REPORT OF FISCAL YEAR 2022 ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROPOSAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2023
Submitted by DeRionne Pollard President Nevada State College June 24, 2022
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Executive Summary
03
FY22 Accomplishments
04
Preparing for the Future Proposal for FY23
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In February 2015, Nevada State College and the Rogers Foundation began a partnership that has enhanced the lives of countless students and shaped the future of our institution. After seven years of a successful partnership, Nevada State is pleased to report on the achievements the Rogers Foundation has enabled as well as our plans for upcoming initiatives. When we submitted our report in spring 2021, we harbored a hope that the pandemic was winding down and that our interactions with one another would progressively become less characterized by safety precautions. However, the situation defied our wishes - it would be another year before the health concerns that dominated our recent history finally started to dissipate. Now, as we begin the next chapter of our story, we are “Back and Bold,” holding traditional classes and in-person events. Students once again fill the spaces between classrooms and buildings. In this relative calm, we can reflect on the many challenges we faced and fully express our gratitude for the many ways that the Rogers Foundation helped us to persevere and even find ways to grow. This report begins with a summary of our achievements in FY22. Some highlights made possible by the Rogers gift include: • Inaugural events from two new programs that support the retention, recruitment, and wellness of Black students at NSC: Sankofa and Facilitating African American Male Excellence (FAME).
• Scholarships for 308 Teacher Academy students, who are taking up to three college-level education courses while they complete high school. • The 10 Year Anniversary of the Nepantla Summer Bridge Program. • The Writing Center’s Social Justice Series, where we hosted several experts who lead discussions with faculty and students about the intersections of writing and social justice. In addition to a review of our accomplishments, we have also included a proposal for FY23 that outlines our goals and budgets. This proposal outlines how we intend to maintain all the strong programming we’ve started while also adding new initiatives that will help our students. Some of the new ideas we’ll be piloting include: • A pilot project to expand Nepantla services and programming to transfer students • An expansion of our Sankofa program to cover year-long programming and mentoring Each year, the Nevada State faculty and students look forward to sharing our collective successes with the Rogers Foundation. We hope that each report serves as a testament to how well we work together, how our partnership changes lives, and how grateful we are for your continued support.
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FY22 ACCOMPLISHMENTS THE NEPANTLA PROGRAM Overview The Nepantla program is a competitive four-year commitment dedicated to empowering firstgeneration college students through academic skills, access to resources, community building, and professional success through self-discovery. In its long history at Nevada State, Nepantla has grown into one of our flagship programs. When we celebrate all the great things about the College, Nepantla always serves as an exemplar of our commitment to first-generation students, students of color, and underserved communities. Learning from the lessons of last year, we continued to offer an online summer bridge program, a wide range of virtual events, and enhanced 1-on-1 advising. We had over 900 student one-on-one meetings over the course of FY22 in which students were supported through enhanced academic advising, financial aid support, or peer mentoring. We provide this level of support to nine cohorts of students. As a result, Nepantla students truly feel a sense of belonging and are empowered to continue their college journey. We are happy to say that this Spring, we had 18 Nepantla graduates. They proudly represented Nepantla with custom stoles during the commencement ceremony. The Nepantla Program continues to be led by an experienced team of administrators and educators: • Ms. Leilani Carreño, Nepantla Director • Samantha Gonzalez, Nepantla Coordinator
• Dr. Leila Pazargadi, Associate Professor of English and Nepantla Summer Bridge Director • Dr. Chris Harris, Professor of Communication and Nepantla instructor In 2021, the Nepantla program welcomed 22 students as its ninth cohort. Of these students: • 76% are female • 81% are Chicanx/Hispanic/Latinx • 100% are the first in their families to attend college Their top majors include Human Health Sciences (42%) and Psychology (14%). The pandemic and our reliance on virtual interactions made recruitment more challenging this year, but we are already on track to have an increased cohort size for FY23.
Promoting our Shared Achievements We work diligently to show that all our efforts are made possible by the contributions of the Rogers Foundation. This includes prominently featuring the Rogers Foundation logo on our website, marketing materials, social media posts, and Nepantla promotional items. Notably, our program was highlighted in the City of Henderson’s social media platforms as part of their “Mondays with the Mayor” series. Nepantla director Leilani Carreño along with Nepantla Students Giselle Gradilla (Cohort 6) and Cesar Estanes (Cohort 7) talked about how our program is contributing to graduation rates at NSC and encouraged first generation high school students to apply.
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A Program Incubator
Welcome Samantha!
When the Nepantla Program started, the Rogers Foundation gift covered the Director’s salary as well as a portion of the Nepantla Coordinator’s salary. This year, we shifted those expenses to our annual budget, making the position “permanent” and freeing funds to use for new initiatives. By institutionalizing the Nepantla Director’s salary and the Coordinator’s salary, we were able to using Rogers Foundation support to begin the Sankofa and FAME initiatives. This is a terrific example of how the Rogers Foundation allowed us to pilot a major program, adopt it, and then begin exploring new programs.
This year, we brought on our new Program Coordinator, Samantha Gonzalez. Samantha was born in Las Vegas and attended Rancho High School. She earned a Master’s in Secondary Education while teaching middle school Reading in Texas and is excited to be back in her hometown. Samantha is passionate about being involved with the community and helping the program grow.
