Elena Gandia Garcia: Faculty Excellence Award Winner

Published: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 17:35

The Division of Educational Outreach salutes Elena Gandia Garcia, Ph.D. for teaching excellence. Garcia is the recipient of the 2017 Division of Educational Outreach Faculty Excellence Award for being at the forefront of addressing a need for the state of Nevada and providing students with the skills to be successful legal interpreters. Garcia was indispensable to the development and implementation of the Legal Interpretation: Spanish Certificate Program for UNLV Continuing Education.
As developer and instructor of some of the courses in this certificate, Garcia developed a curriculum to instruct bilingual students in the techniques and procedures of producing an accurate, efficient translation, particularly in the legal field. Students completing this certificate are well-prepared for a career providing high quality interpretation to serve individuals with limited English skills.  
 
In addition to being on the faculty at UNLV as Assistant Professor in Residence at the Department of World Languages and Cultures, Garcia’s research interest is focused on legal translation and interpreting.  She is also Vice President of the Nevada Interpreters and Translators Association (NITA). Garcia received her Ph.D. in Translation and Interpreting (Estudios Avanzados de Traducción e Interpretación) at Universitat Jaume I, Castellón, Spain. The Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs appointed Garcia Sworn Interpreter and Translator in 2003. 
 

UNLV Names Joseph Miera as Vice Provost for the Division of Educational Outreach

Published: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 17:35

 
UNLV is pleased to announce the appointment of Joseph Miera as Vice Provost for the Division of Educational Outreach, effective September 1, 2017.
 
“Joseph brings to UNLV outstanding leadership experience in extended learning, distance learning, and educational outreach,” said Diane Chase, UNLV’s Executive Vice President and Provost.
 
Miera was the driving force behind his former institution’s efforts to increase early childhood services, while merging continuing education and distance learning. He reduced the newly combined division’s deficit and increased staff. 
 
“Joseph has an impressive record of proven success,” Senior Vice Provost, Carl Reiber, said. “We are eager to welcome Joseph and have him join our efforts to enhance comprehensive, entrepreneurial and lifelong learning here at UNLV.”
 
Miera comes to UNLV from the University of New Mexico, where he served in a number of leadership roles over his 30-year career with the institution. Most recently, Miera served as Executive Director of its Extended Learning – Operations & Contracts Group since 2013. Prior to that, he served for a year as Interim Dean and Interim Executive Director of UNM’s Division of Continuing Education. Leading up to that, he served nine years as UNM’s Associate Dean of Operations and two years as the Associate Dean of Business. Additionally, he was the institution’s Director of Finance and Administration from 1990 to 2001 for the public television affiliate, a unit of the university. Miera’s work at UNM earned him numerous national awards and recognition, including two Gold Awards in 2016 from UPCEA, one for a writers-conference brochure, and one for a mixed media campaign for youth camps and classes. UPCEA is a leading association for professional, continuing, and online education.
 
Miera says he is eager to join UNLV and help elevate the institution to Top Tier recognition. “The local economy is very strong and this presents a great opportunity for the Division of Educational Outreach to extend the breadth of programming it provides into the community,” he said. “Our goal would be to continue to build credit and noncredit programs that meet the educational needs of the community.” In his new role, Miera said he plans to explore creating a 12-month continuing education campus, and to promote diversity and inclusion by “building programs of interest to the local diverse communities we serve.” 
 
Miera exemplifies the values of lifelong learning. He is completing an Ed.D. in educational leadership. Miera holds a master’s degree in public administration from UNM and a bachelor of science in accountancy from Arizona State University.
 

Scholarships Available to Help Re-entry Students Finish Their Degrees

Published: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 17:35

Non-traditional students make up more than 20 percent of all undergraduate students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. These are students who had their education journey disrupted by family commitments, military service, finances, or other reasons. Not surprisingly, money is often a barrier for adult learners wishing to complete their degree. UNLV’s Community2Campus office within the Division of Educational Outreach administers several scholarships earmarked especially for students returning to college after an extended interruption.
The Bernard Osher Foundation Re-entry Scholarship awards up to $5,000 per year for part-time and full-time students pursuing their first bachelor’s degree who have experienced a break of five or more years in their education. The UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees’ Sastaunik Re-entry Scholarship represents a commitment by the UNLV Foundation to get students back on track for graduation and offers up to $2,500 for the fall or spring semester. Eligible applicants should be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree and have experienced an interruption of five or more years in their education. The Re-entry Friendship Scholarship was established over 20 years ago by four Las Vegas women in honor of their friendship; it is still funded by donors who give in honor, memory, and celebration of special friends. Awards up to $1,000 are given for fall or spring semester to undergraduate or graduate students with a minimum three year interruption in their schooling. The Jerri Zika-Semenza Memorial Scholarship awards up to $2,000 per year for part-time and full-time students returning to college after an interruption of at least three years. 
The scholarship application deadline for all 2018-2019 academic year re-entry scholarships administered through Community2Campus is 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 13. Awards for both fall and spring semesters will be selected from this pool of applicants. Scholarship applications are available online at edoutreach.unlv.edu/community2campus. Applicants must submit the form as well as a separate personal statement for each scholarship for which they wish to be considered. Applicants for all scholarships must be formally admitted to UNLV as a degree-seeking student to be considered for an award. Awards are paid out two times per year based on meeting the award criteria.
Community2Campus supports re-entry non-traditional students as they make the transition back to college to complete their degrees. To learn more about Community2Campus or re-entry scholarships, call Rochelle Sanchez at 702-895-5486 or email Rochelle.Sanchez@unlv.edu

