Chasing Butterflies with PLI Research Scientist

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

"Chasing Butterflies: Endemic Butterflies of the Spring Mountain Range" is the topic of a talk by Daniel Thompson, professor in the UNLV School of Life Sciences, and Paula Garrett, research scientist with the UNLV Public Lands Institute, a unit of the Division of Educational Outreach. The presentation is part of the College of Liberal Arts University Forum Lecture Series and will take place 7:30-8:30pm on Sep. 25 in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum on the UNLV Main Campus. The Spring Mountain Range is considered a “sky island” due to its bio-geographic isolation from other mountain ranges of similar elevation. The highest point of the range is Mount Charleston peak. Surrounded on all sides by the Mohave Desert, the Spring Mountains provide the only remaining refuge to a variety of endemic species. These include a number of rare butterflies existing nowhere else in the world. The impact of the Carpenter Canyon Fire in July also will be discussed. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, email liberalarts@unlv.edu.

Attend Chasing Butterflies Lecture and Receive a Free Water Bottle

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

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of National Public Lands Day, the UNLV Public Lands Institute will give away free stainless steel water bottles to the first 20 people attending the University Forum Lecture: Chasing Butterflies. The presentation will take place 7:30-8:30pm on Sep. 25 in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum. Daniel Thompson, professor in the UNLV School of Life Sciences, and Paula Garrett, research scientist with the Public Lands Institute, will talk about the Spring Mountain Range as the only remaining refuge to a variety of endemic species, including a number of rare butterflies that exist nowhere else in the world. The lecture is free and open to the public.
National Public Lands Day, which is Sep. 28, is a time to volunteer on public lands and educate youth and adults about their importance. To mark the 20th anniversary, unique features on lands across the country are being highlighted. The Public Lands Institute encourages you to learn more about the public lands in Clark County and volunteer. To find the nearest volunteer opportunity, visit http://www.publiclandsday.org/npld-sites.

Re-Entry Scholarship Recipients Celebrate Their Educational Journeys

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

Community2Campus kicked off the fall semester with a luncheon honoring its 2013-2014 re-entry scholarship winners. On Sept. 5, the winners noshed and mingled with scholarship donors, representatives from the scholarship selection committee, and university representatives. The lunch was an opportunity to express thanks, share stories, and connect with other scholarship winners.
The atmosphere was one of palpable gratitude. Re-entry scholarships provide a lifeline for students trying to balance home life, work, and school. Some awards were just enough to cover the cost of books; other students were able to cover most of their tuition. In all, 31 re-entry students received $115,775 in financial support for the 2013-2014 academic year thanks to the Bernard Osher Re-entry Scholarship, UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees Re-entry Scholarship, and the Re-entry Friendship Scholarship.
For all the recipients, though, their scholarship offered more than money—it was also a vote of confidence. Over and over again, the students commented on the importance of knowing someone believed in their ability to complete their education and make a positive impact on their community and family. Dawn Matusz shares her story.
Luncheon attendees also heard about the educational journey of past scholarship winner Dawn Hathaway Thoman. After returning to UNLV as a re-entry student, Dawn graduated with the support of a Bernard Osher Re-entry Scholarship. She is now attending UNLV Boyd School of Law.
Commitment to community and family is a distinguishing characteristic of the scholarship group. On the surface, recipients are earning degrees in diverse fields. When the group is looked at collectively, however, Community2Campus Executive Director Liz Baldizan sees patterns emerge that tie many of the recipients together -- returning to complete their education because they want to serve their community in some way. “These students are very other-centered. Many have strong ties to Las Vegas and want to use their education to give back locally,” said Baldizan. In one-on-one meetings, students tell Baldizan their degrees in education, social work, nutrition, business, law, and political science (among others) will be put to use right here in the Las Vegas Valley.
Baldizan also offered insights on what motivates community members to donate specifically to re-entry scholarship programs. The ability to give in any amount plays a key role in donors’ decisions. They are also attracted by the opportunity to direct funds toward a specific student population such as single mothers, first responders, or future educators.
For more information about UNLV’s re-entry scholarship programs, contact Liz Baldizan at 702-774-4626 or Elizabeth.Baldizan@unlv.edu.