In another example, the Rogers Foundation previously supported embedded student tutors (Course Assistants) in our Nepantla Summer Bridge classes. This year, the Academic Success Center has agreed to support all the costs of our Course Assistants, freeing funds to support our Nepantla Peer Educator Program.
Supporting Student Success The enhanced mentorship and academic support provided by the program increase the chances for each student to succeed. In this first chart, we compare the retention rates for first-time fulltime students. Each year, the retention rates for students in the Nepantla program are notably higher. In the second chart, we compare the six-year graduation rates for first-time, full-time students. Again, students in the Nepantla program perform at exceptionally high rates, graduating more than their non-Nepantla counterparts.
FIRST-TIME, FULL-TIME STUDENTS ONE YEAR RETENTION
100 80
77%
86%
78%
88% 76%
81%
60 40 20 0
FALL 2018
FALL 2019 Non-Nepantla
Nepantla
FALL 2020
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FIRST-TIME, FULL-TIME STUDENTS SIX YEAR GRADUATION RATE
80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0
67% 44%
17%
FALL 2013
22%
31%
FALL 2014 Non-Nepantla
Building Community As the only program of its kind in the state of Nevada, we are finding new ways to make Nepantla more accessible to the community which we serve. One of the new initiatives this year was First Gen Welcome Day, a recruitment event in which we invite first-gen students, community partners, Nepantla alumni, and Nepantla families to come and experience what it’s like to navigate college as a first-generation college student. The event included relationship building with key student support offices such as our Office of Financial Aid, Academic Success Center, Library, and of course, Nepantla. After a two-year hiatus, we welcomed back our Junior-Senior Leadership retreat with a total of ten students in attendance from across four cohorts. This retreat contained several sessions and events, including: • An overnight stay at The Village student housing
27%
FALL 2015
Nepantla
• A workshop titled “Code Switching: Navigating Spaces from a Strengths-Based Perspective” • A workshop titled “Code Switching: Embracing Your Legacy” • A Nepantla alumni-led panel discussing graduate applications • A group experience on Nevada Rail Explorers • Attending an event supporting the Afghan refugees on campus In addition to all of these fantastic experiences, we also hosted these events throughout the year:
• Alumni Night Team Nepantla hosted a “Meet the Nepantla Alumni” movie night at Town Square to watch the film Respect.
• Nepantla’s Dia de los Muertos Celebration We hosted our 4th Annual Día de los Muertos Celebration on Thursday, October 28, 2021. With
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over 100 participants, this year’s celebration featured 14 student-created altars, 14 pieces of original artwork, and poem readings to remember and honor loved ones who have passed or bring attention to social justice movements.
• Foodbank Volunteering Nepantla students volunteered at El Centro Cristiano El Shaddai with Three Square Food Bank to put together meal kits for people in need.
• WACAC Conference 2021 Nepantla Program Director Leilani Carreño along with Peer Educator Ricardo Oseguera, Student Ambassador Karla Montoya-Salazar and former Nepantla Program Coordinator Johanna Araujo hosted a Super Session at the conference. Team Nepantla led a panel of students and professionals in a conversation about the opportunities for future enrollment management that focus on access and affordability, student leadership development, cross-campus collaboration and relationship building.
• NASPA Conference 2022 Program Coordinator, Samantha Gonzalez, and Program Intern Maria Balleza-Franco attended a national conference in Baltimore, MD.
• National First-Gen Day Celebration Team Nepantla extended this celebration into an entire week, which included: • Creating a piece in our Social Justice Collaborative where students could post a message of what being a first-generation college student means to them. They were encouraged to post their pictures using the #CelebrateFirstGenDay hashtag. • Hosting a Nepantla Peer Educators Interviews and Photoshoot, where our Peer Educators shared what being first-gen means to them and some of the challenges they have faced as first-gen college students.
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NSC WRITING CENTER Overview The NS writing center fosters a vibrant and inclusive writing culture that encourages current students, recent alumni, faculty, and staff to boldly pursue writing excellence, embrace a growth mindset, and love collaboration. The Writing Center pursues two related goals: 1. Helping students improve as scholars, creatives, and citizens by helping them grow as writers. Our highly-trained peer writing specialists come from degree programs across the campus, including Math, Business, Criminal Justice, Biology, Nursing, Visual Media, Education, and English. Everybody writes at Nevada State! We use antiracist and access-focused approaches to support students with multiple forms of written and visual communication, including: • research papers • creative works
• personal statements • discussion posts • posters • PowerPoint presentations • video compositions 2. Serving as a hub for research in writing studies. Often, undergraduate research is considered the domain of the sciences. Our Writing Center expands undergraduate research to include the scholarship of writing, providing our students with structured support and mentorship that has led to numerous presentations and publications. For example, in spring 2022, longtime Writing Specialist Britty Cox represented Nevada’s Writing Centers on a fiveperson panel hosted by the Online Writing Centers Association and the Rocky Mountain Writing Centers Association. The panel, entitled “Engaging Writers Online: A Tutor-Centered Conversation,” brought in more than 90 attendees from fifteen different states.
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Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation
International Collaboration
We could not provide robust writing support or a unique focus on undergraduate research without the support of the Rogers Foundation. We acknowledge this support by including the Rogers Foundation logo in our printed and online materials, including the Writing Center website.
