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By Mandi Enger
As part of the Nevada State College 10th anniversary celebration, the college will conduct a campus-wide naming contest for its scorpion mascot.
Students, alumni, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to submit their suggested names via an online nomination form beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, September 4 through 5 p.m. on Thursday, September 13.
Since its debut this spring, the mascot has been active at campus and local community events without an official name, said Bart Patterson, president of Nevada State College. The naming contest will be a fun and unique opportunity for our campus to come together on a project that will be a part of the college community moving forward.
The online nomination form will be available at nsc.edu/namethescorpion. Entrants simply need to enter their name, email address and suggested name for the NSC scorpion mascot.
To encourage other NSC students, alumni, faculty and staff to submit the same mascot name and increase its chances of being selected, contest participants can promote their suggestion on the college Facebook page or on Twitter using the contest hashtag, #namethescorpion. NSC will be sharing a list of the most unique and trending name ideas throughout the contest on the college’s Facebook page and via Twitter.
An on-campus committee comprised of faculty, staff and students will select the final name based in part on the name’s total number of submissions as well as other criteria such as creativity and how it reflects the spirit of NSC. The selected name will be announced to the entire campus community on Friday, September 14, the final day of NSC’s first annual Spirit Week.
Our mascot helps to represent Nevada State College, our alumni and our students, now and in the future, said Deuvall Dorsey, the NSC student body president. I look forward to our entire campus having fun with this contest as we work to strengthen our identity and presence in the community.

As Nevada State College (NSC) celebrates its 10-year anniversary this year, the state’s fastest growing four-year college is proud to welcome over 3,150 students to the fall semester.
To welcome new and returning students, NSC has a wide array of Welcome Week events planned to provide students with updated information about the campus, academic programs and student activities.
We’re proud to welcome the class of 2016, as well as all of our returning students, said Bart Patterson, president of Nevada State College. Starting college is an exciting time, but it can also be a little stressful. We want to make the transition to college as easy as possible for students, and so, our entire campus will be available to answer students’ questions during special events and anytime in between.
On August 20 and 21, the first days of classes for the fall semester, NSC faculty, staff and student volunteers will be on hand at all of NSC’s academic buildings, including the Dawson, Liberal Arts & Sciences, and Basic & Water II Buildings, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to answer questions.
On August 22, NSC will host a Student Involvement Fair at the Liberal Arts & Sciences building from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Students can attend this special lunch event to learn more about NSC’s15 student organizations and its numerous community service partnerships. NSC encourages students to get involved in the campus community as a way to support the broader community and as a great opportunity to meet people, build a resume and develop leadership skills.
Finally, the welcome back week will culminate on Thursday, August 23, with a luncheon at the library in the Dawson Building, where students can meet President Patterson, as well as other administrators, faculty members and student leaders.
The incoming freshman class includes a total of 315 students, many of whom are the first in their families to attend college.

By Mandi Enger
On Friday, August 17, Nevada State College (NSC) and the Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce (LCC) co-hosted a two-part workshop and luncheon to discuss the next phase of the college’s mission to become a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI).
NSC has always worked to serve a diverse student population as a reflection of our community in Southern Nevada, said NSC President Bart Patterson. Working to become a HSI is our next step in advancing this mission a step that will benefit our entire campus community.
A title awarded through the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), institutions become eligible to apply for HSI status after maintaining a 25% or higher Latino student enrollment for two consecutive years.
NSC was recently identified as a Minority Serving Institution as well as an Emerging Hispanic Serving Institution; an indicator that we are well within our reach, continued Patterson. We are proud of our progress and energized to achieve our goal of reaching 25% Latino student enrollment by 2014.
Currently, 27% of the population in Nevada is Latino, including 53% of K-5 students within the Clark County School District. NSC currently serves a Latino population representing over 20% of its student body.
Funding prospects made available to HSIs through the DOE are intended for the expansion of educational opportunities and academic success for Latino students, low-income students as well as institutions as a whole.
HSIs are eligible for U.S. Department of Education grants in such areas as educational and research equipment, curriculum development, enhancement of community outreach, faculty development, renovation and campus facilities, student support services, and student scholarships and grants, said Dr. Edith Fernandez, director of student success and senior advisor to the president for diversity initiatives.
This summer, over $12 million was awarded to HSIs across the country with a total of $100.4 million distributed throughout the entire year.
Held at the South Point Casino, the HSI workshops were combined with the monthly LCC luncheon. The Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce is committed to working directly with NSC to create a strategic plan leading towards the organization’s designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution, said Javier Trujillo, chairman of the LCC.
Through a Cooperative Agreement with the college, the LCC plans to secure additional scholarships and resources that will benefit NSC students and help them succeed academically.
The LCC will identify further partnerships with the Southern Nevada business community that will provide placement of NSC interns and graduates, he added.
During the event, NSC administration and faculty members presented the institution’s objectives and goals in session one, followed by a roundtable discussion led by community, business and legislative leaders. Session two panelists addressed the need to serve the growing Hispanic population as well as the overall importance of higher education.