REPORT OF FISCAL YEAR 2023 ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PROPOSAL FOR FISCAL YEAR 2024
Submitted by DeRionne Pollard President Nevada State College June 24, 2023
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TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Executive Summary
03
FY23 Accomplishments
04
Preparing for the Future Proposal for FY24
22
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY We are delighted once again to report on our successes this year and our plans for the future. As we near the end of the eighth year of our partnership, it’s remarkable to look back at the long list of achievements we’ve accomplished together: • Nearly 100 first-generation students have graduated from the Nepantla program, including 16 students this May. • Over 3300 unique students utilized our Writing Center, and our utilization numbers continue to improve. Also, students from our Writing Center are presenting at national conferences each year. • We started the Sankofa program and our FAME program, supporting historically underrepresented students throughout their college journey. • Over 1000 students have engaged in the Teacher Academy Pipeline Program. 15% of these students enrolled at Nevada State after graduating from high school, and we’re starting to see students from the program graduate from Nevada State in higher numbers each year. We’re grateful to the Rogers Foundation for supporting our students in these many endeavors. As this list shows, we are transforming lives through education, working together to support our shared mission. In this report, we begin with a review of our Fiscal Year (FY)23 accomplishments, many of which involve a collective effort to increase student engagement on campus as we adapt to the lasting
consequences of the pandemic. We also provide a proposal for the upcoming year (FY24), which includes several new initiatives under the category of “Facilitating Student Success.” In several sections of this report, you’ll note that we’ve shifted positions out of our proposal and into our state-funded budget, including: • The Writing Center Coordinator • The TAPP Program Director • The Sankofa Coordinator These positions, which support different aspects of programs funded by the Rogers Foundation, represent a sincere commitment to our shared investment. From the very beginning of our partnership, the Rogers Foundation has been a catalyst for new ideas and programs. By institutionalizing our funding for these roles, we transition the programs from being entirely grant funded to being a reoccurring part of our annual budget. In addition, taking on these positions allows us to propose new and innovative ideas to the Foundation for the upcoming year. As we plan for our ninth year of partnership, we’re reminded that many of the achievements we detail here would not have been possible without your continuous support. Thank you for helping us change lives in a meaningful way. We’re grateful for all you’ve done and enthusiastic about the ways we will continue working together to support our unique communities.
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Nepantla students graduating with their Nepantla stoles.
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FY23 ACCOMPLISHMENTS THE NEPANTLA PROGRAM Overview The Nepantla Program empowers first-generation college students by providing mentorship, academic success coaching, access to resources, community building, and a journey of self-discovery guided by our core principles of purpose, solidarity, and grit/ganas. The program has four components: a summer bridge, the first-year experience, leadership development, and civic engagement. Each year, Nepantla accepts up to 40 students to be part of a new cohort. These students enroll in two courses for six weeks of intensive work, allowing them to prepare for the academic rigor of college, gain access to resources, and receive support from faculty, staff, and peers.
Thirty-two first-generation students participated, many of whom identified as Latinx. In addition to classes and daily workshops, these students participated in a transformational one-day retreat, which included kayaking down the Colorado River. . Building on the theme of legacy, we invited Nepantla alums to engage with our students throughout the Summer Bridge Program. Then we built on those relationships over the last year by connecting current students to alumni mentors. The success of this effort inspired us to begin a formal Nepantla Alumni Network, which allows our students to receive mentorship from graduate students or locally employed alums.
• Ms. Leilani Carreño, Nepantla Director
Rogers Foundation funding allowed Nepantla to use high-impact practices to transform our students’ lives. We are happy to say that in May 2023, 16 Nepantla graduates received their diplomas. They proudly represented Nepantla in their stoles during the commencement ceremony.
• Samantha Gonzalez, Nepantla Coordinator
Leadership and Mentorship
• Dr. Leila Pazargadi, Associate Professor of English and Nepantla Summer Bridge Director
Throughout the 2022-2023 academic year, the Nepantla Program has worked diligently to develop the leadership skills of our students and help them mentor others. Some highlights of this effort include:
The Nepantla Program continues to be led by an experienced team of administrators and educators:
• Dr. Chris Harris, Professor of Communication and Nepantla Instructor
Building a Legacy The summer of 2022 marked ten years since Nepantla Summer Bridge Program began. We chose the theme of “legacy” for this year’s experience as we continued to build back the community aspects of the program that had suffered in the pandemic.
• Enrolling Nepantla students in a leadership class. This year, we expanded our Peer Educator Program with an upper-division Communications course, where students worked closely with Dr. Chris Harris to develop critical thinking and leadership skills while completing Certified Peer Educator (CPE) Training.
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• Attending an academic conference. In October, three Peer Educators attended the NASPA General Assembly Conference in Pittsburgh, PA, learning more about peer support and networking with other Peer Educators nationwide.
Efforts like these help Nepantla students evolve into community leaders and changemakers. A great example of this is Tessa Espinosa, a member of our 5th cohort, who became the second Nepantla student to lead our Nevada State Student Alliance as Student Body President.
