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The Community College of Southern Nevada embraces the importance of constructing a strategic plan with clear and measurable objectives to chart our course into the next decade. Over the past few years, substantial work has been accomplished at CCSN within the context of strategic planning, but deep and protracted administrative turnover, along with other factors, have stalled the completion of a plan. As president, I stand firmly committed to the efficient completion of a guiding and action-oriented college plan that represents the broad-based inclusion of faculty, staff, students and the community at large. Link here to the Strategic Plan Framework, Performance Measurements and Benchmark Institutions. As CCSN strives for national community college prominence, we will focus on restoring public confidence, improving student success, enhancing our academic reputation and mapping our future. By measurably improving overall quality and public accountability, the College will enhance its reputation and, in turn, its capacity to positively affect the lives of more and more students as well as the communities in which they live. CCSN now finds itself at a crossroad and the future success of the College will depend upon its administration, faculty, and staff being actively engaged in its systematic transformation. I believe that generating positive and lasting change is a fundamental function of leadership, and I am both honored and excited to be associated with such a dynamic College. Dr. Carpenter's Fall 2005 Convocation Video Address Parts 1,2,3
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Regents Learn CCSN Strategic Plan, Approve Salary Equity Plan |
The Board of Regents met this week at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas, highlighted by CCSN President Dr. Richard Carpenter's presentation of the College’s Strategic Plan Framework. He discussed the constituencies who were included in the focus groups and surveys, program priorities, and initiatives that are included in the plan, and specific measurable objectives. He made a similar presentation during Fall Convocation Week to faculty and staff, accessible in this edition of NewsWeb. Dr. Carpenter also requested and the Board approved the college's plan to use funding appropriated by the 2005 Legislature for CCSN faculty equity adjustments, consistent with legislative intent. A legislative study this year concluded that faculty salaries at CCSN averaged about $3,000 per year less that the average of the state’s other community colleges. This finding is consistent with the Assembly Bill 203 Study conducted during the last legislative session that made 11 references to the “subsistence-level” funding of CCSN From the 2005 legislative session, CCSN received an appropriation of $617,081 for FY 2005-06 and $1.234 million for FY 2006-07, allocated within the operating budget for academic faculty salaries. Furthermore, the appropriations bill envisions a total infusion of $9 million over the next six years. If funding continues as envisioned, the salary gap between CCSN faculty and those at other Nevada community colleges should close by 2011. Comprised of three components – Distinguished Professor Initiative (effective July 1, 2006), Nursing Faculty Special Adjustment and Academic Faculty Salary Adjustment – CCSN’s plan was the product of faculty and administrative collaboration, unanimously endorsed by the Faculty Senate and the CCSN Chapter of NFA. Distinguished Professor Initiative Succession planning and information transfer is vital in the current community college environment, especially when it is increasingly difficult to recruit and retain experienced faculty. Across the country, seasoned faculty are retiring and being replaced by those less experienced, as well as by business professionals making career changes, with both typically deficient in pedagogical skills. Through the development of this initiative, CCSN will identify knowledgeable (and typically senior) faculty who, through structured professional development, can serve as faculty mentors and curriculum development leaders for those less experienced. This focused professional development initiative, collaboratively developed between CCSN’s academic administrators and faculty partnered with the college’s newly established Center for Academic Professional Excellence, will stress several key areas:
Nursing Faculty Salary Adjustment CCSN has committed to meet student demands and medical community needs by expanding its Nursing Program, already the state’s largest. Current enrollments exceed 500 FTEs in the Associate Degree Nursing Program. But due to CCSN’s non-competitive salaries which are the lowest in the valley, the program is operating with five faculty vacancies this semester that resulted in denying access to over 100 academically eligible nursing students. Faculty recruitment and retention in this discipline continue to be a major hurdle and obstacle. Therefore, the Nursing faculty component of the salary equity distribution plan has two parts: initial placement and salary adjustment.
