Nevada State College
Encyclopedia
Nevada State College is a four-year public college located in Henderson, Nevada
Henderson, Nevada
-Demographics:According to the 2000 census, there were 175,381 people, 66,331 households, and 47,095 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,200.8 people per square mile . There were 71,149 housing units at an average density of 892.8 per square mile...

, and is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education
Nevada System of Higher Education
The Nevada System of Higher Education was formed in 1968 to oversee all state-supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. The name was changed in 2004. Two doctoral-granting research universities, one state college, four community colleges and one research institute comprise the...

 (NSHE). The college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

 opened on September 3, 2002, and is located on a 509 acre (206 ha) site in the southern foothills of Henderson, Nevada.A rival college publication reported in 2000 that the site of the college raised environmental concerns because of its proximity to a site that was to become to a toxic waste dump.

The school opened with 177 students and enrollment was nearly 3,000 in 2010, making Nevada State College the fastest-growing college in the state since its inception. In August 2011, the school was officially awarded accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Nevada State College has graduated more than 1,300 students. As of 2008, the university's six-year graduation rate was 16 percent. The national graduation level is 57 percent.

In the past, some of Nevada State College's programs suffered from lower than expected enrollments. The university has recently laid off an undisclosed number of staff as a cost saving measure. However, enrollment for 2010 increased by 23.3% compared to the year before.

Approximately 45% of Nevada State College's students are first-generation college students. An equivalent percentage are members of racial or ethnic minorities.

Nevada State College does not currently have any athletic programs. The school's colors are black and gold and its mascot is a scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...

.

Campus

In 2002, as part of the Clark County Conservation of Public Land and Natural Resources Act of 2002, the US Congress conveyed 509 acre (206 ha) to the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) and the City of Henderson for the express purpose of creating a new four-year institution of higher education.

Under the leadership and guidance of its late President, Dr. Fred Maryanski
Fred Maryanski
Fred Mayanski , an American educator, was the President of Nevada State College in Henderson, Nevada, part of the Nevada System of Higher Education , from February 1, 2005 until his death....

, Nevada State College acquired accreditation, moved with its master plan for a 509 acres (2.1 km²) campus, saw rising enrollment, and the opening of its first permanent building, the Liberal Arts and Sciences building in August 2008. The 42000 square feet (3,901.9 m²) building has faculty offices, labs and seven classrooms. The building includes SMART classroom technologies which allow professors to use a wide array of audio and visual teaching techniques, and scientific equipment for educational use.

Programs and faculty

Nevada State College offers more than 24 majors leading to the bachelor’s degree, including regular and accelerated nursing degrees, education degrees, business administration, environmental and resource science, law enforcement and liberal arts majors including psychology, biology, history, English, and criminal justice. NSC also offers 18 minors, including communication, counseling, mathematics, history, English, Gerontology, psychology, addiction treatment and prevention, domestic violence treatment and prevention and more.

During the May 2008 graduation ceremony, students recognized the role that the faculty played throughout their college careers and the connection they felt to Nevada State College.

In the Fall of 2008, Nevada State College launched Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...

’s first bachelor of science degree in the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. The program addresses the deaf culture and its integration of deaf students into specific subject areas.

As of the latest IPEDS Diversity Report, Nevada State College’s full-time faculty is 34.2% ethnic/racial minorities which is the highest percentage of all of the Nevada System of Higher Education institutions.

Nevada State College also partners with Touro University
Touro University Nevada
Touro University Nevada, , is a private non-profit institution of higher and professional education. Its campus is located in Henderson, Nevada. A sister campus, Touro University - California, is located in Mare Island, California. These two institutions make up the Touro Western Division,...

 to accommodate students in Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy
Occupational therapy is a discipline that aims to promote health by enabling people to perform meaningful and purposeful activities. Occupational therapists work with individuals who suffer from a mentally, physically, developmentally, and/or emotionally disabling condition by utilizing treatments...

. Through the partnership, students complete three years of their bachelor degree in Occupational Therapy Science at Nevada State College, then transfer to Touro University for the final two years.

Graduation rate

Nevada State College has graduated more than 1,300 students. As of the end of spring 2008, Nevada State College has graduated 16% of the full-time students who registered as freshmen in fall 2002, and 11% of 2003's incoming freshmen. A graduation rate of 16% is one-third that of California’s public state colleges. School officials characterize the rate as low, and are launching programs to increase student retention. The average six-year graduation rate for colleges in the United States is 57%.

Enrollments

Nevada State College has been the fastest-growing college in the state since its inception in 2002. The school opened with 177 students and enrollment in 2010 was nearly 3,000. While enrollment dipped at UNLV in 2010, Nevada State College’s enrollment was at a record high and could have grown far more if not for budget cuts restricting its resources, according to school officials.

Certain majors have struggled with enrollment, however. Nevada State College was once troubled by low enrollments in majors like business administration. In 2008, the management program at Nevada State College expected to have 40 students in its third year but had only two. This has led the provost DiMare to acknowledge that programs will be ended, saying "When we’re talking about a program with two students, there’s no viable reason for maintaining that".

In 2008 Nevada State College launched a campus-wide recruitment and retention initiative. Between the Spring 2009 and Spring 2010 semesters, Nevada State College increased enrollment by over 20%, to over 2,600 students.

At its rapid growth pace, Nevada State College would reach 17,000 students in 11 years, the current enrollment as the University of Nevada-Reno.

Budget cuts and student protests

All seven of the state’s public colleges have faced budget cuts in recent years. In January 2010, students initiated the "myNSCstory" campaign as a response to proposed budget cuts and tuition increases. The campaign involves handwritten notes from students, accompanied by photos, sent to state officials. Over 10% of the entire student body participated.

In early 2010, the Nevada Board of Regents was given a choice of budget-cutting options that were “so extreme as to not be likely, but illustrate the size of the budget hole.” Among these unlikely scenarios was a plan that called for the closing Nevada State College and the College of Southern Nevada. Another far-fetched plan called for the elimination of athletics at the University of Nevada-Reno and University of Nevada Las Vegas. Ultimately, the state’s higher education budget was cut 7 percent in 2010 and another 15 percent in 2011.

In 2009, Nevada State College faced budget cuts of 24.1 percent. By comparison, UNLV’s budget was cut 15.1 percent and neighboring College of Southern Nevada had its budget cut by 4.9 percent, the second smallest cut among the state’s seven public colleges.

In 2007, Nevada State College students rallied against the then-proposed cuts. According to NSC officials, budget cuts have left student services understaffed, and about 25% of the university's teaching and administrative positions will be left vacant in 2008. According to Nevada State College's late President Dr. Fred Maryanski
Fred Maryanski
Fred Mayanski , an American educator, was the President of Nevada State College in Henderson, Nevada, part of the Nevada System of Higher Education , from February 1, 2005 until his death....

(1947–2010), budget cuts were implemented in a way that avoids reducing class offerings.

Tuition, fees and financial aid

For the 2010-2011 academic year, Nevada residents will pay $103.25 per credit for tuition, plus student fees.

Nevada State College offers financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, and loans.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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