A STUDENT-CENTERED STATE
By Sean Wadsworth , Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
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Thursday, September 13 bore witness to UNLV’s 2018 State of the University Address. The address was given by the Acting President of UNLV, Dr. Marta Meana, and highlighted many of the University’s achievements in the past year. These achievements included UNLV’s continued status as one of the nation’s most diverse universities for undergraduates according to U.S. News and World Report, the 16% growth of UNLV’s College of Engineering, and UNLV’s new offering of MFA and Ph.D. degrees in literary nonfiction. Although all of these achievements are notable and worthy of praise, listening to Dr. Meana gave the impression that these were not the focal point of her pride in the university; but rather the students. In fact, Dr. Meana spent significantly more time speaking of the success of UNLV’s students, taking the time to mention various accomplishments. Whether it was students participating in overseas research opportunities or research endeavors here at home, Dr. Meana’s interest and passion for the students was apparent.
Ultimately, it seems clear that it is this type of excitement and commitment to students that will lead to even more success by the next State of the University Address. As a student, attending the Address was a privilege which brought me closer to the school, and I would encourage anyone who didn’t have said privilege to watch it for the same reason. It can seem, when one goes from class to class with few breaks in between that our school is just that, a school. However, if we take the time to consider all that the school does, all the goals and plans of both its students and administrators, we will be able to share in these goals and see our school as something more than the place where class happens.
Dr. Meana’s address can be found in its entirety at
unlv.edu/sotu
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TIME FLIES WHEN YOU'RE HAVING FUN
By Jensen Radley, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
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On the first Wednesday of September, the Academic Success Center (ASC) celebrated their 10-year anniversary. Students, faculty, and other members of the UNLV community came out to commemorate this wonderful occasion by enjoying treats of all kind— cotton candy, cookies, sandwiches and more! Dr. Ann McDonough, the Dean of the ASC since 2007, talked about how much the Center has grown since it first began and presented several awards to those who assisted in making this amazing resource for students a possibility. “We’ve grown a whole learning support area, with tutoring, supplemental instruction, and coaching. We’ve added the Hixson-Lied Success [Scholarship] Program and we’ve expanded our athletics support program. We’ve done quite a bit in ten years,” she said.
The ASC provides many free services for students, such as academic success coaching, academic advising, campus-wide tutoring, and so much more. They are also the main resource for students in exploring majors and the first-year seminar those students are required to take.
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“The tutoring services have really helped me in my math class. Sometimes the material can be difficult, and the tutoring center helps me understand it better,” says freshmen student Galilea Oruna. Although there were plenty of freebies for those who attended this event, the majority of the crowd was there because of the lasting impact the ASC has had on them. Ten years down, thousands of lives changed, and many more to come.
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ACADEMIC COACHING:
WHERE THE DOOR IS ALWAYS OPEN
By Lidia Wossen, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
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When you hear the word “coach,” the first thing that comes to mind may be a team coach, a life coach, or even a career coach, but have you heard of an academic coach? Academic coaching is one of the vast number of resources offered to all undergraduate students by the Academic Success Center. What is academic coaching and why is it helpful you may ask? The newest Senior Coaching Coordinator, Jaime Carbajal, can answer all your questions! Jaime is the newest addition to the coaching team and couldn't be more excited to oversee all the coaches and students within the Coaching Spot and all throughout campus.
Jaime earned his bachelor’s degree in Sociology and his master’s degree in Higher Education from the University of Arizona and is currently pursuing his doctorate degree in Higher Education here at UNLV. Jaime is no stranger to the UNLV campus as he’s previously held positions within the advising center in the College of Engineering, the admissions office, and the financial aid and scholarship office. In his spare time, he thinks of himself as a “foodie person” and loves to try new restaurants with his friends and family. As the senior coordinator and a helping hand, it is quite evident the amount of drive and passion Jaime has in helping students. His excitement and eagerness both show how motivated he is to make sure every student who walks in succeed to their fullest potentials.