• Holding an annual leadership retreat. In this retreat, we helped Nepantla students learn leadership skills that they can use to help others, building on this year’s theme of legacy.
Supporting Student Success
Encouraging Nepantla students to be engaged. Throughout the program, we encourage our students get involved in campus events and club activities, particularly those that support our broader mission. For example, several Nepantla students attended our Social Justice and Media Symposium, a conference held on campus to bring awareness to the ways that media and culture intersect.
We analyze our student outcome data each year to evaluate the Nepantla Program. In FY23, our analysis of graduation and retention rates proves that Nepantla continues to be successful. These two charts compare first-time, full-time freshmen at Nevada State. The first chart shows that the 6-year graduation rate for Nepantla students is 42%, which is 11% higher than non-Nepantla students. The second chart shows that Nepantla students have returned to showing stronger GPAs than nonNepantla students, after dropping a bit during the
6-YEAR GRADUATION RATE
GPA
80 80
3.53.5
70 70 66.7%
3.13 3.11 3.03.0
60 60
44.4%
40 40
31.3%
30 30
17.2%
22.3%
26.5%
42.1% 31.0%
2.77
2.91
2.93
2.02.0 1.51.5 1.01.0 0.50.5
10 10 0 0
3.15
3.07 3.013.11
2.52.5
50 50
20 20
3.30
FALL 2013
FALL 2014
FALL 2015
FALL 2016 Non-Nepantla
0.00.0 FALL 2018 FALL 2019 FALL 2020 FALL 2021 FALL 2022 Nepantla
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pandemic. Last fall, first-time, full-time Nepantla students had an average GPA of 3.15, which is significantly higher than the first-time, full-time nonNepantla average of 2.93.
during two events, a family game night in the fall and a family picnic in the spring. Nepantla is the only unit on campus to regularly involve the families of our students.
Furthermore, we know that students are more successful when they connect with support services on campus. For example, 70% of Nepantla students used advising services vs 48% of their peers, 29% of Nepantla students used the Writing Center compared to 17% of their peers, and 71% of Nepantla students used the library in comparison to 67% of their peers. These high levels of campus engagement have helped to give our 1st-year Nepantla students an 83% first-year retention rate, which is 4% higher than non-Nepantla students.
In addition, Team Nepantla led the effort to celebrate National First-Gen Day on our campus. In collaboration with several departments, students had several opportunities to share their experiences, attend workshops, and listen to guest lecturers. We also collaborated with Nevada First-Gen Network to highlight the work of the Nepantla Program through their statewide newsletter and social platforms.
Hybrid and In-Person Events We hosted several events in Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, including: • First Generation College Celebration Week • A volunteering opportunity at Obsidian & Neon Gallery • A Time Management Workshop • Lunch with Peers- February • Virtual Application Day in February
Community Building The Nepantla Program does more than help students graduate. We also help build communities, creating a culture of advocacy and engagement. One of the most critical aspects of our work lies in educating families about the college-going experience of first-generation college students. To achieve this goal, we invited the families of Nepantla students to engage with the campus
• Native Garden Expansion, where we collectively added plants in front of the Rogers Student Center.
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, our printed marketing materials, event flyers, social media posts, and Nepantla swag items. The Rogers Foundation logo is also featured on our Nepantla t-shirt, which students wear to campus events.
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NEVADA STATE WRITING CENTER
• research papers
Overview
• personal statements
The mission of the NS Writing Center is to foster 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.
• posters and PowerPoint presentations
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:
• creative works
• conference presentations • essays for standardized testing • Spanish-language assignments 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 Fall 2022, six members of the Writing Center team traveled to Vancouver, Canada to present their research projects at the International Writing Centers Association Conference. This represented
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Nevada State’s first international presence for student scholars.
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation We could not provide robust writing support or our unique focus on undergraduate research without the support of the Rogers Foundation. We acknowledge this support by including the Rogers Foundation on every conference poster, explaining your central role during every conference presentation, and having the Rogers Foundation logo on every Long Night Against Procrastination t-shirt.
Mentoring Writers in All Modalities Over the past year, Writing Center use has shifted as students increasingly return to campus. More students are visiting in person, in addition to their use of synchronous and asynchronous remote support. Fortunately, the overall use of Writing Center services continues to grow. In Fall 2021, 250 unique students used Writing Center services. In Fall 2022, that number rose to 721, representing an 188% increase. Overall, our Center served 4310 writers since July 2022, 1713 of which were unique student visitors. This means that writers are returning for multiple visits. The availability of those numbers also represents a marked increase in the ease and availability of our usage data. Thanks to Penji, our new scheduling platform, the Writing Center can pull usage numbers for all locations, modalities, and session topics for assessment and communication. It also allows us to quickly identify and respond to issues that could impact long-term usage.
Fostering a Center for the Scholarship of Writing The Writing Center continued to serve as a hub for interdisciplinary writing research. This year, ten members of the Writing Center community
presented at major conferences, including the Conference for College Composition and Communication and the International Writing Centers Association Conference.