The team pursued cross-institutional research as part of the Tutor Exchange Project. Each specialist was paired with a tutor at another institution for two rounds of interviews, reflection, and writing center research. Our team members were paired with tutors from as far away as Qatar. Their chosen research questions included the role of nontraditional student tutors, the rhetorical impact of writing center workshops, and the positionality of queer tutors in the center. Now that the project is over, several tutors are still in touch with their international friends.
A Center for the Scholarship of Writing Four current Writing Specialists were selected to present writing-centric research at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Works Conference at the end of April. Of those four, two were also selected as paid presenters for the Centers for Academic Success Symposium in June. In addition, Writing Center leaders published two more articles co-authored by undergraduate Writing Specialists: • “Perdiendo mi persona: Negotiating Language and Identity at the Conference Door,” co-written by Hugo Virrueta and Rachel Herzl-Betz, was published in volume 22 of Pedagogy. • “Review: Radical Writing Pedagogy,” co-written by Eduardo Mabilog and Rachel Herzl-Betz, was published in volume 38 of The Writing Center Journal.
Praxis support This semester, we worked closely with the School of Education (SOE) team to provide more robust Praxis support for education students. Every specialist engaged in a series of training workshops, which included multiple practice exams. Now, the Writing Center provides live Praxis sessions, weekly asynchronous feedback on SOE practice essays, and boot camps for students struggling to pass the exam.
Supporting Writing for Faculty and Staff This summer, a record number of Nevada State community members completed the Faculty and Staff Writing Group. Eighteen academic and administrative faculty members made the time to join in and write at least once a week for the entire summer semester. Here are some of their highlights: • “I was able to submit one manuscript that I am the first author on, which is currently under review. I was also able to make substantial progress on another. Before the summer, I had nothing written. I now have the Methods and Results written, as well the tables made.” • “The most useful was the accountability to take the time to write and make progress toward my final goal. I also appreciate having to articulate our goals, successes, and struggles as a way of being more aware of where we were.” • “I worked on my book proposal which I have finished. I also worked on an R&R which I have resubmitted. And I applied for a feminist pedagogy special issue and my proposal was accepted. All in all, I accomplished a lot with the
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writing group and I find the accountability to be VERY helpful in reaching my goals.” • “I enjoyed the positive, supportive, and perfectly informal, yet still professional, culture that emerged.” Additionally, we welcomed our first mini-writing groups this year, which fostered faculty and staff writing communities during the Fall and Spring semesters. Between fifteen and twenty writers worked toward their writing goals each semester. The small groups have also fostered new crossdisciplinary collaborations, including research projects, co-taught classes, and ongoing writing mentorships.
Focusing on Social Justice We welcomed four writing center experts to speak on their recent publications and how their work can strengthen our support at Nevada State College. Each event included live captioning and ASL interpreters. Below, you’ll find the event dates, along with a brief list of each speaker’s research interests: • Sept. 22: Eric Camarillo: Antiracism in writing centers and Hispanic Serving Institutions • Oct. 6: Floyd Pouncil: Linguistic diversity in peer tutor training • Oct. 27: J.M. Dempsey: Accessibility in writing support and online education • Nov. 10: Neil Simpkins: Disability accommodations, writing, and student agency Campus community members, including faculty members, staff members, students, members of the Office of the Provost, and the Dean of LAS have made time to attend the series and have come prepared to ask incisive questions.
Developing our Team The Writing Center team has engaged in challenging professional development through remote conferences and symposia. In September and October, we took part in the 2021 Conference for Antiracist Teaching, Language, and Assessment, hosted by Oregon State University. We also attended workshops and speakers as part of the International Writing Centers Association Annual Conference. In both cases, our undergraduate peer specialists had the opportunity to see instructors, graduate students, and fellow undergrads present writing-focused research and demonstrate how to use that research to improve how we support our visiting writers.
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Class Workshops This semester has been busy with workshops of all kinds. We currently offer in-class workshops in three modalities: on-campus, synchronous, and asynchronous. So far, we have either scheduled or presented more than 40 distinct workshops and presentations. These include workshops on how to structure a qualitative critique for a 400-level Nursing course, one on how to provide feedback for a dual-credit composition course, and one for faculty on ways to design writing assignments with accessibility in mind. Each presentation is designed with a single discipline, level, course, and instructor in mind. We also work closely with instructors to ensure that we meet students where they are.
Making Appointments Easier and Better This semester, the Writing Center is excited to adopt Penji, a new appointment and data management system that will eventually serve several studentfacing offices on campus. Unlike previous systems, Penji is streamlined, Zoom integrated, and easily accessible via the app. Students can make appointments for zoom or asynchronous sessions, review drop-in hours, and chat with writing specialists, all from their phones. At the same time, the Writing Center will be able to see live user data focused on time, appointment date, location, writing specialist, or session topic.
Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP) On Friday, November 19th and Friday, April 22nd, the Writing Center worked with eight other campus organizations to host seven hours of activities, support, and community building. Between one and two-hundred participants took part each night. Here are a few highlights from the two nights: • The Nevada State Student Organization (NSSA) led movie nights on the Roof of the Kasner Academic Building. • Blue Sage Writer’s Guild hosted remote Open Mic Nights, led by student poets. • Nepantla hosted a game night in the new Social Justice Lab. • The Sustainability Council hosted clothing and book swaps in the Rogers Student Center. • The Writing Center and the Marydean Martin Library hosted a Youtube livestream for questions and chats throughout the night. For a window into our most recent event, visit the LNAP linktree, where participants could access handouts for events throughout the night. https://linktr.ee/NSCwritingcenter
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TEACHER ACADEMY Overview The Nevada State College School of Education remains steadfastly committed to locally growing more teachers for the State of Nevada. Our Teacher Academy Pipeline Project (TAPP) is at the epicenter of this far-reaching work. This initiative annually reaches hundreds of high school students (grades 9-12) who are enrolled in the Teaching and Training (T/T) CTE Program. Our School of Education is working directly with 12 of the 32 CCSD high schools that offer this curriculum. The Rogers Foundation’s generous support of our TAPP initiative continues to impact our work positively, and your generosity continues to change the lives of families across Nevada.
In addition, the dual credit initiative that the Rogers Foundation supported has now been fully institutionalized. We began this program entirely with Rogers Foundation funding. Now, we have a Coordinator and Specialist running the program and funding for faculty liaisons, all supported by our fixed budget. This is an excellent example of how the Rogers Foundation helped start a project, which we were then able to institutionalize.
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation Wherever possible, we highlight the support of the Rogers Foundation to students, teachers, and members of the community. We continue to feature the Rogers Foundation logo prominently on all our written and promotional materials, including the application for the Teacher Academy Scholarship. We also use the Rogers Foundation logo during our presentations, including several statewide Teacher Academy Summits.
Our Combined Investment One of the tremendous benefits of the Rogers Foundation gift is the way it enables other forms of support. An excellent example is the two Title V Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grants we’ve received, both of which support Latinx students who wish to become teachers. The Rogers Foundation gift makes our application for these grants stronger, making us more likely to receive additional funding. We’re currently working on a third Title V HSI grant and feel confident we’ll receive it.
Connecting with Prospective Teachers This year, our outstanding HSI team connected with Teaching and Training CTE classes and continued to deliver presentations on career identity and exploring different career options in education. The HSI team coordinated two Scholar’s Day events. At these events, approximately three hundred 11th and 12th grade high school students participating in the Teaching and Training CTE program, from nine CCSD high schools, were welcomed to an event hosted in the Christenson Education Building (CEB). Ten Nevada State College SOE faculty members presented sessions addressing the different career opportunities within the field of education. The Scholar’s Day agenda also included a tour of the campus including the new Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC). CCSD CTE leaders and Nevada Department of Education personnel also made valuable contributions throughout the day. The HSI team also coordinated two Future Teachers days.
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At these events, approximately three hundred 9th and 10th grade high school students participating in the Teaching and Training CTE program, from nine CCSD high schools came to campus and participated in programming that provided an opportunity to explore teaching as a career choice. Sessions were led by HSI team members and School of Education faculty. The Future Teacher Day agenda also included a campus tour that included time spent in the Christenson Education Building. Our outstanding HSI team also connected with Teaching and Training CTE classes on-site in local high schools. Mentors / Site coordinators made presentations on career identity and exploring different career options in education. The addition of two high school site coordinators significantly enhanced our connective capacity. Since the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, the team has reached over 1,100 students at 11 different high school partners. During presentations, our HSI college mentors connect with students and share their college experiences at Nevada State.
Other TAPP events and initiatives include: • Summer TAPP Summit and PD with TAPP Dual-Credit Instructors. Instructors received Undocu/Dreamer training to better help those student populations. • HSI Team presented about TAPP at annual HACU Conference. • EDU 203 and 206 training is ongoing for dual-credit instructors. • 10 TAPP school site visits with Principals, Assistant Principals, Counselors, TAPP Teachers and Dual Credit students between August and October. • Five schools received 1st TAPP Presentation on Dual Credit and Cultural Responsive Teaching during September and October. • 800 + Students reached since early September. • 14 Mentor Presentations. • 44 TAPP staff presentations. • Two more schools are scheduled in November for their first TAPP Presentation. • Five schools scheduled for their 2nd TAPP Presentation. • Planning for TAPP Scholar’s Day in early 2022. • 7 TAPP Incoming Pre-Education Major Scholarships awarded and dispersed in Spring 2022.
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Rogers Foundation Scholarships for Incoming Students The TAPP Team reviewed and awarded several scholarship applications. These scholarships are specifically designed to help students pursue a teacher education major.
ROGERS FOUNDATION INCOMING SOE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS FIRST NAME
LAST NAME
TAPP SCHOOL
FALL 2021
SPRING 2022
Hailey N
Steffey
Shadow Ridge
500
500
Adriana
Flores
ECTA
500
500
Danielle
Flores
ECTA
500
500
Maria
Cano-Cano
ECTA
500
500
Ashly B
Ventura
ECTA
500
500
Koral J
Lopez
ECTA
500
500
Angela M
Cortinas
Valley
0
1000
An Innovative Dual Credit Teacher Training Program In total, 308 high-school based T/T CTE program students enrolled in one or more education-focused NS dual credit courses. The numbers continue to grow. The potential for locally growing more K-12 teachers remains on a positive path!
