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Henderson, Nev. Since opening its doors to students just five years ago, Nevada State College (NSC) has served as the state’s immediate and long-term solution providers to important issues facing us in Nevada. Namely, putting nurses and teachers into the workforce immediately to serve the growing needs of the community, coupled with providing additional degree programs that fulfill new pockets of need throughout the state as issues arise.
And as new pockets of needs arise, the college continues to prove itself an innovator when it comes to its programs.
Most recently it implemented an integrated studies program through its Liberal Arts & Sciences School a trend an increasing number of colleges and universities are transitioning into.
Described as a sort of joint degree program, the integrated studies curriculum allows students to select a broad, integrated study program in their multiple areas of interest from selected participating departments. Instead of students earning a degree in only one focused area of study, they can combine two areas of study for their degree.
The result? Broader based learning in specific areas of study for students who have a specific career in sight, or are currently working in one, that requires extensive knowledge in two areas.
The degree program is increasingly being sought after by students, as it increases the employability and mobility of their careers upon completion of it, said Dr. Fred Maryanski, president of the college. It also keeps the college competitive among other higher education institutions and allows for specialization in several areas in order to meet workforce needs that are constantly evolving, which is precisely why NSC exists.
According to Maryanski, more than 650 colleges and universities across the country offer students integrated studies degrees or interdisciplinary studies degrees. Over 1,000 colleges and universities in the United States offer related courses and programs.
NSC’s Bachelor of Integrated Studies degree program provides students interdisciplinary studies across academic disciplines and professional fields. It is designed for students whose academic interests or career objectives require an individualized college degree.
The college offers concentrations and minors in a number of areas, including: addiction treatment and prevention, biology, business, communication, elementary and secondary education, English, mathematics, psychology, history, environmental science, law enforcement, and visual media and computing.
Students are finding our programs to be a good fit for their needs, which is a promising thing to see as their education will have an overall positive impact on our entire community, Maryanski said. Simply put, Nevada State College is filling a need for students and the community.
Nevada State College opened its doors to students in September 2002 after the Board of Regents and the Nevada Legislature determined the need for enhanced educational opportunities in Southern Nevada in 1997.
NSC offers progressive bachelor’s programs in several in-demand fields of study as well as a low student-to-professor ratio and competitive tuition rates.
For more information on Nevada State College, call: 702.992.2000 or visit: nsc.edu.

Annette Angela Portillo, Ph.D. is the newest Assistant Professor of English in Nevada State College’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences. After finishing her degree at Cornell University, she taught comparative literature and composition at Mount Holyoke College and Oberlin College.
Her academic interests include Chicano Studies, Native American Studies, Feminist Theory and Autobiography, having developed such courses as Native American Identities in a Comparative Context and Outlaw Genres: Latina, Native American and Third World Women’s Autobiography.
Dr. Portillo has stretched her pedagogy beyond the traditional classroom, integrating electronic technologies and diverse settings, such as a literature seminar for young women in juvenile detention in Lansing, New York.
She writes, in all of my courses, my pedagogical approach is one that is engaged, valuing each student’s expressions and emphasizing collective dialogue. And throughout my academic career I have made it a priority to engage and work with diverse populations. I believe that at a university I will not only be taking on the role of a professor, but I will also be placed in the role of mentor and advisor. And I look forward to such roles that will allow me to advise students whether it be in the classroom, on committees or through student organizations.
For more information on Nevada State College, call: 702.992.2000 or visit: nsc.edu.

Beginning in fall 2007, Dr. Aaron Wong will serve Nevada State College as Assistant Professor of Mathematics.
Wong holds a Ph.D., a master’s degree and a bachelor’s degree in math as well as a bachelor’s degree in physics. Prior to moving to Nevada to take a position in NSC’s math department, Wong worked as an Associate in Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego. His research interests include the Brauer-Siegel Theorem, discriminant, residue and class number bounds, fields of bounded relative degree and zero-spacing distributions of zeta and L-functions.
For more information on Nevada State College, call: 702.992.2000 or visit: nsc.edu.