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Nevada State College (NSC) was proud to graduate its largest class ever at the Spring 2014 Commencement Ceremony on May 10, 2014 at the Henderson Pavilion. More than 200 students participated in the ceremony, along with administrators, faculty, staff, members of the Nevada Board of Regents and the NSC Foundation Board of Trustees, other elected officials, friends, family members and the community.
Top degree programs represented by the Class of 2014 include Bachelor of Science in Nursing (36 percent), Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education (15 percent), Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (13 percent), Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Management (11 percent), and Bachelor of Science in Biology (5 percent). The class is 76 percent female and 24 percent male, with almost 70 percent of the population between the ages of 22 and 34.
Today is the culmination of much hard work, dedication and devotion to your college education, said Kevin Page, Chair of the NSHE Board of Regents. On behalf of the Regents, I salute you all for reaching this defining moment in your lives. Regent Page commended all of the graduates for overcoming obstacles to achieve their goals. He then presented the 2014 Regents Scholar Award to Josh Ranck, recognizing his academic achievements, leadership ability, and service contributions. Regent Page’s final presentation was the 2014 Regents Teaching Award, which was presented to Dr. Gwen Sharp, Associate Professor of Sociology.
Two President’s Medal Awards were presented during the ceremony. Recipients included Ande Christensen, UNLV College of Education and UNLV Foundation Advisory Boards member; and Dr. Paul Schiffman, Head of School at The Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Educational Campus. Each year, the award is bestowed upon distinguished local leaders and philanthropists who have shown an extraordinary commitment to the mission of NSC.
Continuing a tradition that began in 2012, the college recognized several students from each school by sharing their individual success stories with attendees.
Nevada State College is full of extraordinary students with stories of struggles, determination and persistence with a singular goal in mind .to achieve a College degree, said NSC President Bart Patterson. President Patterson then called Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration Buster Neel and Provost Erika Beck to present the student spotlights.
From the Department of Social Sciences and Business, Renee Losey was in the spotlight because of her drive, passion and leadership acumen as vice president of the Nevada Society of Psychology.
Although not a native English speaker, Physical and Life Sciences Department graduate Megan Oupatiga overcame numerous challenges, scoring in the 87th percentile of the Pharmacy School Admission test and being accepted into four of the top pharmacy schools in the country.
From the Humanities department, Taylor Lewis defied the odds, immersing herself in health sciences, participating in the English Honors Society and serving as assistant editor of NSC’s first literary journal, while raising a daughter with disabilities.
From the school of education, first generation college student and Kenny C. Guinn Memorial Scholarship recipient Allysa Starkweather was praised for sharing her expertise and love of math by creating a boot camp for other education students wanting math-specific practice and presenting at a national math conference last year.
Speech Language Pathology student Tania Davis undoubtedly demonstrated a persistent spirit and a can-do attitude, having worked towards her degree since NSC opened in 2002. Tania was able to maintain a GPA of over 3.6 while raising 7 children.
A dedicated medical professional from the School of Nursing, Bret Hess has worked as a pediatric nurse for the past 24 years, most recently working with nursing faculty to educate children with diabetes and continuing his involvement with the Nevada Diabetes Association.
NSC student spotlight stories highlight the courage, determination and grit of each student, all leading to a worthy accomplishment. At one point in our lives, a bachelor’s degree was part of the journey in front of us, said 2014 graduate and student speaker Courtney Farese. And today, that is now a part of the journey that we have already traveled.
At the end of the ceremony, President Patterson, the NSC community, family members and friends congratulated the graduates as degrees were conferred for the Nevada State College Class of 2014. And now you are equipped with a very powerful weapon, President Patterson emphasized. Education.

It’s been a busy year for NSSA, announced Student Activities Advisor Jerica Turek at the Nevada State Student Association (NSSA) End-of-Year banquet and Installation Ceremony. This year has been incredibly successful, with improvements in every area, she said. The organization boasts an increased number of NSSA events, a 10% higher attendance rate from last year to this year, a record number of 25 registered clubs and organizations, and improvement in the programs and services offered to students, among other accomplishments.
NSSA held its Installation Ceremony for 2014-15 NSSA Officers on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at the M Resort & Casino. Heading into its 12th year, NSSA leadership and staff plan to further the association’s growth and success, making NSSA bigger and better. The 2014-2015 NSSA Executive Board will take a particular interest in truly working for the NSC students, declared newly-installed NSSA President David Cortez-Lopez. I believe that as a team we want to facilitate the communication between the students and the administration at NSC. We want to host events that NSC students need and want. Cortez-Lopez also expressed interested in developing more athletic programs at NSC and getting the surrounding community more involved in NSC programs, events and initiatives.
In addition to installing their new members, NSSA also presented awards to its 2013-14 officers, including former NSSA President Deuvall Dorsey. I feel as if NSC and NSSA have been incredibly lucky to have been able to work under the leadership of Deuvall for the past two years, Turek shared. He came into the position with goals, dreams, and a want to make a true difference. He will leave with a strong legacy one of a president who truly took the time to listen to students, work incredibly well with the administration, and allow those in NSSA to shine while supporting them. Cortez-Lopez says he is excited to take on his new role as president, picking up where Dorsey left off. Being the newly-installed NSSA President feels incredible! All of the support I’ve received thus far adds more fuel to my fire in giving the NSC students another successful academic year, and I look forward to working with everyone in the NSC community.
The 2014-15 Executive Board will begin planning for next school year over the summer. For more information on the Nevada State Student Association, please visit http://archive.nsc.edu/nssa.asp
Meet your 2014-15 NSSA Senators
From the 0-29 credit hour group: Steve Delgado, Jessica Malone and Anabely Trejo
From the 30-59 credit hour group: Adam Gudmundson, Makalya Holman, Heather Phelps and Oxxy Portalatin
From the 60-89 credit hour group: Christian Barron, Paige Hall, Ana Karen Lujan
From the 90 and above credit hour group: Tyler McLees
Meet your 2014-15 NSSA Executive Board
Chair of Public Relations: Shawna Tracy;
Chair of Programming: Charlene Stamps;
Chair of Capital Improvement: Kyle Wilson;
Chair of Budget and Finance: Karl Falkenstein;
Secretary: Jazmine Lopez;
Vice President: Yesenia Cuevas