Dr. Jennifer Keene Awarded 2018 DEO Faculty Excellence Award

Published: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 17:35

The Division of Educational Outreach acknowledges Jennifer Keene, Ph.D. for her teaching excellence.  Dr. Keene is the recipient of the 2018 Division of Educational Outreach Faculty Excellence Award. Dr. Keene has taught during Summer Term on a regular basis and has consistently received very positive feedback from students. Over the past several years she has worked closely with Summer Term as the Associate Dean for the College of Liberal Arts to manage the college's program for the benefit of the students and faculty. Dr. Keene is the embodiment of a faculty member who is inspired by summer and who espouses one of Summer Term’s central core values of being student centered.
Dr. Keene joined the UNLV faculty in 2001 after completing her graduate work at Florida State University. In 2005, she won the UNLV College of Liberal Arts William Morris Teaching Award and the UNLV Alumni Association Award for Student-Centeredness. She is an active member of the UNLV community and serves on numerous committees across campus. Dr. Keene has served as the Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts since 2013.
Dr. Keene currently collaborates with Dr. Takashi Yamashita on the Nevada Volunteerism Research Initiative, which is a community-based partnership between UNLV researchers and Nevada’s nonprofit organizations intended to study volunteerism and encourage a community conversation about civic engagement.
 

Martha Carrell Named 2018 OLLI at UNLV Lifetime Member

Published: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 17:35

The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNLV Steering Council has named Martha Carrell as 2018's Lifetime Member. OLLI at UNLV’s Lifetime Membership is an honor bestowed on members who demonstrate a longtime commitment to the ideals of maintaining and growing a vibrant community of lifelong learners.
Martha Carrell joined OLLI at UNLV in 2011. She is a current member of the OLLI Steering Council, has been an active member of the Fundraising, Curriculum, By-Laws, and Long-Range Planning Committees, and has been a frequent contributor of poetry to the annual OLLI Journal. 
Carrell is the founding instructor and an active presenter of the very popular TED Talks class series. Her classes use TED Talks videos and other source material to generate lively discussion on current and often complex topics. Carrell's classes always generate enthusiastic and intelligent class participation, and evaluations show she is beloved by her students. As nominated by an honored past Lifetime Member, Martha was recruited as a guest speaker for OLLI’s popular Soap Box classes. Carrell never turned down a request to fill in, and she never received anything less than enthusiastic approval and praise for her presentations. She spends a great deal of time in preparation for every class she gives, and her presentation and teaching skills are extraordinary. The Lifetime Member nomination form glows that as an instructor, Martha Carrell is among the best of the best, which is important to the continued energy of OLLI at UNLV.
On behalf of the Steering Council as well as the entirety of the Division of Educational Outreach, we thank Martha Carrell for all of her contributions OLLI at UNLV and congratulate her on this honor.

Scholarships Available to Help Re-Entry Students Finish Their Degrees

Published: Thu, 03/19/2020 - 17:35

Non-traditional students make up more than 20 percent of all undergraduate students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. These are students who had their education journey disrupted by family commitments, military service, finances, or other reasons. Not surprisingly, money is often a barrier for adult learners wishing to complete their degree. UNLV’s Community2Campus office within the Division of Educational Outreach administers several scholarships earmarked especially for students returning to college after an extended interruption.
 
 
The Bernard Osher Foundation Re-entry Scholarship awards up to $5,000 per year for part-time and full-time students pursuing their first bachelor’s degree who have experienced a break of five or more years in their education. The UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees’ Sastaunik Re-entry Scholarship represents a commitment by the UNLV Foundation to get students back on track for graduation and offers up to $2,500 for the fall or spring semester. Eligible applicants should be pursuing their first bachelor’s degree and have experienced an interruption of five or more years in their education. The J. Scott and Shara Di Valerio Re-Entry Scholarship Fund is designed for non-traditional re-entry students who have overcome significant challenges in their lives and have chosen to return to college to complete their degree. The scholarship awards up to $2,500 a semester for two semesters. The Jerri Zika-Semenza Memorial Scholarship awards up to $2,000 per year for part-time and full-time students returning to college after an interruption of at least three years. 
 
 
The scholarship application deadline for all 2019-2020 academic year re-entry scholarships administered through Community2Campus is 11:59 p.m. Friday, April 12. Awards for both fall and spring semesters will be selected from this pool of applicants. Scholarship applications are available online at edoutreach.unlv.edu/community2campus. Applicants must submit the form as well as a separate personal statement for each scholarship for which they wish to be considered. Applicants for all scholarships must be formally admitted to UNLV as a degree-seeking student to be considered for an award. Awards are paid out two times per year based on meeting the award criteria.
 
 
Community2Campus supports re-entry non-traditional students as they make the transition back to college to complete their degrees. To learn more about Community2Campus or re-entry scholarships, call Rochelle Sanchez at 702-895-5486 or email Rochelle.Sanchez@unlv.edu