SIERRA NEVADA TAHOE
UNIVERSITY
By Kevin Schiesz SIERRA NEVADA UNIVERSITY (SNU) was founded in 1969 by entrepreneurs who saw potential to create a beautiful, unique college that drew on its location to bolster its culture and academics. SNU is Nevada’s only private four-year university, but what makes it truly special is its location here in Incline Village, which allows the university to incorporate environmentally rich surroundings and regional characteristics into its academic programs. SNU’s physical setting is nearly unmatched in higher education. SNU has carefully designed its focus and academic programs in a way that is most supportive of student achievement, and of its value to society and prospective employers. SNU academics are geared toward three complementary competencies, intended to prepare students for success in today’s techoriented world: Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, and Creative Intelligence. On Saturday, May 15, at 10 a.m., SNU will welcome adventure travel pioneer Richard Bangs as the invited speaker at its 51st annual Commencement ceremony. Richard Bangs has often been called the father of modern adventure travel. His goal is “travel that makes a difference, travel that positively impacts the world.” In his 30 years as a world adventurer, river explorer, web pioneer, and award-winning author, he has led first descents of 35 rivers around the globe, including the Yangtze in China and the Zambezi in Southern Africa; published more than 1000 magazine articles and 19 books; produced a score of documentaries and several CD-ROMs; and lectured at the Smithsonian, the National Geographic Society, and the Explorers Club. He produced the first internet travel site, travel CD, and virtual expeditions. He is co-founder of steller.com, and is currently its Chief Adventure Officer. It has become the world’s largest travel storytelling platform and app. Many of SNU events and academic programs welcome members of the community, including the University’s popular Writers in the Woods series. Due to COVID-19, public events are in flux. You can stay up to date by visiting the University’s events calendar at www.sierranevada.edu/events/ for more details.
HELLO INCLINE VILLAGE AND CRYSTAL BAY! I am your Washoe County Commissioner. I ran to ensure that local government improves community members’ lives. I grew up in Sparks and have called northern Nevada my home for most of my life. I received a bachelor’s degree in political science from Texas A&M and a graduate degree from UNR in public administration and policy. I worked in public policy and city planning for more than a decade at the cities of Sparks and Reno. I also worked in the nonprofit sector at the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival and at Kids & Horses. Since taking office earlier this year, I have been working hard to address the community’s major issues including trash, transportation, parking problems, and short-term rentals. I have been coordinating with community partners and Clean Tahoe on a trash removal program for Incline Village which will be considered by the Board of County Commissioners in April. It would be great to see engagement by the community to show that these trash services are needed. I want to resolve transportation and parking issues in North Lake Tahoe and voted to support a planning process which includes Tahoe Transportation District’s purchase of the old elementary school and remediation dollars for removal of the school and clean up. I support a short-term rental ordinance to begin resolving ongoing issues caused by AirBnBs and VRBOs that will hopefully be adopted by the Board of County Commissioners by the time this publication is out, tested this summer, and reevaluated in November. I also voted to approve the Incline Village and Crystal Bay tax settlement in February to settle an almost two decade long protracted lawsuit. We have a lot more work to do on community planning for traffic mitigation, workforce housing, conservation efforts, and village beautification and enhancement projects, but I can’t wait to engage with the community and hear from you. I am honored to serve you and I pride myself on being accessible to the community, so please feel free to reach out on any of these issues or anything I need to address. My cell phone number is (775) 4473017 and my email address is ahill@washoecounty.us. Thank you!
SIERRA NEV
TAHOE
UNIVERS
Alexis Hill
IVCBA.ORG
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