I asked Jaime what academic coaching is and he replied, “It’s a peer to peer experience where graduate assistants have the opportunity to coach undergraduate students through one-on-one sessions, workshops, classroom presentations and generally assist them in navigating through college.” He also stated that “transitioning to college from high school can sometimes be difficult. Academic coaching allows students to find ways to better enhance their academic skills, find ways to get them connected, expose them to resources, introduce new learning strategies, and assist them in finding ways to better assess who they really are.”
The Coaching Spot is always looking to adapt to meet students’ needs. Jaime hopes future initiatives, such as expanding the academic success workshop series and reaching out to other advising centers, will better aide students in ultimately becoming successful in their endeavors. If you’re interested in meeting with a coach, you can call, stop in the Coaching Spot to make an appointment, email, or simply stop by for a drop-in session. With 14 coaches on staff, there will always be someone ready to help even if it’s for a quick question! Jaime and the Coaching Spot have such inviting atmospheres that he hopes will reach and benefit as many students as possible. “Like I tell all my coaches” he says, “my door is always open … Literally if I could take that door off the hinges I probably would!”
The Coaching Spot
Bldg. SSC-A, Room 254 (2nd floor across the hallway from Financial Aid)
(702)-895-0975
Mon-Fri 8:00am-5:00pm
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A GREAT EVENT TO START
FRESHMAN YEAR
By Zarria Benniefield, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
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On Friday, August 24, 2018, UNLV held a fantastic event for incoming students. This event, known as UNLV Creates, provided incoming students and their parents with useful information and great inspiration to ensure they were well equipped to embark on their new academic journey.
The event began with introductions to the colleges and a welcoming address. Afterward, three guest speakers talked about their experiences at UNLV and how it impacted them. They discussed how their experiences made them want to conduct their own research and create their own future.
Students then recited a pledge during the rebel honor cord ceremony where they
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pledged to graduate from UNLV and were given their cord to wear at their graduation. Once closing remarks were made, they dismissed us based on our college.
Each college went to a designated area on campus where students received information about their college dean and watched videos about resources available to help them succeed at UNLV. Parents received useful information that would assist them to further help their students become and continue being successful while attending UNLV.
Faculty also had an opportunity to interact with some of their potential future students. I attended UNLV Creates as an exploring major. My group, which was sat on the floor section, participated in a balloon game that was quite interesting and entertaining. In the end, I learned a lot about what being a UNLV Rebel will be like and about the vast number of people and resources available to make the undergraduate experience a successful one.
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PREMIER UNLV: THE GREAT TRADITION
By Madison Hotze, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
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Starting college can definitely be intimidating; the work load, the huge campus, and the newfound freedom. I know first-hand because after four days of college, I finally got a chance to enjoy myself and relax at Premier UNLV. Premier UNLV is an event hosted at UNLV to welcome students and to kick-off the start of a new journey.
The event offered food, free t-shirts, music, and an opportunity to meet new people. It was great to see so many students, faculty, and organizations gathered together to kick-off the 2018-2019 school year. I was taken back by such a welcoming and fun atmosphere. This event was created in 1996 to get students excited about being a Rebel and to start the year off on a good note.
This year it was held on Thursday, August 30, 2018 at the intramural field. It included many fun activities that were held by different organizations. One thing that I really enjoyed was being part of the annual picture
of U-N-L-V formed by students. One interesting fact about Premier UNLV is that in 2016 it made the Guinness World Record book for Most LED Lights lit at the same time.
I am glad I was able to attend because I got to talk to some awesome people at the booths they were running at the event. One table that I had the chance to visit was the Nevada Donor Network table, where I got the opportunity to talk to Jenna Dumas. She stated that the Nevada Donor Network is a non-profit organization that works to
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drive up the organ donor registration for Nevada and save lives.
I also go the opportunity to talk to other organizations that help students and our community such as Mi Familia OTA and UNLVolunteers. Premier UNLV gave me the opportunity to meet people just like me, who enjoy helping others. I also learned about the vast number of opportunities available for students to help the UNLV community.