Responding to Existing Needs on Campus In FY23, the Writing Center continued building on existing relationships to ensure that our team’s skillset could meet cross-curricular needs. At the same time, we’ve established new relationships which reflect the changing writing culture on campus. Examples of collaboration include the following: • Consistent training for Writing Specialists who provide Spanish-language sessions for multilingual students. Professor Nick Carroll collaborated on the first version of this training. Since then, we’ve offered support for students in heritage Spanish classes and ELL students in other disciplines. • Collaboration with the School of Nursing for new student application essays. The Writing Center co-led a series of application workshops and served as a primary resource for students drafting their essays. • While the Writing Center continues to develop in-class workshops for 40-60 class visits each semester, we’ve also collaborated with an increasing number of instructors on required Writing Center visits. Recent examples include writing assignments in Math, Psychology, Nursing, dual credit, and English. We’ve kept required visits rare to ensure that every class includes the necessary scaffolding and support. • The Writing Center has increased its involvement with the Sankofa summer bridge program, so
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student participants can build relationships with a consistent set of Writing Specialists. We now lead workshops every day of the program and participate in the final celebration. • We’ve deepened our relationship with CEDI, adding additional event collaborations to support Dream.us students and co-sponsoring a poetry event during Latinx Heritage Month.
structured spaces for faculty members to access communal research support. This includes project collaboration, research mentorship, and one-on-one revision support.
Building a Campus Culture of Social Justice and Writing Excellence The Writing Center continues to co-create a campus culture in which social justice and writing excellence intertwine. Through panels, workshops, professional development, and mentorship, the team creates a space where antiracist and accessible scholarship can thrive. Work in this area has included the following initiatives: • Three Writing Specialists presented a Workshop on anti-racism in creative writing for four classes on campus. Together, they guided students through ways of resisting and responding to racism in creative writing.
Supporting Writing for Faculty and Staff More than 45 faculty and staff participated in writing groups this year sponsored by the Writing Center. Every semester, the group includes full-time, part-time, administrative, and classified faculty members from across campus. New members of the Nevada State community often identify these writing-centric spaces as central to their sense of belonging on campus. Additionally, the Writing Center has collaborated on new spaces where instructors can find writing support. For example, we collaborated on the Letters, Sciences, and Business Dean’s Conference and Publishing Series and the “Faculty Semester Kick-Off” event with the PEER Project and the Center for Teaching and Learning. Both programs offered
• Four Writing Specialists presented an all-campus panel on constructive, relevant, and respectful student feedback. “I’m Curious About This Choice: A Collaborative Workshop for Faculty and Students” spoke to a hybrid audience about how writing studies scholarship informs best practices in writing feedback. • As a team, the Writing Center chose to read and discuss Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts in Writing Studies. This text examines the core principles in writing studies and our team explored how those core concepts inform daily student support. • For professional development, all team members participated in journal club presentations. Each group researched a topic of their choice and shared what they’d learned with the team. Their chosen subjects, which included “trauma-
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informed writing center education,” “BIPOC tutors and students in the writing center,” and “nontraditional students in tutor roles,” speak to the team’s shared investment in social justice scholarship.
Improving Program Sustainability We have pursued structural improvements to make our program more efficient and sustainable for long-term student support. In Fall 2022, the Writing Center pursued usability testing through the Marydean Martin Library. The testing process revealed several opportunities for improvement, including a streamlined appointment process, more precise terminology, more consistent identification across campus platforms, and better communication of the appointment process. Other examples of structures that increased program sustainability include the following: • We have adopted Sling for internal scheduling. This program’s ease of use allows multiple people to take on scheduling responsibilities and allows the entire team to take responsibility for the schedule’s accuracy. • We now use weekly project lists on google docs to communicate available options for every center team. All team members can add their names to claim a project, add comments, and add new items to the overall list. This gives everyone a voice in the center’s direction and ensures that their experiences inform center choices. • The Writing Center Canva account is a central space for advertising work and collaboration • Shared planning docs for CWCE meetings, LNAP, and in-center events ensure that no one person has complete responsibility for a given project.
Hosting the Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP) On Friday, November 18th and Friday, April 21st, the Writing Center worked with six other campus organizations to host seven hours of activities, support, and community building. An estimated 160 participants took part each night. Here are a few highlights from the two nights: • The Marydean Martin Library hosted librarian support and Pet Partners in the Rogers Student Center • Blue Sage Writer’s Guild hosted remote Open Mic Nights led by student poets. • The Sustainability Council hosted a crochet and clothing swap throughout the night. • The Writing Center hosted a Youtube livestream for questions and chat. • The Academic Success Center provided coursespecific tutoring on campus and online.
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TAPP High School students attend the 2nd Annual TAPP Future Educators Day.