January-July 2014 Continuing Education Catalog Available Online

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

The digital version of the January-July 2014 Continuing Education Catalog is now available. Visit http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog to get a preview of our upcoming classes or be the first to register for one of our most popular courses. You can also download the digital version to refer to later. The print version of the catalog will be mailed the week of Nov. 25. If you are not on the catalog mailing list, you may request a catalog by calling 702-895-3394 or emailing continuing.education@unlv.edu. We would love to have feedback from you after viewing the catalog. Please take a few minutes to complete a short survey at https://unlv.co1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6X4C1IDVS7dZFad.

Continuing Education Wins LERN Award for Operation & Management

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

UNLV Continuing Education (CE) recently won a LERN award for their unit-wide restructuring of staff responsibilities last year. The restructuring cut staffing costs while simultaneously increasing revenue with new class offerings.

As a customer, the most important thing to know about the management changes is that they have put CE in a better position to respond to your learning interests and needs. A dedicated operational team now takes care of day-to-day tasks such as registration, contracts, and logistics. That frees up a separate programming team to spend time creating new courses and assessing existing courses.
UNLV CE sees growth opportunities especially in work force development programs.
Current trends include:
More people are seeking professional certificates to enter a specific workforce;
Traditional college students are supplementing their degrees with skill-based non-credit courses;
Students are looking at non-traditional routes to enter jobs;
Companies are scaling back on internal human resource training staff and turning instead to contract custom training programs.
UNLV CE is looking forward to spending more time focused on what the Las Vegas audience is looking for and what they need from a training program. Customers are encouraged to share their feedback and ideas by emailing continuing.education@unlv.edu or by calling 702-895-3394.

New Home for College and Career Testing Services

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

When university leadership went looking for a new home for its testing programs for college and career advancement, they knew they could count on the great customer service and can-do attitude of DEO's Client and Division Services team.
Testing Services will administer the ACT Residual Exam, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, proctoring services, and professional certification exams effective immediately. For now, Testing Services will utilize existing classroom space and computer access at the UNLV Paradise Campus. Client and Division Services has been working hard to make this transition both quick and seamless for the university community.
 
Contact information for Testing Services is as follows:
Contact Person: Cristy Ephlin
Phone: 702-895-5928
Fax: 702-895-4195
Email: testingservices@unlv.edu
Web: edoutreach.unlv.edu/testing-services
Address: 851 E. Tropicana Ave., Las Vegas, NV 89119

OLLI at UNLV Collects Supplies for PPDS Students

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

More than 60 years ago, what we know today as UNLV’s Paradise Campus opened as a grade school for  children living in the developing city of Las Vegas. A generation later, the retired adults of UNLV’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) that currently call the campus home are helping Paradise-area students with a holiday supply drive. During the first two weeks of November OLLI members collected educational games, books, and school supplies for at-risk elementary students attending the Paradise Professional Development School. Volunteers from the program used the donations to assemble 101 bags that were delivered to the school and will make the holidays a little brighter for the K-5 students. OLLI at UNLV wraps up its fall semester on December 6th and will begin its spring session on January 27th.

Don't Trash Nevada Celebrates Eight Years of Anti-Littering Efforts

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

For the past eight years, the Public Lands Institute worked to address the problem of desert dumping through the Don't Trash Nevada messaging campaign.
During those years, the Don't Trash Nevada team organized desert cleanups, attended community events, developed an Adopt-a-Spot program, and created an environmental education and stewardship curriculum for use in area schools. Messaging campaigns included advertisements on radio and television, billboards, bus wraps, and social media. From 2006 through 2011, PLI estimates nearly 8,000 cubic yards of waste were removed by volunteers during cleanup events. Over 46,000 volunteer hours were logged during this same time period.
 While PLI's official involvement in the Don't Trash Nevada campaign is technically over this fall, the impact of the program will be felt far into the future. The program leaves a legacy of a community of citizens actively involved in caring for the desert landscape of Southern Nevada.