ROGERS FOUNDATION DUAL CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS ROGERS FOUNDATION DUAL CREDIT SCHOLARSHIP SUMMARY: FALL 2021 SCHOOLS
NUMBER OF STUDENTS
TUITION
APP FEE
TOTAL AMOUNT
Coronado
16
$1,425
$390
$1,815
Foothill
7
$750
$120
$870
ECTA
102
$12,600
$1,680
$14,280
Green Valley
5
$375
$150
$525
Liberty
7
$750
$-
$750
Rancho
50
$4,725
$870
$5,595
SECTA
36
$3,675
$570
$4,245
Shadow Ridge
19
$1,575
$210
$1,785
Spring Valley
28
$2,325
$510
$2,835
SWCTA
21
$2,000
$600
$2,600
Valley
10
$750
$300
$1,050
TOTALS
301
$30,950
$5,400
$36,350
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TAPP Summer Bridge Program • Rogers Foundation FY 2022 Scholarship Award winners were among the students participating in our annual TAPP Summer Bridge Program. • This three-day event provided participants with a powerful orientation to Nevada State and the School of Education. The learning-focused agenda included: • Community/Relationship building sequences; teaching is relational, connective, and collaborative! • Insights shared by current NS college students—including mentors for the HSI grant • An orientation to the NS SOE Future Educators Society professional organization
• Orientation to the NS’ nationally recognized/ awarded library! • Informative presentations by School of Education faculty • Orientation to the Praxis Core Examination (a licensure requirement for all Nevada teaching candidates)
Conclusion The financial support provided by the Rogers Foundation continues to play a decisive role in advancing the efforts of the Nevada State College to “find a way” to locally grow more PreK-12 educators for our state. The Teacher Academy Pipeline Project is a BOLD effort that has gained statewide attention and is providing a template for similar efforts throughout the state of Nevada.
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SANKOFA Overview On June 21, 2021 we launched our inaugural Sankofa Summer Bridge program. We had 12 students participate in our Cohort One Summer Bridge Program. This group included incoming NSC freshmen and high school juniors and seniors. The hybrid two-week program took place via Zoom with several sessions on campus. The program focused on equipping the students with the skills they will need to succeed in college while also highlighting the unique history and experiences of people of the African Diaspora. Students received interactive workshops from NSC’s Black faculty and staff, toured the NSC STEM lab, learned about the various student support services, engaged in community service at a local elderly care center, developed research projects, and participated in a stepping/body percussion workshop with the local group, Molodi. Participating students received a $250 stipend, and incoming freshmen received a $2500 scholarship.
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation We highlighted our partnership with the Rogers Foundation throughout this inaugural year, by prominently featuring the Rogers Foundation logo on our Sankofa website, on the printed materials we created, and in our presentations.
Mentoring Sankofa Students Sankofa currently has seven students enrolled at NSC. All seven students received two scholarship installments of $625, for a total of $1250 each. We assigned each of the seven students a faculty mentor who meets with them regularly. Faculty completed a “Mentorship Contract” and a “Sankofa Student” Intake form. Students are also required to have a one-on-one session with the Sankofa Director once a month.
Giving Back to the Community Sankofa students volunteered at the Adult Day Care Center of Henderson located close to campus. For this event, the students facilitated an ice cream party for the elders at the center. They also engaged in arts and crafts and various games.
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Celebrating our Successes The Sankofa Final Celebration included African drumming, performers and local community advocates such as Assemblywoman Claire Thomas, the NSC leadership team, faculty and staff. Students presented their final presentations in which they identified a critical issue in the Black community that they wanted to address and explore. Students were also able to engage with potential mentors.
Keeping Students Engaged Sankofa hosted four student support and professional development events in Fall 2021. We had over 60 faculty, staff and students participate in the various events. We also partnered with Career Services, TRIO SSS, and the Community Engagement Diversity Initiatives Offices (CEDI). These events were: • Black Faculty, Staff and Student Meet and Greet • Money, Money, Money • The second Annual virtual Kwanzaa celebration • Dope Resumes and Catchy Cover Letters
The Passage Ceremony We are proud to report the completion of our inaugural NSC Sankofa Passage Black Graduation Ceremony. Rites of passage are an integral part of African tradition. The “Sankofa Passage” ceremony was designed to celebrate students’ “passages” into a new chapter of life as Nevada State College graduates. We all know the drive and perseverance it takes for students to reach this point. This is why we do the work we do! Each graduate received a complimentary Sankofa
graduation stole (See below). They had someone who was critical on their journey (a family member, an NSC faculty/staff member, or mentor) place a stole upon them. Their testimonies about their journey to graduation were compelling and touching. Both parents and students expressed gratitude for being able to have the opportunity. Hopefully, this will become a new NSC tradition that Black students and families can look forward to.
Keeping Connected Sankofa offers monthly newsletters to inspire and encourage students. We recently transitioned to a Sankofa Canvas page in hopes of having more student interaction. We also began a new Sankofa Canvas Page where there are lots of resources and updates to help our students finish the school year strong! The New Sankofa page is where we will communicate with students who want to stay informed on Black culture, success, and the inclusion of Black students in academia and at Nevada State.
