• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Nevada Business Magazine

The Decision Maker's Magazine

Subscribe Now!

  • Subscriptions
    • Print
    • Mobile App
    • Email
    • Nevada News & PR Wire
  • Features
    • New This Month
    • View Issues
    • Cover Stories
    • Feature Stories
    • Industry Focus
    • Building Nevada
    • Special Reports
    • Press Release Wire
    • Nevada Industries
  • Departments
    • A Matter of Opinion
    • Around the State
    • Business Indicators
    • Commentary
    • Commercial RE Report
    • Crossfire
    • Expert Advice
    • Face to Face
    • Free Market Watch
    • Inside Politics
    • Power of Attorney
    • Profit & Loss
    • Speaking for Nevada
    • Tech.knowledge.me
    • The Last Word
    • Vital Signs
  • Planning Calendar
  • Advertising
    • Advertising Info
    • Advertising Staff
    • Submission Requirements
    • Online Advertising
  • Events
    • NBM Events
  • About
    • About the Magazine
    • Contact the Staff
  • Connect
    • Business Directory
    • Press Release Wire
    • Business Calendar
    • Submit Listing
    • Post Press Release
    • Add Your Event
    • Sign Up
    • Log In
You are here: Home / Features / Cover Story / Partnerships Wanted: Education Outlook

Partnerships Wanted: Education Outlook

April 1, 2013 By Howard Riell Leave a Comment

Nevada Education Outlook: Partnerships WantedIt would be cynical to say that the future of education in Nevada hinges on money. After all, doesn’t just about everything?

Instead, education’s future across the Silver State will have more to do with utility: giving students better tools with which to achieve success, and the private sector, the trained and educated workforce, managers and entrepreneurs it will need to help overcome the resistance of these challenging economic times.

Easier said than done.

But it’s happening.

The future of education in Nevada will see an increased emphasis on partnering with the business community, a synergy that should help forge a more dynamic overall climate of prosperity for Nevadans for decades to come.

Kathy Gamboa, district vice president, North, University of Phoenix, says that the biggest thing she and her school are focusing on as far as the future of education is “working more directly with employers to match curriculum with careers and courses with job requirements for skills that have real-world application.” The goal is to take a chunk out of the state’s unemployment numbers. Nevada, she points out, “is not bouncing back as quickly as some of the other states around the country, although we are seeing some good movement.”

What Gamboa and her colleagues hear consistently from the Nevada employers with whom they come into contact with is a litany of the skills they are looking for, and the competencies they need, in order to be successful. “We have a pretty nice partnership with MGM, for example. That’s a result of the work we have done to assure that we can help them with their workforce, to make them better prepared to meet their business needs.”

Using the latest technologies and working in teams are at the forefront of priorities, she reports. “The team element at the University of Phoenix is a big part of what we do, because in the workplace you work in teams all the time; you have to know how to work together.” Critical thinking skills are also crucial, she adds. “Being able to take what you learned the night before from somebody who is actually in the profession doing it to work the next day and apply it is one of those tangible skills that employers are just crying for.”

“I’m very optimistic,” says Pedro Martinez, superintendent of schools for the Washoe County School District. “I see our state is in an upward trajectory. Graduation rates are rising. We’re doing some things here in Washoe County that I think are very innovative.” For instance, piloting a program to make sure 400 of the county’s 12th graders can take needed remediation courses before they leave high school for college. “We’re using the curriculum of the university and the community college. The university took the lead in math, the community college took the lead in English. We see this program scaling up to next year.”

At present, this program’s participation represents roughly 15% of graduates. Next year, Martinez envisions the program growing even larger. “We wanted to pilot it this year and get it done right. My goal is to eliminate remediation issues, so I see graduation rates rising. I see us tackling the issue of our children being better prepared coming out of our high schools to enter either secondary education or careers.”