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TEACHER ACADEMY
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation
Overview With the support of the Rogers Foundation, Nevada State College’s School of Education (SoE) has been leading the effort to increase the number of K-12 teachers in Nevada. The primary engine of this effort is the Teacher Academy Pipeline Project (TAPP) program, which works towards diversifying and expanding the teacher workforce by locally growing our own teachers. TAPP encourages high school students to explore teaching as a profession and provides them with opportunities to get a jump start on teaching careers. This includes providing dualcredit courses to qualified high school students, offering scholarships to students interested in teaching, supporting their college aspirations, and promoting the idea that teachers can make lasting, positive changes in our community.
Nevada State College’s School of Education and the Teacher Academy Pipeline Project highlight the support of the Rogers Foundation to students, teachers, and members of the community. In addition, the Rogers Foundation logo is prominently displayed on all written and promotional material, including the Rogers Foundation TAPP Scholarship. The logo is also used in all our presentations, including those we offered at AHSIE, HACU, and the NSHE Diversity Summit.
Our Combined Investment The Teacher Academy Pipeline Project initiative is an excellent example of the ways Nevada State and the Rogers Foundation have leveraged support for our shared mission. 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
GROWING OUR TEACHERS Schools
Total TAPP Students
Total credits TAPP students TAPP students TAPP students TAPP students taken by TAPP taking 1 class taking 2 taking 3 taking 4 or students (EDU) classes classes more classes
Coronado HS
26
102
20
4
2
0
ECTA
177
1136
90
30
24
33
Green Valley HS
63
195
61
2
0
0
Liberty HS
12
48
8
4
0
0
Rancho HS
86
521
42
18
14
12
Shadow Ridge HS
39
195
22
11
4
2
SECTA
84
507
29
34
13
8
SWCTA
71
425
33
16
14
8
Valley HS
36
130
34
1
0
1
TOTALS
594
3259
339
120
71
64
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Title V Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) grants we’ve received, both supporting 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. Additionally, Nevada State has moved toward institutionalizing critical staff for this work, including a Director of TAPP.
TAPP Scholarships
Dual Credit Scholarships
Instructional and Curricular Support for EDU Dual Credit Instructors
Partnerships have helped leverage Rogers Foundation’s gifts towards direct scholarship assistance to aspiring teachers in TAPP. TAPP high schools offer college-level classes in education and our core curriculum (e.g., English, Math, and History). Students taking dual credit courses can enter a college program with a jumpstart on their college careers and some college savings. The Rogers Foundation has played an important role in these partnerships by paying the tuition costs of students taking education courses.
High school students participating in the Teacher Academy Pipeline Project have access to a $1000 scholarship if they choose to enroll in Nevada State College’s teacher preparation program following graduation from high school. This scholarship covers the costs of books for a full-time student and provides a meaningful incentive for students considering education as a career.
Dr. Christine Beaudry, Dr. Lori Navarette, and Ms. Rosemary Q. Flores continued to provide spaces for support and mentorship for EDU dual credit instructors. Instructors meet monthly and receive training from Dr. Beaudry and Dr. Navarette to best teach their dual-credit courses and develop culturally responsive pedagogy practices.
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Connecting with Prospective Teachers Teacher Academy Pipeline Project (TAPP) has reached over 1300 students at nine CCSD schools through the engagement and commitment of the Title V HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) staff and seven student mentors.
Scholar’s Days: Three TAPP Scholar’s Day events were coordinated from October through December, bringing 214 students from nine CCSD High Schools (Coronado, Green Valley, Valley, SWCTA (Southwest Career & Technical Academy), ECTA (East Career & Technical Academy), SECTA (Southeast Career & Technical Academy), Rancho, Liberty, and Shadow Ridge) to the NS Campus. Students chose from five faculty workshops covering careers in education, including Elementary Education, Math Secondary Education, Special Education, Bilingual Education, and Speech Pathology. In addition, over 15 faculty and administrative faculty joined students to discuss their careers in higher education, including School Psychology, English professorship, diversity and inclusivity work, leadership positions, and other careers in higher education. Scholar’s Days also included an indoor visit to The Village dorms.
Future Educator Days: Three TAPP Future Educator Day events were coordinated in February, bringing 335 students from eight CCSD High Schools to the NS Campus. Students attended three workshops that were created by the Title V HSI College Student Mentors. Three senior faculty provided feedback to the student mentors on their teaching delivery.
TAPP Presentations: TAPP Site Coordinators and HSI Mentors have provided 116 presentations, reaching over 1,500 students in 9th-12th grade enrolled in Teaching and Training CTE and TAPP dual-credit courses. These presentations covered topics such as college access and scholarship resources. TAPP Newsletter and TAPP Stations: This year, we created four TAPP Newsletters. The newsletters are available at TAPP stations in each school, making the resources accessible to students at any time.
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Sankofa students collaborating on a project.
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SANKOFA Overview Sankofa is currently in its third year of operation. To date, we have hosted over 20 events, two summer bridge programs, two Black graduations, and partnered with various Nevada State and local organizations. The goal of Sankofa is to recruit and retain Black students at Nevada State by providing them with events and guidance that promote a strong sense of belonging.