Sankofa Summer Bridge Cohort Two Recruitment Finally, we are gearing up to recruit our Sankofa Cohort Two-Sankofa Summer Bridge Program participants. The summer bridge will be a two-week face-to-face program dedicated to Black student recruitment and retention. We will be recruiting 15 students this year. Students will stay in the NSC dorms for a weekend. We have more exciting workshops and events in store for Cohort Two. Sankofa is genuinely grateful for the Rogers Foundation’s generous donation. These efforts are truly transforming the culture of Nevada State College. Our goal is to help Black students to feel supported, seen, and a part of the wonderful NSC community.
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FACILITATING AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE EXCELLENCE (FAME) Overview F.A.M.E (Facilitating African American Male Excellence) is a campus-based, student organization with programmatic initiatives that support the development of social, emotional, and educational needs of African American males on the campus of Nevada State College. Formerly called Collegiate 100, the recruitment initiatives in this program focus on our historically under-served, first-generation African American male student population.
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation During the May Gala Event, the FAME advisory team was able to acknowledge the many contributions of the Rogers Foundation. The logo was featured prominently during the event.
Serving an Important Role at Nevada State The 3-year average of one-year retention of our firsttime, full-time black male students is 91%. This is above the average retention of 78% for all first-time, full-time students. We are looking at a small sample of 22 students. Our starting cohorts for first-time, full-time back males are around 7-8.
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Wolves, Sheep, and Sheepdogs F.A.M.E collaborated with the Office of Recruitment to talk with prospective African American male students. The advisor for FAME (Dr. Derric Carter) met with incoming college students and lectured on Wolves, Sheep, and Sheepdogs: Navigating College in a Chaotic Society. As part of this presentation, the advisor contacted 25 prospective students.
Bridging The Gap FAME participated in several crossover events throughout the year, including formally welcoming Dr. DeRionne Pollard to Campus. This was to ensure collaboration was taking place between faculty, leadership, and our student demographic.
FAME Community Breakfast F.A.M.E advisory team partnered with the President’s office to host a gala event where 25 community members attended. The objective was to foster relationships between prominent African Americans and Nevada State College faculty and staff in the greater Las Vegas region. This program aligns with the President’s Back and Bold initiative. In addition, the Rodger’s Foundation was highlighted as being a key component to the growth and development of FAME. The Rodgers Foundation has been a lifeline when creating culturally relevant programming for our unique student population.
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PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE PROPOSAL FOR FY23
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THE NEPANTLA PROGRAM In FY22, we devoted our efforts to helping students persevere through a protracted health crisis and then transition back into our new normal. As we move into FY23, we will continue supporting students as they manage a difficult transition during a time when inflation, gasoline prices, and an attractive job market make college a more challenging option for students. This year, our primary areas of focus will be: • Building a stronger Alumni base • Designing a Transfer Summer Bridge Program • Creating a specialized class for our Peer Educators
Curriculum development: The Nepantla Peer Educator Program became the first formalized peer educator program at Nevada State five years ago and now seeks to be the first program to add a curricular component. Five peer educators will be enrolled in COM 464 with Dr. Chris Harris and will have the opportunity to explore their roles as peer educators as a complement to the learning objectives as part of the course.
Exploring an option for transfer students:
Community building: Many current students completed high school or started college during a worldwide health crisis. These students are now at various stages in their college journey. To help them succeed, we need to focus on re-building our community, preparing our students for academic success, and helping them enter the workforce.
Team Nepantla will design a Transfer Summer Bridge Program, which will include a specialized course. We hope to have this option officially available to students in the summer of 2023. If the pilot is successful, transfer students will take workshops and information sessions with our first-year students, but each group will be enrolled in separate courses. The combined workshops will allow students from various stages in their academic journey to interact, adding diverse perspectives and life experiences to an already robust program.
22 NEPANTLA BUDGET DETAIL ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
Salary/ Wages
Fringe
Gen Ops
Host
Travel
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
$9,000
$2,943
Summer Director
The Summer Director, Dr. Leila Pazargadi, coordinates summer classes, develops annual themes, manages events, and provides additional mentoring for our Nepantla students.
Operations
This funding supports several initiatives, including an annual field trip/team-building exercises, Nepantla swag, recruitment, program marketing, and professional development for the Nepantla staff.
$14,550
$2,000
Programming
Nepantla has made notable efforts to increase the amount of programming we do on campus for Nepantla students. Examples include our annual Día de los Muertos event, Peer Educator led programming, Summer Bridge programming. The funds in this area support food, supplies, and marketing.
$2,000
$10,000
Program Ambassadors and Peer Educators
Several academic studies and internal NSC data suggest that peer-to-peer mentoring and assistance are highly effective ways to improve student success. By recruiting successful graduates of the Nepantla Program to serve as Peer Educators and Program Ambassadors, we can encourage students to become exceptional mentors and role models for new generations. These funds would support 950 hours peer support as well as three credit hours for 5 Peer Educators and we pilot an upper division course as part of the development of Peer Educators.
$9,519
$3,112.71
Faculty Stipends
The involvement of excellent faculty in the Summer Bridge component of Nepantla has been a linchpin of the program’s success. NSC supports the faculty salaries, but Nepantla contributes an additional 10% to these salaries in support of the additional advising these faculty provide.
