 100 years of Silver State fact and fiction. Call 651-3010.