Sankofa Summer Bridge Cohort Two In Summer 2022, we hosted our 2nd annual Sankofa Summer Bridge program. We had 13 students participate: eight incoming first-years, three high school students, and two transfer students. The Summer Bridge was a two-week, face-to-face program held from 8am to 4pm daily. Students were provided with transportation. Students engaged in daily college success workshops led by faculty speakers. Workshops included: • Daily writing workshops held by our Writing Center (also funded by the Roger’s Foundation); • A Nepantla “four corners student life narratives” event (also supported by the Roger’s Foundation); • Faculty-led workshops, such as financial literacy offered by Dr. Jessica Parks, a faculty expert in business; • Tips for entering law school led provided by our campus General Attorney, Berna Rhodes-Ford; • A Visual Arts/Animation workshop led by our award-winning faculty member Jo Meuris; • Hip-Hop and Media, led by Dr. Chris Harris; • A campus student life panel.
Students also received a Black in Las Vegas history workshop from Dr. Claytee White, a faculty member at UNLV. Students stayed the final three days on campus in the dorms, so they got a handson experience of campus life. In addition to these workshops, they also had a pool party, paint nights, and other social activities.
Giving Back to the Community As part of the Summer Bridge, Sankofa students volunteered at the Adult Day Care Center of Henderson, located close to campus. The students facilitated an ice cream party for the elders at the center. They also engaged in arts and crafts and various games.
Summer Bridge Final Celebration The Sankofa Summer Bridge Final Celebration included African drumming, performers, and local community members. 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.
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Mentoring Sankofa Students We assigned each of the seven students from Cohort Two a faculty mentor who meets with them regularly. Faculty completed a Mentorship Contract and a Sankofa Student Intake Form. Students must also have a one-on-one session with the Sankofa Director once a month.
Professional Development Events
Sankofa Summer Bridge Cohort Three Recruitment We are gearing up to recruit our Sankofa Cohort Three-Sankofa Summer Bridge Program participants. The summer bridge will be a weeklong face-to-face program dedicated to Black student recruitment and retention. We will recruit 15 students who will stay in the NS dorms for the entire week. We have more exciting workshops and events in store for Cohort Three.
Increased Emphasis on Retention Sankofa improves every year. We reflect on areas of improvement and make adjustments. Seven Sankofa scholars who went through the summer bridge program are currently enrolled as full-time students. The Scholars have all received their full $2500 Sankofa scholarship. This year’s cohort was assigned an Academic Success Coach, Bailey Brown. Bailey met with the students weekly to discuss their goals and provide academic support. They were cohorted into their CEP College Preparation course in the Fall and their English 102 course in the Spring. Coach Bailey held two pizza party celebrations, one at the end of the Fall and one at the end of Spring. She has had a tremendous impact on retention.
Sankofa hosted six student support and professional development events this year. Over 200 faculty, staff, community members, and students participated in the various events. We also partnered with Career Services, TRIO-SSS, and the Community Engagement Diversity Initiatives Office (CEDI). The events were: • Poemas y Pastelitos: An evening of poetry celebrating the Afro-Latinx community and celebrating the Black and Latinx history of allyship. (Co-hosted with CEDI) • For Brown Girls with Sharp Edges and Tender Hearts: An evening with author Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez exploring how to empower women of color to live their truths. (Co-hosted with CEDI) • Young, Gifted, and Black: Sankofa co-hosted the Young, Gifted, and Black celebration during Black History Month with CEDI. The event began by featuring the Neon and Obsidian “Black in Las Vegas” photography displayed in the Christenson Education Building (CEB). We also had dancing from the Las Vegas Steppers and African dance from the Olabisi African dance troupe. Dr. Derric Carter was the featured speaker and Dr. Shartriya Collier was the guest poet. We had over 60 attendees for this event. (Co-hosted with CEDI)
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• The Black Faculty Staff and Students Meet-andGreet: Faculty, staff, and students played Black history trivia and had lunch together. • Black History Through Movement: We were honored to have Nay Givens, Director of the Melanayted Dance Troupe, provide a workshop. Nay shared her journey as a Black dancer and how movement has been used for healing in the Black community. Thirty guests participated in the event. • H.E.R Time: For Women’s History Month, guest speaker Dr. Tanya Crabb from UNLV shared strategies students could use for mental health and resilience.
Keeping Connected Sankofa offers monthly newsletters to inspire and encourage students. In addition, we recently transitioned to a Sankofa Canvas page in hopes of
having more student interaction. 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.
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation We highlighted our partnership with the Rogers Foundation throughout the year by prominently featuring the Rogers Foundation logo on our Sankofa website, on the printed materials we created, and in our presentations. Sankofa is extremely grateful for the Rogers Foundation’s generous donation. These efforts are genuinely transforming the culture of Nevada State College. We aim to help Black students feel supported, seen, and a part of the wonderful NS community.
The Passage Ceremony We are proud to report the completion of our 2nd Annual 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. Each graduate received a complimentary Sankofa graduation stole. Someone who was critical on their journey placed the stole on them (a family member, an NS faculty/staff member, or a mentor). Their testimonies about their journeys to graduation were compelling and touching. Both parents and students expressed
gratitude for the opportunity. We hope this will become a new NS tradition that Black students and families can look forward to. We have 50 additional stoles that will be offered to Black graduating students this spring.
