The 2015 Summer Term course schedule is now available online at summerterm.unlv.edu. Registration opens March 16; exact registration windows are based on anticipated class standing, with priority given to upper level students.
Summer Term begins the week after spring finals, on May 18, and runs for thirteen weeks. Summer courses have the same academic content as fall or spring courses, but summer sessions move at a more rapid pace. Summer students typically tackle a semester’s worth of content in just three to five weeks. Courses during Summer Term, however, can run any length—you will see sessions which run the entire thirteen weeks, ten weeks, or eight weeks. Many academic departments also run online courses during Summer Term, giving students maximum flexibility to fit coursework around other commitments.
For many students Summer Term offers an opportunity to get ahead or stay on track on credits toward graduation. Entering freshmen can use summer to take any necessary remedial courses so they are ready to start on the path toward graduation in the fall. Clark County high school students are eligible to take summer courses as non-admitted students through UNLV’s Early Studies program, earning both high school and college credits. The credits transfer when they enroll in a degree program at UNLV or elsewhere.
Summer Term policies for refunds, drops, payment, and penalties often differ from fall and spring terms. Be sure to review policies, calendars, and Frequently Asked Questions on Summer Term’s web page if you plan to enroll.

UNLV and its Division of Educational Outreach celebrate Women’s History Month with a special presentation, “Doing Science from the Back of the Bus: Science and Civil Rights in the Life of Roger Arliner Young.” Sara P. Díaz, assistant professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Gonzaga University, will discuss the life of Roger Arliner Young, the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in zoology (1940). Fifty years after her death, Young’s professional experiences continue to resonate with many women of color in science and the academy. 
 
The challenges Young faced included job instability and discrimination, poverty, and a violently racist and sexist culture. In particular, she struggled to reconcile her commitment to her non-scientific, working-class community outside the university with the elite racial uplift agenda within the university. Dr. Díaz will discuss the various factors that led to Young’s ultimate exclusion from the scientific community, despite her internationally recognized scientific contributions. 
 
The presentation will take place 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 10 in the Goldfield Room of Lied Library on the UNLV Main Campus. It is co-sponsored by the African-American Studies Program, Council of African-American Professionals, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, Interdisciplinary Degree Programs, Office of Civic Engagement & Diversity, Office of Diversity Initiatives, Women’s Council, and Women’s Research Institute of Nevada.
 

In an effort to bring Nevadans more options for electricity, NV Energy and the Department of Energy jointly sponsored a trial program for single-family residential customers called Choose When You Use. NV Energy enrolled volunteer households and then supplied them with new time-varying rates, programmable thermostats, and digital energy education. According to NV Energy, approximately 5,000 customers in southern and northern Nevada are taking part in this two year trial program.
 
Two years ago UNLV's Cannon Survey Center (CSC) surveyed participants before the trial program kicked off. Now, CSC is collecting data to determine which program elements best helped participants make energy smart decisions. CSC staffers have been busy contacting trial participants to inquire about their experience with the program and how participation changed their energy habits.
 
To meet the demands of the project, CSC recently hired 14 new staff members, ten of whom are UNLV students. "It's a great resume-builder for students who plan to work in people-oriented careers," notes manager Lesley Kraus, "and for us, we get engaged staff who are interested in learning how to conduct survey research." The student workforce draws heavily from social science majors, especially psychology, social work, and criminal justice majors. Conducting surveys helps students better understand what motivates people, a practical skill that will carry over into their careers.
 
CSC will collect data through April. The final data and survey results will help NV Energy plan its path forward as it builds new customer programs.
 
Cannon Survey Center is committed to delivering high quality survey data collection to the campus community, city and state agencies, and other regional and national clients. Contact CSC Project Manager Bridget Kelly at 702-895-5462 or bridget.kelly@unlv.edu to discuss ways Cannon can assist in your research projects. 

The March/April 2015 edition of Outreach Insights is now available. Read our enewsletter to learn more about exciting continuing education courses, the UNLV Summer Term, Cannon Survey Center, and the upcoming OLLI at UNLV summer session.
*Please note: The March/April edition of Outreach Insights incorrectly stated that "Registration for the first session of the 2015 UNLV Summer Term is now complete." Registration for all sessions is still ongoing and students are in fact able to register for Summer Term 1 courses up until May 15th without penalty and May 18 with late fees.
  

The UNLV Paralegal Certificate Program is a nationally recognized program because of the efforts of a dedicated few. Among them is Margaret Pickard, who has been an instructor for the UNLV Paralegal Certificate courses since 2003 and developed the UNLV Cooperative Parenting program. She is a phenomenal instructor, who is very passionate about what she does. The UNLV Division of Educational Outreach has honored Pickard with its 2015 Faculty Excellence Award for her wealth of knowledge and love for educating others, which shows through in her dedication and passion exhibited in her work. 
 
 
Pickard is also a family law attorney, author/educator, and was recently appointed as the Las Vegas Juvenile Drug Court Hearing Master for the 8th Judicial District Court. The Mediators of Southern Nevada awarded Pickard the 2011 "Peacemaker of the Year," recognizing her for developing and teaching UNLV’s Cooperative Parenting program to the Las Vegas community members and family court litigants. She was again nominated for the Award in 2012.  In 2014, Margaret was honored by the National Academy of Family Law Attorneys as one of the Top 10 Family Law Attorneys in Nevada.
 