Martinez is convinced that the steps being taken by educators are producing palpable results. “Frankly, I think that over time, as the data gets more up-to-date — the national data tends to be a year or two old – people in our state are going to see that graduation rates are rising. We’re not going to be ranked last the way we have in the past.” He is referring to the 2012 Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation released last summer that ranked Nevada dead last in education among the 50 states. Among the reasons for the miserable result: 44 percent of Nevada’s 2008-2009 high school students failed to graduate in four years, also the top percentage in the country.

Preparing for Impact

Much of what the future holds for education across the state hinges on the ongoing deliberations over the funding formula.

Bart Patterson, president of Nevada State College (NSC) in Henderson, perhaps not surprisingly, feels that the school has been “under-resourced in terms of funding. I really should say all of the institutions are not necessarily funded adequately, but under the funding formula, the state-supported portion of the operating budget would go up a significant percentage.” It will be utilized, he adds, primarily for additional student services to help retain and graduate students, “and to add additional faculty that are really needed, particularly in certain majors.”

The single greatest issue facing higher education, in Patterson’s opinion, is how best to incorporate “more e-learning, how to utilize more in the way of technology in the classroom.” His own institution is doing a good job of that, but students, he observes, “want more for less. They’re looking at being able to utilize credits from other institutions. They’re looking at as much convenience as possible in terms of core selection classes. We’re going to continue to try and meet that demand.” Patterson points out that his institution has continued to grow, and at the fastest rate in the state, something he predicts is going to continue throughout 2013.

Michael Richards, president of the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), says that he and his colleagues spent a lot of their time leading into this year preparing for the legislative session and working on a new formula for funding higher education. “We have spent several days in Carson City to share that formula with members of the legislature, and to see if we can’t get more equitable funding, particularly for this institution.” How have they fared? “It’s early, and this is something we have to continually work on through June. That sets the agenda and priorities, basically, for us for the next couple of years. We’re always hopeful. We are so optimistic here.”

What Richards and his people have done is to put in place a number of initiatives to create a positive impact on the community that it serves, as well as their students. One is the Achieving the Dream Initiative, a major national reform effort to improve the services schools render to students and to break down the barriers that prevent them from being successful.

“Those kinds of things have taken our attention,” says Richards. “We’ve involved our faculty and staff in an effort to provide almost a booster shot, if you will, to education in Nevada.”

Another program that CSN has put in place is a major involvement with local efforts to create a regional economic development initiative and plan. Richards’ staff has been working with residents “to let them know what we offer in terms of workforce development, in terms of customized training; efforts to put people back to work with the skills that they need to be successful.”

His goal is to add to his institution’s portfolio of partnerships with local industries, especially those highlighted in Governor Sandoval’s economic development plan. “A great example of this is the college’s partnership with the electronics-based defense contractor JT3,” he noted. “Students take six core courses in CSN’s electronics engineering program and then apply with the company. If hired, the student may be offered a bonus to help cover the costs of the courses they have already taken.”

“We are certainly pinched budget-wise,” declares Marc Johnson, president of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). “We lost a third of our state funding over the last four years, but our growth in number of students has replaced a portion of that revenue.” The way administration handled the budget cutting was by identifying the programs that drew the most students and provided the most research. “We left those programs almost unfazed during the budget cutting, and we completely cut out other programs that did less research and drew fewer students.”

Much of what lies in store throughout 2013 and into 2014 depends on Carson City, Johnson emphasizes. “Our future is very reliant on what the legislature does with this new formula. With this budget, the governor asked higher education to put in a flat budget.”

The crucial part of the formula, he feels, is that while tuition and student registration fees used to be re-appropriated by the legislature, the new proposal calls for them to stay on the campus on which they are generated; the new formula only applies to the state funds. “Since we have been a growing institution and we are continually attracting students,, that means if we get to keep our tuition and fees we will have for the first time in four years an enrollment-sensitive revenue source,” Johnson notes. “Then, if we continue to grow our student body we will have the funds available to grow our faculty and student support personnel in order to continue to serve them well. So if this formula package goes through our future will be bright.”

