Nevada State College campus.
Update, 4:45 p.m. Sept. 9: The following statement was released by Nevada State President Dr. DeRionne Pollard in regards to Sept. 9's Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents decision to table renaming the college to Nevada State University during its quarterly meeting Friday:
"On behalf of Nevada State leadership, we’d like to thank the Regents for their thoughtful consideration at today’s meeting regarding our proposal to rename Nevada State College to Nevada State University. We also thank the public for the support we’ve received. 82% of Nevada State’s campus - including students and staff - are in support of the renaming, and more than 1,500 individuals in the community have pledged support of this renaming.
We look forward to the proposal being considered further at the December Regents meeting. If you would like to add your name to the list of supporters, please visit theuniversityforall.com/#support. Regardless of the tabling of this vote or outcome of the vote in December, Nevada State is and will always remain an institution dedicated to each and every one of our students and alumni."
Original story:The Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents will consider a proposal to rename Nevada State College to Nevada State University during the board’s quarterly meeting Sept. 8 and 9.
If the vote passes, the change would take effect July 1, 2023. Nevada State President Dr. DeRionne Pollard says the action would provide the Henderson-based institution an opportunity to celebrate its expansion offering robust, four-year programming.
The City of Henderson passed a resolution Aug. 23 urging the Board of Regents to approve the renaming, which also has the support of college and university presidents from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, College of Southern Nevada and the Desert Research Institute along with 82% of students, staff, faculty and alumni for the vote.
“The renaming, to be clear, proposed to the Board of Regents, is not a mission change and it is not a design change within the system,” Pollard told the Appeal on Thursday. “It is simply a renaming.”
Pollard said the college’s “deep work” is in attracting homegrown students who tend to stay in the communities from which they originate or reside after graduating and entering the job market. Nearly 48% who enroll are first-generation students, and approximately half attend part-time, with 56% of the student body age 24 or younger.
There is also a strong racial diversity, Pollard said. The college’s data showed approximately 72% of students come from culturally diverse backgrounds.
“This is double downing on the human capital,” she said.
She said the renaming decision is important and falls within two categories.
“It’s about economic competitiveness and equity, and for us, we know that Nevada, depending on the ranking you look at, maybe it’s 46, 47, 48 or maybe it’s 49 or it’s the number of adults who have attained a college degree,” Pollard said.
The college, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, offers an academic and administrative team from diverse backgrounds, she said. Nevada State’s majors include biology, business administration, criminal justice, mathematics, nursing, psychology and speech pathology and minors include American sign language interpreting, counseling, creative writing, pre-law, social justice, Spanish and writing studies, among others.
“Our faculty are all doctoral members teaching baccalaureate students and who come from some of the finest universities across the country but they choose us because of the mission,” she said. “Anything that we can use as an asset to attract the best teachers, we’ll use. We would be fools not to do so.”
Families and students, should the name change be approved, won’t have to expect any type of tuition increase, she said.
“It’s just a renaming in the recognition to reflect the mission we already do,” she said. “This was something long in the making. … We were already using ‘NS’ as our symbol. We don’t even use the ‘C.’ We’re just advancing and continuing the work and bringing a formality to it.”
Pollard said fostering more interest in higher education during this time when other options are available means preparation, with the state in need of producing more talent and skilled workers through its colleges and universities.
Members of the community can show their support for the renaming online at theuniversityforall.com.