Academic Faculty Salary Adjustment The bulk of salary equity funds will be equally distributed among academic faculty – instructors, professors, librarians and counselors. The first round of adjustments will be distributed in two phases, one for each year of the biennium. This will cumulatively advance CCSN academic faculty at least one step on the community college salary schedule for the two-year funding period. Since the dollar amount will be the same for all, those on the lower end of the schedule could advance more than one step.Other related matters considered by the Board included: Dr. Carpenter’s annual evaluation, a progress report on the establishment of an academic medical center in Las Vegas, approval of an internal audit of CCSN Admissions and Records, approval of a proposed joint policy statement on Tech Prep/Associate Degree Program between the State Board of Education and NSHE, creation of a “Bill of Rights” for students transferring within NSHE institutions, supporting policy for dual enrollment between Nevada High Schools and NSHE institutions, and approval for the Board’s Jan. 26-27 meeting at CCSN’s Cheyenne Campus.
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Convocation Week Assembly and Awards |
| For the first time in modern CCSN history, a Convocation Week Assembly was held off-campus to afford more space for the President’s State of the College Address and a sitdown luncheon with keynote speaker Dr. John Roueche, director of the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas. The Orleans Showroom and Esplanade provided the settings for remarks and recognition awards. Links to streaming video of these events are accessible via this edition of NewsWeb. Award winners included: Carmen Annillo, Regents Award for Academic Advising; Clarissa Cota and Mark Peplowski, President’s Outstanding Teaching Faculty of the Year Award [nominees included Deborah Ain, Lee Barnes, Robb Bay, Max Coe, Edward Coppola, Rudi Eichler, Janice Glaspar, Scott Helkaa, Steve Konowalow, Tom Myers, Dennis Olsen, Christine Privott, Gretchen Smolka, Joel Tierno, Robin White and Leslie Zuckerman]; Laura Moskowitz, President’s Outstanding Librarian/Counselor of the Year Award [nominees included Carmen Annillo, Carlos Ezeta and Florence Jakus]; and Mary Kaye Bailey and Elda Chavez, President’s Outstanding Administrative Faculty of the Year Award [nominees included Vartouhi Asherian, Hong Deng-Lee, Trish Henderson, Tammy Silver and Al Valbuena]. Receiving their awards from Dr. Carpenter (counterclockwise from left) are: Elda Chavez, Mary Kaye Bailey, Clarissa Cota, Mark Peplowski and Laura Moskowitz. |
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Community College Leadership Expert Addresses Convocation |
As professor and director of the CCLP, Dr. John Roueche heads the doctoral program that is the nation’s oldest and has produced more chancellors, presidents, vice presidents and deans of American community colleges than any other university graduate program. Also a community college graduate, Roueche received his Ph.D. in higher education administration from Florida State University and taught at UCLA and Duke before joining the Texas faculty where he has won distinguished faculty, teaching excellence and national leadership awards. In the past 35 years, Dr. Roueche authored 35 books and 150 articles and chapters focused on leadership, teaching and learning, and spoken to more than 1300 college and university audiences on those topics. Pictured clockwise from lower left are: Dr. Lawrence Ita meeting Dr. Roueche, Regent Mark Alden, Regent Chair Bret Whipple presenting Academic Advising Award recipient Carmen Annillo, and Dr. Roueche during his address. |
Dr. Roueche's Convocation Video Address Parts 1,2 |
New VPs Introduce Plans and Priorities |
VP PowerPoint Presentation Links
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Dr. Jeffrey Foshee Named New Admin VP |
Dr. Jeffrey Foshee has accepted the position as CCSN's first Vice President for Administrative Operations, effective October 1. He received his Juris Doctorate from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law and his B.S. in Business Administration from Auburn University. An attorney, he has been in private practice since 1989 specializing in advising and representing post-secondary institutions, employment law and civil rights. He served as General Counsel and Assistant Attorney General for the Alabama State Board of Education and State Department of Education from 1981-1989. He was also Associate Counsel and Assistant Attorney General there from 1981 - 1985.
