Human resource instructor Gary Cottino has been presented with the top teaching award from the UNLV Division of Educational Outreach. Cottino received the 2016 Division of Educational Outreach Faculty Excellence Award during UNLV's 2016 Academic Achievement Awards Ceremony & Reception on April 20.
UNLV’s Human Resource Management Certificate programs provide an outstanding opportunity for local HR practitioners and business owners to learn critical aspects of organizational employee relationships. Cottino was instrumental in creating the programs. As Past President of the local chapter of the Southern Nevada Human Resource Association and Director of its Nevada Chapter, Cottino worked with other HR professionals and UNLV faculty in the fall of 1990 to design a curriculum to train a solid core of professionals for HR leadership positions. It later evolved to serve entry-level workers and persons desiring to move into HR.
Cottino has taught an estimated 4,000 students in approximately 400 courses. Among those classes are the Employment Law Series reviewing major federal and state laws affecting public and private sector employment. Students commend Cottino for his ability to impart employment law with humor while consistently receiving a 93% very satisfied rating from students.
Cottino is a native Nevadan with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration - Industrial Relations and Personnel from UNLV. He has worked in Southern Nevada HR for more than 30 years and holds senior-level professional certifications from the Human Resource Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management.