The future will also see Johnson and his people working to forge more and stronger relations with the business and economic develop communities “to open the doors of the university to be partners with business. We are developing a well-educated, high-tech workforce to all the degrees. We’re opening up an innovation mentality to where we will be working more and more with business, bringing individuals from industry. That’s an exciting new venture for us.”

At a February 8 town hall meeting, Johnson outlined a variety of ways that UNR can tap new, less state-dependent revenue sources. “Our ‘new normal’ is going to require the effort of each and every one of us to achieve. This grand experiment of how this public university can become more entrepreneurial and rely more on our wits and creativity.”

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) has taken to the spirit of collaboration as well. This year the school formed a partnership with CSN to provide additional support to two-year CSN students as they move to the more traditional four-year degree program at UNLV. The school has taken on two full time transition advisors and maintains a permanent presence at the CSN Charleston campus through the partnership.

Additionally, UNLV is growing physically through partnerships with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada to build a multi-modal transit center and Majestic Realty Co. to build UNLVNow, an events center and student village on the northwest part of the campus.

For the Fall 2012 semester, UNLV had just over 27,000 students with undergraduate students representing 82 percent. The school is funded primarily through tuition fees with 31 percent of total revenue coming from that source and 29 percent from state appropriations. The remaining funding comes from alternative sources including endowments and grants.

‘Just Begun’

“I would say we’re moving forward, but we’ve just begun,” says Carolyn Edwards, president of the Clark County School District Board of School Trustees. “We have a long way to go. We’re at the bottom of a lot of lists. I think it’s critical to point out that we are at the bottom of the funding list, but we’re 36th in student achievement” according to Quality Counts, Education Week’s annual report on state-level efforts to improve public education. “We get the least amount of funding, and yet our students are still achieving. That’s not a bad thing, but we need to be better than that.”

To accomplish that, Edwards adds, the fifth-largest school district in the United States must continue to focus on improving instruction in the classroom, and raising the bar for students. “With the departure of [Superintendent] Dwight Jones (who had served the District since late 2010) it puts the path at risk. One of our jobs as trustees is going to be sure that whoever we bring in is going to continue this work.”

“There was a report from the College Board that just came out last week talking about the 2011/12 graduating class,” notes Martinez, “and the fact that we have more children in our state taking and passing the advanced placement classes. Nevada ranked 25 out of 50 states. In Washoe alone, we represented a quarter of the children, even though we’re only 15% of the children in the state, so we’re doing more than our fair share.”

After attending several of the budget sessions in Carson City, Martinez is convinced the money will be made available. “The economy is still fragile, and I know that; and our companies are still struggling, and our community is still struggling with home values. But I really believe we’re starting to make a turn for the best, and I think education is going to be a leader.”

“Certainly,” Gamboa concludes, “when we as a university think of our opportunities it’s really connecting what we can do for our employers to help meet those skill gaps, and to be able to apply it to the real world.”

And that is the future of education in Nevada.

Filed Under: Cover Story Tagged With: 2012 Kids Count, Achieving the Dream Initiative, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Bart Patterson, Carolyn Edwards, Carson City education, Clark County School District, Clark County School District Board of School Trustees, College of Southern Nevada (CSN), Dwight Jones, Education Week, graduation rate, Henderson education, Kathy Gamboa, Las Vegas education, Majestic Realty Co., Marc Johnson, MGM, Michael Richards, Nevada education, Nevada State College (NSC), Pedro Martinez, Quality Counts, Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, Reno education, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Nevada Reno (UNR), University of Phoenix, UNLVNOW, Washoe County School District

Sponsored Features

Sponsored Features

Sun City Anthem HOACashes in on Water Savings

U.S. Bank’s Good TruckComes to Las Vegas

GC Garcia, Inc. Celebrates 25 YearsAnd Looks Back on Southern Nevada’s Changing Landscape