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CCSN's VP Team |
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Dr. Mike Richards, Academic Affairs Dr. Art Byrd, Student Affairs Dr. Rand Key, Planning & Development Patty Charlton, Finance & Budget Dr. Al Valbuena, Information Technology Dr. Jeffrey Foshee, Adminstrative Operations (eff. Oct. 1) not pictured |
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| In an effort to ease the transition of victims of Hurricane Katrina, CCSN will waive tuition and fees for the 2005-2006 academic year for any qualified individual displaced by this national tragedy. The fee waiver is applicable to distance education courses as well as courses at any of the CCSN campuses, centers or sites.
Health Sciences Bldg Opens to Enhance |
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Would you like your DMV rebate check to go further than you ever thought? It could last someone a lifetime – if you use it to help CCSN students jump start their education and careers. College faculty and staff are being asked by the CCSN Foundation to donate rebate checks to a First Class - First Book program. Many new students already qualify for their first class free at CCSN, but a $75-$120 price tag for a textbook can stretch a tight budget to the breaking point.
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CCSN Foundation Chair Jenny DesVaux Oakes, and CCSN President Richard Carpenter present a building block award to MaryKaye Cashman for her significant contribution to the college’s automotive and diesel technology expansion. Cashman Equipment Company pledged $500,000 to help meet the private match of $2 million required by the state for a new $20 million automotive technology center scheduled to be constructed at the Cheyenne campus. The building will be constructed in two phases, with a diesel technology program taking high priority. Currently there are no diesel technician training facilities in Southern Nevada.
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Winds of change and construction crews swept through the half-century old Virgin Valley school complex, once Mesquite’s only K-12 school. State funding breathed new life into the buildings and created a new CCSN Center for the rural but booming retirement and casino gaming and golfing community 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. At 25 years old, CCSN’s southernmost 14,000 square foot wing is the youngest portion of what is a "community-wide" center located at 140 N. Yucca Street. Other parts of the complex are being used for a Pre-school, while the Mesquite Theatre Group hosts plays in the theatre and the Mesquite Arts Council uses a room for ceramics and painting classes, with other various meeting rooms used for different community groups. According to the center's administrator Darlene Montague: “20 classes are being offered for the fall semester, including Math, Art, Spanish, Geography, Psychology, Computing and Political Science among others. We hope to begin a Phlebotomy class by spring semester, add a Computer Lab classroom, open a designated area for Workforce and Economic Development and expand our programs with additional General Education classes.” Current faculty members are: Patty Bingham (Art), Hector Robertin (Computers), William Foster (Psychology), Marilyn Robinson (Computer), Janet Hansen (Math), Marianne Leavitt (Math), Adam Schwartz (Golf), Andrew Mecham (Golf), Adam Caldwell (PSC, Intro to Amer. Politics), Ron Gill (Spanish), Nickole Backman (English) and Wendy Dickie (Geography). Enrollment for this spring/fall is at approx. 500, with computing being the most popular classes. “The community is excited about our move and future growth,” said Montague. “We now feel our goals are unlimited and that our student enrollment will begin to soar.”
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CCSN’s Deputy Police Chief Dan Bennett recently graduated from the School of Police Staff and Command at Northwestern University. Bennett completed the ten week program with 40 police executives from Nevada, held in conjunction with the North Las Vegas Police Department. Implemented in 1983, Northwestern has graduated over 7,500 students both nationally and internationally.The School of Police Staff and Command provides upper-level college instruction. Students are awarded 21 semester college credits hours. The major topics of study included: Management and Management Theory, Organizational Behavior, Human Resources for Law Enforcement, Budgeting, Staffing Allocation and Personnel Deployment. Bennett will be graduating from Nevada State College in December with a Bachelor of Science in public administration in law enforcement. CCSN’s Police Department anticipates a variety of benefits from Bennett's attendance at this program. Many of the program’s graduates do go on to achieve a variety of leadership positions within their respective police agencies. Currently, over 750 graduates hold the title of Chief of Police and 39 of the 50 Directors of State Police Agencies are also graduates of the program. Bennett grew up in Vermont and after high school, he joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving two tours in the infantry. A 17-year veteran of law enforcement, Bennett joined CCSN last year to help build its first police department after 15 rewarding years with a municipal police department in the Chicago suburbs. Currently, he is concentrating on developing the policies and procedures for the new police department and preparing for the addition of CCSN’s first six police supervisors. Bennett is married and has six boys.