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FAME students and faculty visiting Silicon Valley.
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FACILITATING AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE EXCELLENCE (FAME) Overview FAME (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. The recruitment initiatives will focus on the historically under-served, firstgeneration African American male student population.
Acknowledging the Rogers Foundation During the Silicon Valley Trip and the Black Male Symposium, the FAME advisory team acknowledged the many contributions of the Rogers Foundation by featuring the Rogers Foundation logo prominently during both events. We also feature the Rogers Foundation logo on all our marketing materials and event flyers.
Serving an Important Role at Nevada State Currently, approximately 100 Black male students attend Nevada State. The FAME program plays a crucial role in our efforts to support these students through mentorship and events. We are also increasing our efforts to reach out to the community to attract more Black male students to college. We are proud to report that Donavan McIntosh, a FAME student, addressed the 2023 graduates and families at our commencement ceremony. Donavan discussed his journey to receive a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice after taking a 22-year hiatus from college.
Building Culture FAME’s advisory team hosted six on-campus monthly meetings to discuss the experiences of our African American male undergraduate students. Five FAME students joined these discussions, where we planned events, discussed our mission, and connected with community stakeholders.
Helping the Next Generation In December, FAME students and faculty visited the H.P Fitzgerald Elementary School in North Las Vegas. This school is committed to starting their college preparatory messaging early for their students. This visit sought to make connections between FAME students and the Black male students at H.P. Fitzgerald. Throughout the day, our students connected with over 30 B H.P Fitzgerald, telling their stories and discussing topics such as the connection between college and career success.
Inspiring Students To help our students explore opportunities and innovations in technology, five FAME students and our Project Director visited Silicon Valley. The team toured Facebook and Google Headquarters, learning how these tech leaders are shaping the future. During the trip, they visited the African American Museum and Library in Oakland, California, which won the 2022 National Medal for Museum and Library Service.
The First Annual Black Male Symposium FAME hosted a Black Male Symposium where members discussed their college experiences with several Clark County high school students in attendance. The symposium included guest speakers, icebreakers, and student breakout sessions. This is the first of many planned symposiums.
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PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE PROPOSAL FOR FY24
23
TOTAL BUDGET SUMMARY FUNDING AREA
FY23 AMOUNT
FY24 PROPOSED AMOUNT
Nepantla
$137,000
$142,000
Writing Center
$204,000
$160,000
Teacher Academy
$75,000
$75,000
Sankofa
$70,000
$75,000
FAME
$14,000
$23,000
Facilitating Student Success
$—
$25,000
TOTAL
$500,000
$500,000
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THE NEPANTLA PROGRAM The Nepantla Program is excited to begin our ninth year of partnership. This year, our primary areas of focus will be:
Continuing to expand the program intentionally Components of this effort include: • Exploring a Nepantla transfer summer program that supports students who transfer to Nevada State. • Developing a pathway for dual credit students who have often taken the classes that Nepantla offers over the summer. • Adding a six-week residential component to our summer bridge programming, which will
help us create a living-learning community focusing on first-generation students and social justice. • Establishing a Faculty Advisory Board to strengthen Nepantla’s presence as an academic program. • Submitting a proposal to present at an academic conference about the Nepantla Program and the lessons we’ve learned so far. • Continuing to build the Nepantla Alumni Network, which provides a unique space for Nepantla alums to connect with each other and mentor current students.
NEPANTLA BUDGET DETAIL
Salary/ Wages
Fringe
Gen Ops
Host
Travel
ELEMENT
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
$9,000
$2,943
DESCRIPTION
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.
$8,550
$4,000
Programming
Examples of programming 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
Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge 6400
TOTAL
6500 $11,943
$8,500
$500
$21,550
$12,000
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NEPANTLA BUDGET DETAIL
Salary/ Wages
Fringe
Gen Ops
Host
Travel
ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
Program Ambassadors/ Student Workers
Several academic studies and internal NSC data suggest that peerto-peer mentoring and assistance are highly effective ways to improve student success. By recruiting two successful members of the Nepantla Program to serve as Program Ambassadors, we can encourage students to become exceptional mentors and role models for new generations.
$21,450
$515
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: needbased, leadership-based, and merit-based. Scholarships may also support Peer Educators. The Nepantla Ganas scholarships (needbased) 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.
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. Students will be attending the Social Justice and Media Symposium conference at the host campus for the year, this past year NSC was the host campus.
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.
Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge 6400
TOTAL
6500
$5,000
$26,965
$5,126.20
$75,000
$8,000
$1,000
$75,000
$8,000
$1,000
TOTAL
$161,584
FY24 BUDGET
$142,000
FY23 CARRYOVER
$19,584
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NEVADA STATE WRITING CENTER Moving into FY24, The Nevada State Writing Center is excited to make our program more sustainable, visible, and impactful. Our primary goals moving forward include:
pandemic. We look forward to using the lessons from our previous program to create a sustainable program in FY24.