Las Vegas Valley Water DistrictSupports Local Fire-Fighting Efforts

Advertise With Us

Advertise With Us. more details ►

Primary Sidebar

Education OutlookBig Issues and Hard Work for K-12

Industry FocusBuilders & Developers

Industrial SubmarketDemand Over Pandemic

Cyber SecurityKeeping Your Business Safe

Nevada News & PR Wire

  • Las Vegas-Based Pandmedic Solutions Donates 10,000 Face Masks to Non-Profit Core and Two Opportunity 180 Schools

  • Korin Woods Named Executive Director of Nonprofit UNSHAKEABLE

  • CSN First-Generation Student Named Regents’ Scholar – the Honor Includes a $5,000 Award

  • Cure 4 the Kids Foundation Tees up 9th Annual Golf 4 The Kids

  • Call for Proposals for Two Visit Carson City Murals

  • Northcap Commercial Arranges Sale of Azure Park Apartments for $2,854,000

  • Special Olympics Nevada to Host 2021 South Lake Tahoe Plunge at Round Hill Beach Resort

  • City of Las Vegas Launches Smart Curbside Management Corridor with Cox

  • De Castroverde Law Group Announces Winners of Its Fall 2020 Teacher Appreciation Awards

  • NAIOP Southern Nevada Urges Congress to Pass the Southern Nevada Economic Development and Conservation Act

  • Dueling Axes Announces Spring Specials and Weekly Programming

  • Desert Radiology Receives Renewal as Diagnostic Imaging Center of Excellence From American College of Radiology

  • Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Announces New Board Member Hilary Nelson of Lexicon Bank

  • Cure 4 the Kids Foundation Recognizes Founder Annette Logan-Parker – Dr. Suess-Themed Patient Examination Room Dedicated During Nevada Reading Week

  • Local Business Owner Accepted Into Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program

  • James M. Wright Named Chief Marshal for the Nevada Appellate Courts

  • CAMCO Employees Demonstrate Their Giving Hearts in February

  • Nevada Donor Network Applauds AOPO’s “50,000 Organ Transplants by 2026” Campaign that Focuses on Improving System and Saving More Lives

  • Reno Aces and Greater Nevada Credit Union Help Youth Sports Return to Play

  • Diversity in Practice Panel to Explore Middle Eastern/South Asian Representation in Law

  • Founder of “Gracefully Greying”, Family Attorney Henry S. Gornbein Joins Lipson Neilson as Of Counsel

  • La Strega’s Weekend Fish Market Continues, Scheduled for Sun., Mar. 7

  • Prominence Health Plan Advises Nevadans to Protect Themselves from Medical Scammers

  • A Virtual Restaurant and Fast Casual Concept Set to Debut in Henderson

  • Suit up and Help End Childhood Cancer With St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®

  • Faith Lutheran Middle & High School’s Conservatory of the Fine Arts Presents Filming the Arts – Student Showcase Proceeds Benefit Renowned Fine Arts Program

  • Carson City Named Top Place in America to Travel Right Now and Avoid the Pandemic by Forbes

  • Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, LLP Relocates its Reno Office

  • De Castroverde Law Group Awarded Las Vegas Latino Bar Association Inspira Award

  • Virtual Poker Tournament with “Poker Brat” Phil Hellmuth Will Benefit Junior Achievement of Southern Nevada Mar. 13-14

  • Future Smiles Receives Unrestricted $25,000 Program Grant From LIBERTY Dental Plan of Nevada

  • Desert Radiology Encourages COVID-19 Vaccination Among Team Members and Community

  • Northcap Commercial Arranges Sale of MCR Apartments for $6,800,000

  • Helix Electric Announces Completion of Meow Wolf’s Omega Mart

  • Brooke Conway-Kleven Leads Cure 4 the Kids Foundation Physical Medicine Department

  • Coral Academy of Science Las Vegas Accepting Enrollment Applications Through Feb. 28

  • JING Las Vegas to Host Wine Tasting Tuesdays, Every Tuesday Beginning Tues., Feb 23