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Poetry, essays and reviews by a number of recognized and respected Western writers grace the pages of Issue Seventeen of the Red Rock Review. Now in its ninth year of publication as a nationally acclaimed literary magazine of the Community College of Southern Nevada, the Summer 2005 RRR showcases writings by truly outstanding national, regional and local talent.
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| The IT e-Newsletter is available now at http://it.ccsn.edu! Read current news and get information about what is happening in the IT Division that affects you. You will also find information about schedules of computer labs and common forms for IT requests. The IT e-Newsletter features valuable information about CCSN technology and news from various information technology sources that appear as regular features. The IT e-Newsletter also provides links to external sources about the academic technology world in one single stop!
The September Issue of the IT e-Newsletter features:
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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. |
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| Free Reading - “The Company Car” |
Sep. 23 at 7:30p.m. in UNLV’s Barrick Museum Auditorium, a reading presented by author C. J. Hribal. His newest novel has already garnered a coveted star in Publisher’s Weekly and an ALA Booklist stellar review. Author of previously acclaimed novels American Beauty and Matty’s Heart, Hribal has won the AWP Award in Short Fiction for The Clouds in Memphis, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the John Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
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Music:
Fourth Annual International New Music Festival |
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Sept. 23-25, free admission. Friday, Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. - Gala Grand Opening Concert showcasing all festival artists in the Cheyenne Campus at the Horn Theatre; Concerts in the Recital Hall - Saturday, Sept. 24 and Sunday, Sept. 25 at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m.
All Festival events are free and open to the public!
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| Free Lecture - “Policing Disorder: Crime Prevention in Urban Neighborhoods” |
Sep. 29 at 7:30 p.m. in UNLV’s
Barrick Museum Auditorium, presented by Rutgers University Prof. George
Kelling, School of Criminal Justice.
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Sept. 30 – Oct. 30. Opening reception for artists on Oct. 7 from 1 to 3 p.m. Jenny Kimball presents digital images on paper and Leighton McWilliams shows photography based mixed media constructions on the Cheyenne Campus. Free admission, open to the public and wheelchair accessible. Call 651-4205 for details
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Beat Legend Michael McClure Appears at Charleston Campus |
One of America’s most fascinating authors, artists and intellectuals, Beat legend Michael McClure will read and lecture. Oct. 14 at 3 p.m. in Bldg. D, Room 221, followed by a reading of his works on Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Bldg. B, Room 105. Both events are free and open to the public.
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Play: Anna in the Tropics |
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Oct. 14-15 and 21-22 at 7:30 p.m.; Oct. 16 and 23 at 2 p.m. in the BackStage Theatre, Cheyenne Campus. Reserved: $10 adult; $8 students, seniors.