Institutionalizing Funding for the Writing Center Coordinator: In FY24, the Writing Center
Our Fellowships Program will provide an opportunity for students who want to focus on Writing Center Studies. A stipend supports a mentored research project and inquiry-focused training in Writing Center praxis.
looks forward to institutionalizing the Writing Center Coordinator position and making permanent one more piece of the work that the Rogers Foundation has made possible. With this change, Nevada State will fully fund the Writing Center leadership team.
Relaunch our Writing Across Communities Program: The Writing Center and Provost’s office look forward to completing an NEH Grant to relaunch our center’s course-embedded writing support. Our pilot program, which ran from 2017 to 2020, was successful but put on hold during the
Develop Writing Center Fellowship Program:
Revise the Writing Center Webpage: The Writing Center canvas shell for Nevada State community members currently includes a range of resources, including developed pages on events, student resources, and faculty support. In the coming year, we look forward to making those resources available to a public audience through an updated website designed by Writing Center specialists.
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WRITING CENTER BUDGET DETAIL
Salary/ Wages
Fringe
Gen Ops
Host
Travel
DESCRIPTION
5000 or 5700
5900
6000
6200
6300
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).
$105,000
$2,520
Writing Center Fellowships
A new Fellowships program provides opportunities to students who want to focus on research in Writing Center Studies. A regular stipend supports a mentored research project as well as an inquiry-based introduction to writing center support.
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.
$16,000
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
TOTAL
6500 $107,520
$20,000
$10,000
$20,000
$10,000
$16,000
$700
$10,000
$5,700
$10,000
TOTAL
$169,220
FY24 BUDGET
$160,000
FY23 CARRYOVER
$9,220
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TEACHER ACADEMY The TAPP program supports one of our state’s top priorities: providing more qualified teachers to help the students of Nevada. In FY24, we’ll continue this mission by supporting dual credit students with tuition assistance, providing scholarships for students graduating from a TAPP program in a partnering high school, and offering helpful training to teachers and students. This year, we had nine partnering high schools in the TAPP program. Those schools include ECTA,
TEACHER ACADEMY BUDGET DETAIL
SECTA, Coronado, Rancho, Spring Valley, Shadow Ridge, Valley, and Green Valley. In FY24, we’re looking forward to a new partnership with Desert Pines High School. In this partnership, we’ll provide a dual credit course in the Foundations of Bilingual Education (EDU 260). We’re also proud to announce that we’ve made the Director of our TAPP program permanent beginning in FY24, signifying our commitment to this vital initiative.
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
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30
SANKOFA In FY24, the Sankofa Program will continue exploring ways to support retaining our Summer Bridge Program participants and all other Black students at Nevada State. We discovered in our first year that retaining our Sankofa students was a challenge. Therefore, we’re focusing more on engaging our students, providing additional mentorship, and hosting events that foster a sense of belonging. The planned events include: • The Sankofa Summer Bridge Program and Final Celebration
• Various events during Black History Month • Black Faculty Staff and Students Meet-andGreet • The Passage Ceremony We’re also hiring our first full-time Sankofa Coordinator, who will provide additional one-on-one assistance to students in the program. This hire is an essential step in the growth and development of this critical initiative.
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SANKOFA BUDGET DETAIL
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
$458
$1,858
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.
$5,000
$5,000
Community Liaisons
We will work with 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
6400
TOTAL
6500
$1,327
$1,592
TOTAL
$78,412
FY24 BUDGET
$75,000
FY23 CARRYOVER
$3,412
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FACILITATING AFRICAN AMERICAN MALE EXCELLENCE (FAME) FAME is looking forward to another year of expansion, focusing on mentoring younger students and encouraging a sense of belonging. We’ll be hosting several events, including:
Raiders Stadium Tour and Presentation: September 2023 FAME will visit Allegiant Stadium to attend a presentation to help our students learn more about diversity initiatives and job opportunities in professional sports. We’re excited to report that the CFO of the Raiders will be in attendance.
Student Leadership Conference: October 2023 at the University of Colorado, CS We look forward to attending an undergraduate leadership conference at the University of Colorado on October 25-26, 2023. Our goal is to connect FAME students with peers from across the country and help our students develop important leadership skills, empowering them to be student advocates and leaders in the growing field of inclusive higher education.
FAME Second Annual Black Male Symposium: April 2024 FAME will host our second annual Black Male Symposium next spring. The theme for this event is “Hands Across the Bridge,” signifying our strong belief in communities supporting one another. We hope to see over fifty Black male high school students from the greater Las Vegas region in attendance. The retreat will include icebreakers, student breakout sessions, and a panel discussion with leaders in the field of higher education. Students will be able to interact with faculty, staff, and community partners attending the event.
Mentors and Mentees The FAME Program will continue utilizing experienced mentors to guide and support students throughout their college journey. We’ll also continue our innovative efforts to speak with students in elementary schools, giving those students a better understanding of how college can play an important role in their lives.