  • Reno Public Market’s Nettie Oliverio Elected as Pioneer Center Board Chair

  • Alaskan-Born Neeser Construction Expands in Reno-Tahoe

  • More Matcha on the Menu: Dunkin’ Debuts Blueberry Matcha Latte and New Matcha Topped Donut

  • Las Vegas Local Businesses Celebrate with February Events Margarita Day, Happy Hour Specials, Wine Pairing and Charitable Fundraisers

  • Wolf, Rifkin, Shapiro, Schulman & Rabkin, LLP Relocates its Las Vegas Office

  • Supreme Court to Consider Creating Commission to Study Water Adjudication

  • WGU Launches Initiative to Remove Barriers for Students With High Financial Need and Those Without Access to Federal Financial Aid

  • Applications Open for Nevada State College’s Newest Summer Bridge Program Designed for Incoming Black Students

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Announces 2021 Scholarship Program Available To Graduating Nevada High School Seniors

  • Broadbent & Associates, Inc. Names New Director of Engineering

  • Nathan Adelson Hospice Names Cheryl Johnston as Clinical Manager for Pahrump Location

  • Former Las Vegas Police Officer Offers Help To Local Residents

  • Statewide Partners Unite to Facilitate Equal Vaccine Access Through Nevada Vaccine Equity Collaborative

  • Nevada Small Business Development Center Presents The Top 5 PPP Myths, Busted!

  • Jewish Nevada and Jewish Family Services Agency (JFSA) Team up to Launch Hebrew Free Loan Program to Assist Nevada’s Jewish Community

  • Cassie Catania-Hsu Accepted Into NAIOP Research Foundation Visionaries Program

  • Ascent Multifamily Now Offers Corporate Accounting

  • Nevada State Contractors Board to Hold 2nd Annual ‘Hammers & Hope’ Event

  • TMC Financing Helps Eby Iron Designs Secure Future with Building Purchase

  • Economic Impact of COVID Closures White Paper Published

  • ioneer and Caterpillar Complete Autonomous Haul Truck Feasibility Study and Sign Memorandum of Understanding

  • United Pain Urgent Care Launches in Reno

  • Terra Contracting Launches New Service Offering; Public Utilities to Save Millions

  • In Plain Sight Marketing Ditches Brick and Mortar Digs, Goes Virtual

  • Eleven Lipson Neilson Attorneys Receive AV Preeminent® Rating for 2021

  • Nevada Supreme Court Appoints Katherine Stocks as Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts and State Court Administrator

  • Cold Brew With Sweet Cold Foam and Chocolate Stout Cold Brew With Sweet Cold Foam Arrive at Dunkin’ Restaurants Nationwide on February 24

  • Desert Radiology Continues to Hire for Several Available Positions

  • Dr. Phillip Ruiz Joins Nevada Donor Network as Associate Laboratory Medical Director

  • Colliers Las Vegas Represents Sale of Undeveloped Land in North Las Vegas

  • Special Olympics Nevada to Host 2021 Las Vegas Polar Plunge at Cowabunga Bay

  • G.C. Garcia, Inc. to Host ‘Reading to Rescued Dogs’ Books & Pet Supplies Donation Drive to Benefit Spread the Word Nevada & Heaven Can Wait Animal Society

  • Steinberg Diagnostic Medical Imaging and SR Construction Break Ground on New Facility

  • Sandeep R. Pandit, M.D. Brings Hip and Knee Expertise to Crovetti Orthopaedics

  • NV Energy Foundation Provides $550,000 to Support Scholarships, Workforce Readiness & Student Emergency Fund. the Funds Will Provide Scholarships and Aid to Hundreds of CSN Students

  • NAIOP Southern Nevada Presents “Land: Why Our Future Depends on It” at Feb. 18 Virtual Breakfast

  • Concrete Slabs Poured at Latest Brass Cap Development Industrial Project in West Henderson

  • The Discovery Welcomes New Board Members

  • Deryk Engelland Joins the 8 News Now Team

  • Dress for Success Southern Nevada Welcomes Norma Intriago as Executive Director