Another amazing part of Premier UNLV was getting to meet new people and hooking up with old friends. It was here that I realized that the UNLV community is so much bigger than the community I had previously been a part of. I got to talk to other students, people I had never met before, and really connect with them. I also ran into some old friends from High School who were jamming out to the music.
As the night continued, the music got louder and the party really started. All around the stage, people were jumping, dancing and singing along to the music. It reminded me of a concert because the crowd was electrified. I was so excited to be a part of something this big. I could work hard and study but I could also let loose and enjoy myself.
Premier UNLV was an amazing experience and a peek into what college life is like. More importantly, it was a small example of all the amazing opportunities that UNLV has to offer. Next year, you can bet that I’ll be the first in line to get in!
“The best part of Premier is the letter formation.” -Ryan Romero, Premier Host
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"THE BIGGER THE CROWD
THE HARDER WE PLAY"
By Brianna Hermann, Hixson-Lied Success Scholar
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Our hard work today will guarantee us a better tomorrow, and our Rebels have worked harder than ever this past summer to prepare for this football season and accomplish that better tomorrow! Football is one of the longest lasting traditions known to the Rebel community, and as the season takes way, we must rally to show support for our amazing rebel players. Our players like to play hard, but they work even harder. One way we can keep the energy in the air is by filling that stadium. “The bigger the crowd, the harder we play,” says Farrell Hester, player #53, a middle linebacker. Javin White, player #16, also a linebacker, reported that he is most looking forward to more attendance at the games, more support, and more faith in our team as they grow together and unify as one this season. The best way to show support is to come to the games, fill the stadium, and chant our fight song as loud as possible. All home football games are at Sam Boyd Stadium, located at: 7000 E. Russell Road Whitney, Nevada, 89122. So, gather all your rebel gear and come to our next home game this October 6th, where we will dominate the New Mexico Lobos. The next 2 home games will be on October 19th and November 3rd. Our last home game is said to be the most anticipated game of the season, where we face our greatest rival, the University of Nevada, Reno on November 24th. ‘The Battle for Nevada’ game is special because the victorious team will have the pleasure of taking home the 550-pound Fremont Cannon. This trophy is said to be one of the biggest and most iconic trophies in college football. It has been fought over ever since the 1970s, and this year we are bringing it home! Coming together is the beginning. Staying together is progress. Working together is success. Let's help build our Rebel teams’ success this season; victory is always earned, never given. Not only is UNLV excited to be welcoming the football team this fall, but there are also many other sports our rebels are soaring including swim, men’s & women’s tennis, soccer, volleyball, cross-country, and golf. Game schedules can be found on the UNLV athletics
calendar.
And remember Rebels, ALL students are granted free admission to any home game with a rebel card. For more information about rebel athletics please visit their
page
!
A special thanks to Farrell Hester and Javin White for letting me interview them.
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Ms. Christina M. Hixson graduated from high school in Clarinda, Iowa and moved to Omaha, Nebraska to attend business school. She later went to work for Mr. Ernst F. Lied , a car dealership owner in Omaha and in 1960 she joined Mr. Lied in Las Vegas, Nevada as his assistant. After Mr. Lied’s death in 1980, Ms. Hixson became the sole trustee of the Lied Foundation Trust and turned the Lied Foundation Trust into one of the largest foundations in the state of Nevada at that time. Ms. Hixson has a special understanding of young people who, like her, came from a challenging family background and are willing to work hard.
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Mr. Ernst F. Lied was born in Columbus, Ohio and attended the University of Kansas for two years, where he played on the golf team. He ultimately graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1927. Mr. Lied became a Buick dealer in Omaha, Nebraska and later his dealership was ranked third in the country for the number of cars sold. Mr. Lied established his charitable foundation in 1972, and upon his death in 1980 at age 74 nearly his entire estate funded the Lied Foundation Trust. Lied Foundation Trust has enhanced the capabilities of many schools and enriched the quality of many lives!
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*All photos used are original, can be found on unlv.edu, UNLV social media or have references indicated
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