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"Confessions of a PT&A Mom" Comes to CCSN |
Shows will be held in the BackStage Theatre on Oct. 16, 23, Nov. 13 and 20 at 7 p.m. and on Dec. 2, 3 and 9 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. Local stand-up comedian Carole Montgomery brings her hilarious one-woman show and signature "Carolisms" to the CCSN's Cheyenne Campus this fall. The "ivory girl with an attitude" has been making people laugh since 1981. She's been in the cut of 'Midnight Fantasy," performed at the Las Vegas Comedy Festival and the Montreal's Just for Laughs Festival, recorded a CD entitled "Extreme Comedy The Women," and appeared on television shows such as Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, the Oprah Winfrey Show and Showtime's Comedy Club All-Stars 6 with Don Rickles.Besides being a comedian and writer, Carole is a wife and mother, serving as vice-president of her son's school PTA and helping coach his Little League team. Though her onstage persona and offstage home life would seem to be on opposite sides of the spectrum, she juggles both with ease. According to the Las Vegas Review Journal, "Carole Montgomery is a fine mitigator for the women in the audience and her crowd banter gives the show an old-school, Redd Foxx atmosphere. It's a credit to her delivery that she can turn the tables on the men... and still keep them laughing."
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Music: Scholarship Concert |
Oct. 18 at 7:30 p.m. in the Horn Theatre, Cheyenne Campus. Admission $5. The CCSN Choral and Instrumental programs join together for an unforgettable evening of traditional music and song, in a fund raising effort for the Joe Williams Music Scholarship Fund. Established in 1989, the fund has helped over 400 CCSN music students to achieve education goals.
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Vocal Concert: Vocal Jazz Solo Night |
Oct. 25 at 7:30 p.m. in the BackStage Theatre, Cheyenne Campus. Admission $5. Join the CCSN jazz singers as they showcase their vocal talent. Each will perform a solo ranging from jazz standards to Broadway, as well as ensemble performances.
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With direct deposit now available to all CCSN employees, funds may be deposited in any bank or credit union in the United States. CCSN’s Human Resources Office has simplified the procedure for direct deposit of employee paychecks. According to Diane Fruth, it will benefit anyone setting up direct deposit, canceling direct deposit, or adding/deleting/changing accounts. This process will no longer be done manually, but simply completed through the Employee Self Service System (ESS). Employees are then responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the information entered into the system and for making any appropriate changes, updates and cancellations. The link to ESS is found on the HR web page. The simple procedure is accessible by clicking on this link.
Interactive Learning Centers are an integral part of CCSN "Students First" initiatives. Charleston Campus now has a new ILC on the third floor in the new Health Sciences Building (Bldg. "K") on the southeast side of the campus with 56 computers for student access. It will maintain the same operating hours as the first Charleston ILC located in the “C” building.
ILC operating hours listed below are in effect until Dec. 21, with closures for the following holidays: Nevada Day - Oct. 28; Veteran’s Day - Nov. 11; and Thanksgiving - Nov. 24-27 (except for Charleston ILCs open Nov. 26-27).
Cheyenne Campus (651-4592):
Monday - Thursday 7am - 11pm; Friday - 7am - 9:30pm; Saturday - 8am - 5pm; Sunday - 10am - 7pm
Henderson Campus (651-3002):
Monday - Thursday 7am - 11pm; Friday - 7am - 9:30pm; Saturday - 8am - 5pm; Sunday - Noon - 5pm
Charleston Campus ILC Bldg"C"(651-5931) and ILC Bldg"K"(651-7590):
Monday - Thursday 7am - 11pm; Friday - 7am - 9:30pm; Saturday - 8am - 5pm; Sunday - 10am - 7pm
Green Valley High Tech Center (651-2650):
Monday - Thursday 7am - 10pm; Friday - 7am - 9:30pm; Saturday - 8am - 5pm; Sunday - CLOSED
Pahrump Valley Center (651-2701):
Monday - Friday 7am - 9:30pm; Saturday - 7am - 4:30pm; Sunday - CLOSED
Summerlin High Tech Center (651-4900):
Monday - Wednesday 7am - 10pm; Thursday - 7am - 10:30pm; Friday - 7am - 4pm; Saturday - 8am - 5pm;
Sunday - CLOSED
Western High Tech Center (651-4800):
Monday - Thursday 7am - 11pm; Friday - 7am - 9:30pm; Saturday - 8am - 5pm; Sunday - CLOSED