  • Lutheran Social Services of Nevada to Celebrate Opening of Expanded DigiMart™ Food Pantry – Feb. 16 Ribbon Cutting Will Celebrate Completion of Expansion That Will Serve an Additional 5,000+ Families Annually

  • NAIOP Honors Southern Nevada Chapter With Three National Awards

  • Zero1 Off-Road, LLC Acquires Vegas Off-Road Tours, LLC and Transfers the Existing RZR Off-Road Experience to “Vegas Off-Road Tours”

  • Dermody Properties Promotes Kimberly Rossiter to Director of Property Management, West

  • RSAR Releases January 2021 Existing Home Sales Report

  • PureCare Living’s Newest Skilled Nursing Facility Enters Final Phase of Licensing

  • LPGA Pro Gigi Stoll Joins Reflection Bay Golf Club

  • Northcap Commercial Arranges Sale of 2566 Sherwood Street Apartments for $1,700,000

  • Business Continuity Technologies Protecting Las Vegas Business From Cyberattacks

  • MassMedia Marketing, Advertising and PR Signs Circus Circus Hotel & Casino Las Vegas

  • Colliers Las Vegas Industrial Team Sells Out Six-Unit Industrial Complex Valued at $6.6m During Pandemic

  • Tuscan Highlands Opens Second Round of Nominations for Valley’s Top First Responders

  • The Las Vegas Business Academy Announces Allyson Bunker and Candace Davis-Martin as New Board Members

  • Southern Nevada Housing Market Starts Year With Prices Still Rising

  • Two University of Nevada, Reno Graduates Earn Certificate in Principles of Public Relations

  • Reno Sportsdome Partners With Swift Orthopedic Urgent Clinic

  • Nevada State College Ranks #2 in Nationwide Search for Best Elementary Education Degree

  • College of Southern Nevada & City of Las Vegas Partner to Offer Education, Workforce Training in Historic West Las Vegas

  • Future Smiles Receives $10,000 Gift From Dentaquest – Nonprofit Will Use Funds to Support Local Children in Need of Critical Dental Services

  • Colliers Las Vegas Retail Broker Chris Clifford Promoted to Senior Vice President

  • Silver State Schools Credit Union Increases Share Insurance Coverage Up To $500,000

  • Lamar Advertising of Las Vegas to Honor African American “Firsts” Throughout Black History Month

  • ioneer Welcomes Rose McKinney-James as Non-Executive Director to its Board



 
Submit Your News & PR | Subscribe
Submit Your News & PR

Business Connection

Business Connection Portal

Log In Sign Up

Business Connection Portal

Log In Sign Up

Nevada Business Calendar

  • Ely Film Festival 2021
    March 12, 2021 12:00 pm

    Location: 501 E Aultman St, Ely, NV 89301, USA

    More details...
  • Play 4 JA Virtual Poker Tournament
    March 13, 2021 12:00 am

    More details...
View Full Calendar ►

Nevada Business Directory

Featured Businesses
Find a Nevada-Based Business Submit Your Business Subscribe to the Nevada News & PR Wire

Nevada Industries

Architects & Engineers
Arts & Culture
Banking
Commercial Real Estate
Construction
Credit Unions
Economic Development
Education
Financial Management
Healthcare
Human Resources
Insurance
Law
Manufacturing
Marketing
Media
Mining
Philanthropy
Residential Real Estate
Rural Nevada
Sports
Tax Planning and Accounting
Technology
Telecom
Tourism
Transportation
Utilities

Footer

Subscriptions

  • Print Subscription
  • Mobile App
  • E-mail Subscription

Editorial

  • Features
  • Departments
  • Events

Advertising

  • Advertise
  • Submission Requirements

Connect

  • Contact
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2020, Business Link LLC dba Nevada Business Magazine and Nevada Business Journal. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions
Nevada Web Design services by Nevada Central Media using Genesis Framework by StudioPress