$3,863
$1,263.20
Scholarships
Supports summer bridge tuition and cost of attendance, as well as 3 year long scholarships: need-based, leadership-based, and merit-based. The Nepantla Ganas scholarships (need-based) are given to students with a demonstrable need for additional support. These scholarships are especially beneficial for students who are unable to receive federal financial aid. Purpose (meritbased) scholarships are offered for exceptional academic performance, and Solidarity (leadership-based) scholarships support students who demonstrate a willingness to participate in community service and related activities.
Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge 6400
TOTAL
6500 $11,943
$4,500
$21,050
$12,000
$5,000
$9,500
$27,131.71
$5,126.20
$75,000
$75,000
NEPANTLA BUDGET DETAIL
Salary/ Wages
Fringe
Gen Ops
Host
Travel
ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
Junior-Senior Leadership Retreat
This retreat will be for juniors and seniors in the Nepantla Program who wish to build on their leadership skills and enhance their understanding of social justice beyond the college campus and into the workforce.
Social Justice Collaborative
An established collaborative incubating a social justice mentality on campus. This will fund maintenance of the space, purchase items for the library.
Transfer Summer Program
Funds will support designing a transfer student summer bridge pipeline.
$4,000
$2,500
$2,000
$654
Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge 6400
TOTAL23
6500 $4,000
$2,500
$2,654
TOTAL
$161,404.91
FY23 BUDGET
$137,000.00
FY22 CARRYOVER
$24,404.91
24
NEVADA STATE WRITING CENTER Moving forward into FY23, The Nevada State Writing Center is ready to adapt to our new normal, which includes a combination of in-person and remote interactions.
Revitalized Campus writing community: In FY23, the center plans to host a range of new on-campus events, including public “Write-Ins” and “Brown Bags in the Center.” The Write-Ins will welcome new students into our campus writing community, while the Brown Bags allow students and staff to learn about specialist research.
Return to Research Innovation: Five current Writing Specialists have already completed research proposals for international presentation opportunities in the Fall of 2023. Their topics range
from neurodiversity and multilingual student access to the complex nature of boundaries in peer support. In FY23, we will return to in-person conferences, where our students are often among the only researchers from minority-serving, teaching-focused institutions.
Data-driven sustainability: Thanks to our new appointment system, the center has access to an exciting range of new data. In addition, we are now pursuing regular, qualitative assessments with students, faculty, staff members, and our team. We are excited to plan the next stage of the Writing Center’s growth, in which cutting-edge innovation is made possible by consistent, measurable improvement.
25
WRITING CENTER BUDGET DETAIL
Salary/ Wages
Fringe
Gen Ops
Host
Travel
DESCRIPTION
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
Writing Center Coordinator
We have begun the process of hiring a permanent Writing Center Coordinator for the 22/23 fiscal year (salary & fringe beginning Sept. 2022, budgeted at $45,000 per year)
$37,500
$12,262.50
$49,762.50
Peer Writing Specialists
Writing Specialists are the heart of our Writing Center and serve a crucial role in fulfilling its mission. These committed students attend lengthy training sessions and work tirelessly to help other students improve their writing practices (wages & fringe).
$130,000
$3,120
$133,120
Undergraduate Research and Professional Development
The Writing Center provides support for students who attend and present at writing conferences. In addition, the Writing Center supports the professional development activities of the Writing Center Director and Coordinator.
Faculty Development
The Writing Center also designs and hosts workshops for faculty interested in improving their understanding of writing and their ability to teach writing to our students. This funding provides honorariums for speakers and stipends for participants. It also allows for food and materials. Examples of faculty development include our Faculty and Staff Writing Groups and our campus Speaker Series, both of which aim to improve the overall writing culture on campus.
$10,000
Writing Center Resources
These funds help us maintain our website, purchase books for the writing center, and purchase equipment for the Director/ Coordinator. These funds also allow us to provide resources for the training sessions we provide to Writing Specialists.
$5,000
Writing Culture Events
Our most successful endeavor has been the Long Night Against Procrastination, a campus-wide event where students from all majors are invited to stay up until midnight to complete their assignments. The Writing Center provides tutoring sessions, food, crafts, and activities to aid them.
ELEMENT
Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge 6400
$12,000
TOTAL
6500
$8,000
$20,000
$10,000
$700
$12,000
$5,700
$12,000
TOTAL
$230,582.50
FY23 BUDGET
$204,000.00
FY22 CARRYOVER
$26,582.50
26
TEACHER ACADEMY In FY23, we will be focusing heavily on student scholarships. All students in the Teacher Academy Preparation Program can take EDU classes at no cost to them. They will also be able to take two additional general education classes at no charge.
TEACHER ACADEMY BUDGET DETAIL
By providing access to these courses, we remove the barriers that can hinder students from pursuing a college education and increase the likelihood that these students will choose teaching as a profession.
Salary/ Fringe Wages
Gen Ops
Host
Travel Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge
5000 or 5700
6000
6200
6300
ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
Dual Credit Course Scholarships for Teacher Academy Participants
Scholarship funds will pay the costs for all dual credit EDU and Core Curriculum /fees for high school juniors and seniors attending TAPP-affiliated high schools and actively participate in the Teacher Academy program (enrolled in high school-based Teaching and Training Program). A concurrent enrollment course (where a high school teacher leads the course) is $75.
