Western Nevada College
Fall 2009
“…we commit our institutions to taking the following steps in
pursuit of climate neutrality.
 Initiate the development of a comprehensive plan to achieve
climate neutrality as soon as possible.
 Within two months of signing this document, create
institutional structures to guide the development and
implementation of the plan.
 Within one year of signing this document, complete a
comprehensive inventory of all greenhouse gas emissions …
and update the inventory every other year thereafter.
 Within two years of signing this document, develop an
institutional action plan for becoming climate neutral,
 Initiate two or more … tangible actions to reduce greenhouse
gases while the more comprehensive plan is being developed.
 Make the action plan, inventory, and periodic progress reports
publicly available by providing them to the Association for the
Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) for
posting and dissemination”
 “Green”
college signing ceremony
 Introductions
 State of the College:
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Effects on the College of 2008-2009 Events
Budgetary Overview of 2009-2010
Performance Indicators Progress for 20082009
Major Projects for 2009-2010
Kudos
 Vice
President Connie Capurro and Deans
 Vice President Dan Neverett
 Vice President Helaine Jesse
 Vice President Mark Ghan
 Politics
and legislative actions
played a major role in college
events.
 All actions were set against a
backdrop of severe state budgetary
insufficiency.
 What are the important long-term
effects on the college?
The college lost 13.2% of its state budget.
 All classified employees were mandated to take
4.6% pay cuts and corresponding furloughs.
 Board of Regents mandated participation in 4.6%
“Furlough” program by the professionals as well.
 Five academic programs are now slated for
elimination.
 Class sizes were increased during 2008-2009.
 Various faculty and staff have taken on
additional responsibilities.

 Library
acquisitions, operating budgets and
professional development budgets were all
reduced.
 17.5 academic faculty positions (21.7%),
12.4 classified positions (12.4%) and 12
administrative faculty positions (23%) were
left vacant during 2008-2009.
 Various outreach operations were eliminated
or dramatically curtailed.
 There were no budget-related layoffs.
The college must manage the 4.6% furlough
program so as to minimize loss of services to
students.
 Student fees will increase by 5% this spring, and
another 5% in fall 2010.
 Even with the furlough program and student fee
increases, the 2009-2010 college budget will be
over 10% less than it was two years ago.
 Despite our drop in resources, we will
experience a 25% increase in FTE enrollment
next week, with a 40% increase in full-time
students.

 There
is still the potential for another
December reversion.
 Our students will come to us needier
(both financially and academically) than
ever before, and with more life
challenges.
 Many offices continue to operate
understaffed.
 We have lost too many full-time teaching
faculty.
 The
lesson of the current budget crisis is
that the state cannot thrive, with the
current limited economic model (gaming,
tourism and mining).
 What will be required to diversify our
economy is a better educated workforce.
 The four community colleges will be
essential in this effort.
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Increased high-school-to-college capture rates across
our service area (12-18% to 22-40%).
Achieved a closer match of student ethnic and
economic demographics to those of our region (18%
minority at WNC compared to 19% in service area).
Dramatically increased numbers of full-time degree
seekers (400 in fall 1999 to 1400 in fall 2009).
Improved college retention rate (51% in ‘00-’01 to 62%
in ‘08-’09).
Increased numbers of degree completers (355 in 2000
to 457 in 2008*).
In fall 2009, one in every three
of your students will be full
time, and most of these will be
pursuing a specific degree or
certificate.
“Successful Course Completion” (C or
better) rate continues to be resistant to
change.
Successful Course Completion - All College
15,000
100%
12,000
80%
9,000
60%
6,000
40%
3,000
20%
0
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Attempted
10,904 10,818 10,885 11,053 11,138 11,045 11,719 12,603 12,435 12,416 12,535
Completed
8,396 8,438 8,410 8,683 8,549 8,562 8,723 8,975 9,113 9,205 9,248
% Completed
77%
78%
77%
79%
77%
78%
74%
71%
73%
74%
74%
0%
Successful Course Completion Rate by Delivery Mode
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
Classroom*
80%
81%
80%
80%
78%
75%
77%
79%
79%
Web
68%
66%
62%
66%
59%
59%
66%
60%
63%
Financial Aid Students as a Percentage of Enrollment Headcount
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Non FA Students
85%
80%
70%
72%
71%
70%
71%
68%
70%
Fall
2009*
73%
FA Students
15%
20%
30%
28%
29%
30%
29%
32%
30%
27%
Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
Successful Course Completion Rate
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
Non FA Student
FA Student
Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
77%
77%
76%
76%
73%
69%
70%
69%
70%
79%
83%
78%
80%
76%
74%
77%
80%
78%
Successful Course Completion Rate, Full-Time Students
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
Non FA Student
73%
75%
68%
71%
72%
62%
64%
67%
70%
FA Student
81%
85%
82%
83%
80%
77%
81%
84%
82%
Successful Course Completion Rate, Part-Time Students
90%
85%
80%
75%
70%
65%
60%
55%
50%
Non FA Student
FA Student
Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003 Fall 2004 Fall 2005 Fall 2006 Fall 2007 Fall 2008
78%
77%
78%
77%
74%
71%
72%
70%
70%
77%
79%
74%
77%
71%
71%
72%
75%
73%
Student course completion rate has not
improved.
 As students who had not expected to attend
college come to our doors, we must find a way
to help them achieve success, without
compromising our quality.
 As we use more technology to reach students,
we must find a way to achieve the personal oneon-one interactions so essential to student
success.
 We must do all this with less money!