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FAME BUDGET DETAIL ELEMENT
DESCRIPTION
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.
$7,000
$2,289
$9,289
Program Administrator
This NSC faculty member will serve as the primary administrator and planner of events and tasks of the FAME Program. The administrator will travel with the program to ensure financial compliance
$2,500
$818
$3,318
Program Recruitment Strategist
An NSC employee will serve as an advisor, assisting students and supporting the efforts of the Program Director.
$2,500
$818
$3,318
Raiders Stadium Tour and Presentation
FAME will visit Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas,Nevada and attend a presentation with the objective of learning about diversity initiatives and job opportunities within professional sports.
$400
$400
Student Leadership Conference
FAME students will attend an undergraduate leadership conference at the University of Colorado C.S on October 25-26, 2023. The objective is to connect FAME students with peers and student advocates from across the country.
$6,000
$6,000
F.A.M.E Symposium (Second Annual)
An event designed to highlight high school and college students’ leadership skills, support their academic journey, and foster a sense of community by inviting African American male community leaders to campus.
$2,500
$2,500
TOTAL
$24,824
FY24 BUDGET
$23,000
FY23 CARRYOVER
$1,824
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FACILITATING STUDENT SUCCESS The Rogers Foundation grant has historically served as an incubator for new ideas supporting our shared goals. This year, we’d like to propose two new projects to continue that tradition.
Peer-to-Peer Training and Student Conference Each year, we experiment with creative ways to unite our student workers and strengthen the connections that make Nevada State a strong community. Last year, we hosted two days of training for all student workers on campus, covering topics such as supporting other students, responding to an emergency, and furthering our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This year, we would like to offer a similar event, with one day devoted to training (updates about campus, meetings with key personnel) and a second day structured like a conference, with panels and discussions about topics that apply to all student workers. We’re asking the Rogers Foundation to support this effort in two ways. First, we’d like to provide snacks and lunch to participating students. Second, we would like to offer small stipends to selected presenters who are off-contract during the summer. This event can be highly impactful. It brings together students who are often the first to hear from other students who need help. It is also emblematic of our commitment to a single, unified Nevada State. Most institutions offer training for their student workers that is specific to their role, but ours is a rare example of an effort to bring students from all departments together in a single space. In this manner, we reaffirm that we are all working together to support our mission.
We will include signs throughout the training and conference indicating that the Rogers Foundation sponsors the event. We’d also be honored to have a Rogers Foundation member speak to our student workers if you are available.
Improving Class Scheduling Students report that one of the reasons they leave Nevada State (or consider doing so) is the difficulty of getting the classes they need at a time that works well for their schedules. Furthermore, as we grow and class schedules become more complicated, scheduling classes efficiently without software dedicated to this task becomes more difficult. Throughout FY23, a team of faculty and staff explored several course scheduling platforms and interviewed current users. Ultimately, the team recommended a tool called CourseDog, which is currently used by schools such as Northern Arizona University and Weber State University. This software will help us manage the complexities of class scheduling and improve the pathways students follow as they pursue their degrees. We hope this software will help us develop a scheduling
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system that is accessible, reliable, and predictable, ultimately making it easier for students to complete their program. The $15,000 budget is a one-time charge, which will help Nevada State implement this software. A grant supporting Latinx students’ success will cover the remaining costs.
Innovation Hub Pilot This project provides a formal means for Nevada State faculty and staff to propose an idea to the Office of the Provost and receive assistance in bringing the idea to fruition. Participants will submit a one-page proposal outlining their vision and rationale. If approved, a team from the Provost’s office will schedule a meeting with the proposer and potential stakeholders. During the meeting, the group will discuss the idea, raise potential concerns, consider the required resources, and (upon approval) help develop a plan for moving the idea forward.
members of our community who have ideas but aren’t sure how to pursue them. Finally, this pilot allows the Provost’s Team to proposers consider potential problems, plot innovative solutions, and connect with others across campus. Rogers Foundation support will allow us to pilot this initiative and evaluate the results. Given the number of innovative employees eager to try new ideas, we anticipate reporting on some exciting projects the next time we meet.
This project serves three crucial functions. First, it is a way to support our mission and strategic plan intentionally. Second, it will be a valuable asset for
FACILITATING STUDENT SUCCESS BUDGET DETAIL ELEMENT
Salary/ Fringe Wages
DESCRIPTION
5000 or 5700
5900
Peer to Peer Training
An annual training and mini-conference for all student workers.
$1,500
$491
Class Scheduling Platform
Initial fee for CourseDog, a powerful class scheduling tool.
Innovation Hub
A formalized process for encouraging faculty innovation.
$2,000
$654
Gen Ops
Host
Travel Sales and Scholarships Service Recharge
6000
6200
6300
$2,845
6400
TOTAL
6500 $4,836
$15,000
$15,000
$2,510
$5,164
TOTAL
$25,000
FY24 BUDGET
$25,000
Gregory Robinson, PhD Vice Provost for Student Success 702-992-2663 Gregory.Robinson@nsc.edu