$65,000
$65,000
Scholarships for Teacher Academy Participants
To encourage graduating TAPP students to choose to attend NSC and pursue a SOE major, we will offer ten $1,000 scholarships to incoming TAPP participants who enroll in an SoE program.
$10,000
$10,000
TOTAL
5900
6400
TOTAL
6500
$75,000
27
SANKOFA In FY23, the Sankofa Program will continue to explore ways to support the retention of our Summer Bridge Program participants and Black students at NSC. While recruitment was a big emphasis in year one,
SANKOFA BUDGET DETAIL
we learned that retention requires more time, energy, and staffing to be done effectively. We will continue to seek more funding to hire a full-time Sankofa Coordinator who can support this process.
Salary/ Fringe Wages
Gen Ops
Host
Travel Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge
DESCRIPTION
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
Project Director: Dr. Shartriya Collier
Dr. Shartriya Collier serves as the primary leader of this project. (Included Year-round and Summer Bridge )
$8,000
$2,616
$10,616
Project Facilitator: Derryce Howzell
Ms. Howzell will assist Dr. Collier in planning and marketing. (Include recruitment for Summer Bridge and supporting the implementation)
$7,000
$2,289
$9,289
Faculty Presenters for Summer Bridge
This amount will cover seven faculty presenters, who will receive $200 stipends. (7@$200 each)
$1,400
$457.80
$1,857.80
Stipend for Participants
Each student participant will receive a $250 reward for participating in the program (15 students x $250)
$3,750
$3,750
Transportation
Transportation is a crucial component of this program’s success. We will use Silverado Coaches for ten days, at the cost of $500 per day.
$5,000
$5,000
Food for 25 participants
Food will be provided for all participants at an estimated cost of $200 per day for ten days.
$2,000
$2,000
General Operations for recruitment and yearround retention efforts
Sankofa hosts several recruitment and retention events during the academic year, these funds will support that activity.
$3,000
$3,000
Community Liaisons
We will work with one community members, who will serve as external resources for the program. Each liaison will receive $1,000.
$1,000
Student Mentors
One experienced student will serve as a peer mentor. They will receive $12 per hour for 20 hours total for two-weeks.
$480
$480
Scholarships ($2500 for 15 students)
Sankofa students will receive scholarships for their first year of study.
$37,500
$37,500
Faculty Mentors
Six faculty members will serve as mentors for the Sankofa students during the academic year. They will receive $200 for this service.
$1,200
ELEMENT
$327
$392.40
6400
TOTAL
6500
$1,327
$1,592.40
TOTAL
$76,412.20
FY23 BUDGET
$70,000.00
FY22 CARRYOVER
$6,412.20
28
FACILITATING AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE EXCELLENCE (FAME) FAME is excited to host several events in the upcoming year, including:
Silicon Valley Tour: FAME will host an undergraduate bus tour to Silicon Valley to introduce students to career opportunities in technology. Students selected will have a chance to meet technological innovators and view campuses such as (Google, YouTube, etc.). After a brief tour of San Jose, students will board the charter to return to the Nevada State campus.
Mentors and Mentees: The FAME Program plans to utilize experienced mentors to help give students guidance and support through their college journey. These mentors will have regular meetings with students, help students access campus resources, and serve as a liaison between mentees and campus personnel. In return, students in this program will be expected to be responsible mentees, attend all events, and seek assistance when they require it.
FAME On-Campus Leadership Retreat: FAME will host an on-campus leadership retreat at Mt. Charleston, Nevada. This on-campus retreat will be made available to FAME members that have been
FAME BUDGET DETAIL ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
identified as potential campus leaders. The retreat will include guest speakers, icebreakers, student breakout sessions, and teambuilding. Students will have an opportunity to interact with faculty, staff, and community partners who attend the event.
Salary/ Fringe Wages
Gen Ops
Host
Travel Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
6400
TOTAL
6500
Program Advisor
This NSC faculty member will serve as the primary leader of the FAME Program.
$5,000
$1,635
$6,635
Program Recruitment Strategist
An NSC employee will serve as an advisor, assisting students and supporting the efforts of the Program Director.
$2,000
$654
$2,654
Silicon Valley Trip
A two day trip to Palo Alto, California designed to create opportunities for FAME students to make internships in the field of tech.
F.A.M.E Leadership Conference (on campus)
An event designed to highlight students’ leadership skills, support their academic journey, and foster sense of community by inviting African American male community leaders to campus.
$5,000
$2,000
$5,000
$2,000
TOTAL
$16,289
FY23 BUDGET
$14,000
FY22 CARRYOVER
$2,289
29
TOTAL BUDGET SUMMARY FUNDING AREA
FY23 AMOUNT
FY22 AMOUNT (LAST YEAR)
Nepantla
$137,000
$137,000
Writing Center
$204,000
$204,000
Teacher Academy
$75,000
$75,000
Sankofa
$70,000
$70,000
Collegiate 100
$14,000
$14,000
TOTAL
$500,000
$500,000
Gregory Robinson, PhD Vice Provost for Student Success 702-992-2663 Gregory.Robinson@nsc.edu