Northwest Self-Study and Reaccreditation visit.
 Make “specialized accreditation” progress in all
occupational programs.
 Educate legislators on the importance of
“Stabilization Funds” for each campus.
 Promote a “Green” College.
 Walk a tightrope between planning for a
December reversion, assuring our students have
sufficient financial aid, & restoring our essential
full-time teaching faculty workforce.
 The College Major Gifts Campaign.
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Focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering and
Math Scholarships and Equipment Endowments for
the Entire Service Area; Machine Tool Expansion;
Women’s Softball Field
Board of Regents Approval in December 2009
Campaign Duration: 24 months
Family Campaign to Begin November 2009
100% Participation – it’s not what you give, it’s that
you give that counts at whatever level you
determine– so we can let the community know we’re
behind our college.

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First, to everyone, who stepped forward and united
behind the college during a difficult year.
To the large number of professional volunteers who took
4.6% furloughs in 2009-2010 who were not required to
do so.
To the majority of employees who found a way to make
a contribution to the Foundation’s “family” campaign.
To every department that shared financial and human
resources with another department, to preserve
adequate services to students during the emergency.

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The college achieved a substantial drop in student
loan defaults from 10.5% in 2006 to 6.8% in 2007.
The Financial Aid Department experienced another
audit-findings-free year from our system auditors, in
addition to completing an outstanding administrative
program review.
Successful program reviews were completed in
automotive technology, early childhood education
and general education.
Information & Marketing received an award from
NCMPR for our electronic class schedule and catalog.
Ed Martin and Laura Lee Redwine did outstanding
work that resulted in our automotive technology
program attaining NATEF certification.
Academic Skills Center support increased by 100%.

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Bus Scharmann, Ginny Dugan and Ann Louhela have
started a great new “Specialty Crop Institute” serving
people in our region who are either currently
farming, or who would like to do so.
Janet King won the photography competition
sponsored by CC Communication, and her winning
photo will appear on the cover of the 2009-2010
Fallon phone book.
Gary Evett has been conducting DNA research at BYU
this summer.
Doris Dwyer led an outstanding humanities seminar in
London late last spring.
Darla Dodge has become the first college recipient of
the WGU community college excellence scholarship.
The college buildings and grounds staff, down in
numbers like the rest of the college
departments, nonetheless took on a huge
number of major college improvement projects
at all sites.
 For the second time in their short history the
WNC Wildcats baseball team went to the JUCO
World Series. They were the only academic all
American team in the nation to achieve at this
level.
 The Communications and Fine Arts Division and
the Social and Behavioral Sciences Division
collaborated on a moving art gallery show
“Always Lost” on the effect of the wars in Iraq
and Afghanistan on the lives of soldiers.

The Human Resources Department managed our
college buyout plan during the budget crisis. The
success of this plan made it possible for us to
avoid layoffs. More recently, they managed the
“furlough” process, making it less onerous for
our college community.
 We survived the first year of preparation and
training for the new student information system.
Congratulations to all the participating staff.

 The
library established the Bill Cowee Poetry
Corner with a 1500 volume poetry collection,
thanks to Mr. Cowee’s generous donation.
 The college academic and student affairs
areas collaborated with ATT on a successful
event for ninth grade girls from throughout
the service area: “ATT Women in
Nontraditional Careers.”
 The
Race Between Education and Technology
By: Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F. Katz
Belknap Press/Harvard University Press
Cambridge, Massachusetts, London, England
2008
Available in our college library