As we move into the new academic year, I am pleased to share some exciting updates about the College of Southern Nevada. After only seven weeks on the job, I continue to be amazed by our students’ resilience and positivity as they work so hard to succeed in their academic careers. It is clear that our faculty and staff take enormous pride in the great work you do to help students in the next steps of their lives.

Over the past several months, our teams in student affairs and academic affairs have been working hard preparing for the fall term. They spent countless hours admitting, advising, and registering students — and their hard work paid off! As of today, our enrollment shows a 7 percent increase over last year! I am thrilled to welcome all of these students to our campuses and watch them take steps to change their lives through CSN. We are truly the community’s college, and we reflect the diverse needs of each community we serve.

This summer, I toured several program areas and held office hours at each campus on a rotating basis. My goal is to continue to be at each of the campuses regularly to actively engage in our campus life. Just a couple of weeks ago, I got to visit the Mesquite Learning Center and joined the Chamber of Commerce luncheon to showcase CSN as their primary higher education partner. Thank you to Darlene and Chantile for setting that up and for doing such amazing work! I can’t wait to see the others!

Just this Wednesday, I saw so many of you at the Historic Westside Education and Training Center ribbon cutting. Wow! After so many years of working on this effort, it was truly a fantastic moment to celebrate our opening along with our industry and municipal partners. Congratulations to all, including the incomparable Frank Woodbeck and the Government Affairs Team! I am excited to see how Stavan Corbett, his DWED team, and others will shake things up and open those doors for new opportunities to our residents in the area!

Next week, I can’t wait to see more students, faculty, and staff at each of the Connections events. I hear that we showcase tons of resources, student clubs, and teams of people show up to eat hamburgers and hot dogs! Join me in putting into action the tinker toy exercise from Convocation by connecting with others!

There’s a lot to be excited about for the new semester and lots of enhancements that will take place over the year. We are looking forward to the launch of “The Den” at each campus in the student unions. Much like the den in which coyotes live and thrive together, The Den will serve as a welcoming hub for students, faculty, and staff to connect, build community, and strengthen their sense of belonging at CSN. Look for the new signage — coming soon!

‌There are many things that we can be thankful for, but we are also facing some challenges. As I mentioned in the Convocation, we are moving forward with the creation of a standing Presidential Executive Budget Advisory Committee (EBAC). Our budget realities will require us to be nimble, and this committee will help us identify sustainable solutions for our future. The committee includes membership from our shared governance groups, the executive team, and subject matter experts. I will hold a Conversation with the President at 10 a.m. September 5 in Room I-108 on the Charleston Campus, and it will be available via Teams. I will hold these “conversations” regularly to keep our community updated about this and other topics that impact us at CSN.

‌As higher education continues to adapt to the current landscape and navigate the waters of change, so must CSN. However, we will remain dedicated to supporting academic freedom of our faculty, the opportunity for any citizen to speak and express themself freely under the protection of freedom of speech, and we will honor our commitment to making our working and learning environments a caring place for our diverse population of students and employees — one that values inclusivity, culture, and civic engagement.

Our mission remains strong; we are committed to supporting our students and our communities so they can achieve, succeed, and prosper. We can only do this by honoring our collective “us.”  I greatly appreciate the work of our faculty, our staff, and our students; and as we continue to connect, we will build upon the foundation that has made CSN great for southern Nevada.

I am thrilled to welcome back our returning faculty and welcome our new faculty to CSN. You educate our future leaders, and we are grateful that you chose CSN as the place to do that. Your contribution to our students builds them up and sets them on a path toward success!

I am excited to welcome back our administrative faculty and classified staff — to another Friday on the job! Ha! We know that you have been working hard all year and so I will welcome you to the new fall term and say THANK YOU for your time and effort over the hot months this summer. I got to know many of you when I started on July 1, and I cannot wait to see the amazing things we will accomplish this fall!

The strength of CSN is woven into the fabric of our combined and connected experience as students, faculty, and staff. I am truly the proud president of CSN and welcome the new school year with a sense of excitement for our future and hope for our students.

‌Let’s make this an amazing year!

‌Sincerely,

– ‌Stacy

Stacy S. Klippenstein‌, Ed.D.
President
‌‌College of Southern Nevada