 
During her teaching career, Margaret has also taught at Duke University, University of California Davis, University of California Berkeley, University of Montana, and Brigham Young University. She is the author of Business Organizations for Paralegals, Job Strategies for Paralegals, The Unbroken Circle of Love, and Proof-Positive Parenting: What Social Science Research Tells Us About Raising Responsible Kids. Margaret is licensed to practice law in Nevada, California, Montana, and before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
 
 
The UNLV Division of Educational Outreach and Continuing Education extend our gratitude to Pickard for her service to her students, UNLV, and the Las Vegas community.

Community2Campus (C2C) recently collaborated with the City of Henderson to share information about UNLV academic opportunities with city staff. On April 9 over thirty employees scheduled academic consultations to have one-on-one advising about areas of interest. Some employees expressed an interest in earning a graduate degree, while others sought to complete an undergraduate degree or train in a new field. These academic consultations allowed for individual discussion and advisement regarding financial aid, timelines, resources, and managing the admissions pathway to UNLV.
Many thanks go out to UNLV academic advisors Sal Mora (Academic Success Center), Tracy Johnson (Liberal Arts), John Starkey (Lee Business School), and Allison Diehl (Graduate College) for their time and expertise. The day ushered in many new and meaningful options for City of Henderson employees and their futures.
Are you a non-traditional student looking to go back to college? Whether your educational journey was disrupted by family commitments, military service, finances, or other reasons, Community2Campus can help get you back on track to graduation. C2C can connect you with campus resources including academic advising, credit transfers, tutoring, student groups, financial aid, and scholarships. Contact executive director Liz Baldizan for more information at 702-774-4626 or Elizabeth.Baldizan@unlv.edu.

After 37 years in higher education administration, Dr. Liz Baldizan has decided to retire from UNLV effective Monday, August 31, 2015. 
 
Dr. Baldizan has served UNLV for nearly 20 years and joined the UNLV Division of Educational Outreach (DEO) in September 2009 as Executive Director for Community2Campus, a unit she developed from the ground up and demonstrated her long-held commitment to enhancing the success of adult learners. Dr. Baldizan is recognized across the country for her work and publications in this arena. Most recently she was the lead author for a chapter in a National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) publication: Meaningful Community Partnerships for Adult Learners, “Increasing Adult Learner Persistence and Completion Rates: A Guide for Student Affairs Leaders and Practitioners,” August 2014.
 
Dr. Baldizan reached across campus and into the community to garner broad-based support for adult learners and for UNLV. Her work was in line with UNLV’s efforts to recruit adult learners and increase progression and completion rates. With a one million dollar endowment from the Osher Foundation and other gifts, Dr. Baldizan coordinated re-entry scholarships and, in 2014 alone, 36 scholarships were awarded totaling more than $93,000. She worked to assure that ongoing consultations with students via phone, e-mail, or in person were provided for all scholarship recipients as well as the general public interested in returning to UNLV. 
 
Dr. Baldizan also coordinated an ever-increasing number of self-supporting academic credit classes and some state-supported classes held on UNLV Main and Paradise campuses as well as in venues across the Las Vegas Valley, reaching diverse learners. In 2014, 9,338 UNLV students took these classes, producing 23,689 student credit hours.
 
Dr. Baldizan will be missed at UNLV and specifically at DEO, but she will continue to be active in her scholarly discipline and in the Las Vegas community as she advocates for lifelong learning and UNLV. She is currently a member of the City of Henderson Senior Citizen Advisory Commission and was recently selected as a member of the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of College and Character, a publication sponsored by NASPA-Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (2015-2018).
 
As we celebrate her many accomplishments, we wish Dr. Baldizan all the best and thank her for dedication and service to lifelong learning.

Sharon Altman, administrative assistant IV/office manager with the UNLV Division of Educational Outreach (DEO), was named UNLV’s Classified Employee of the Year for 2015 at the Classified Staff Awards Luncheon & Ceremony on  June 22. The award recognizes the employee who has exceeded the normal duties of their job. Sharon received a plaque as well as a monetary award.
 
Sharon exceeds all of the standards for her position on a daily basis. She was nominated because of her extraordinary work ethic, her efficiency in performing job duties, her reliability, willingness to help others, and her positive attitude. When presenting her with the award, Sharon’s supervisor, DEO Operations Manager Rochelle Sanchez, noted Sharon is a highly regarded and respected employee.  “Many of the administrative support staff within our division specifically seek her out for guidance and instruction regarding hiring, generating employment contracts, and processing travel,” said Sanchez.
 
Other reasons cited in the nomination highlighted Sharon’s dedication to her job. Over the course of the last several years DEO has experienced many changes -- management of new grants, organizational restructuring, numerous office relocations, and vacant support staff positions. Each change resulted in an increase to Sharon’s workload. Sharon handled all of these changes and challenges with a positive attitude. She is a reliable person who goes the extra mile to complete her job. While on annual leave Sharon has been known to call the office and check her voicemail and email and respond to urgent requests.
 
Sharon has worked for the State of Nevada for a little over 20 years, with 15 of those years at UNLV.
 
Congratulations, Sharon! Thank you for all you do for UNLV and DEO.
 

How did Administrative Assistant IV/Office Manager Sharon Altman take a journey from a clerk trainee to UNLV Classified Employee of the Year? Read about it here.

The UNLV Division of Educational Outreach is featured in "Live and Learn," an article in the new BLVDs magazine. Classes offered by UNLV Continuing Education and OLLI at UNLV are highlighted.