University of Nevada, Las Vegas
The data picture is worth a thousand words, so we have gathered some of our most notable achievement markers. These numbers represent hundreds of students who are making rapid progress toward earning their degrees.
Some of our highlights:

The cumulative GPA for all student-athletes following the Spring 2018 semester was 3.02, the highest in Athletics history. Student-athletes also earned a semester GPA of 3.03 for Spring 2018, the highest single-semester GPA. As a result, 230 student-athletes were on the Dean’s Honor List in 2018.

COLA 100E has tripled the number of sections since its founding in Fall 2012, offering 37 sections in Fall 2018 . August modular sections doubled from 2 to 4. Since 2012, the average Fall-to-Spring retention is 91%.

The Exploring Major is now the largest major at UNLV , with 2,591 students that include Exploring Majors and Major Pathways. The 2018 first-time, full-time Fall Cohort is the largest Exploring cohort ever served (951). ASC Advisors met with 2,410 students over 3,681 appointments through 12/7/18 and all Exploring students receive multiple, strategic emails throughout the course of the semester. 

All of UNLV’s Division I athletic programs had APR scores of at least 952, surpassing the minimum multi-year APR requirement of 930.

Administrative and academic faculty from all units of the ASC presented at national/regional conferences, served on campus-wide and ASC committees and conducted outreach to the community at large.

The Spring 2018 Hixson-Lied Success Scholars’ average cumulative GPA was 3.53, which was higher than the average 3.47 cumulative GPA since the program’s inception in Fall 2012. These scholars completed 1,800 service hours to the UNLV community over the year.

The Advanced Studies Program had an initial cohort of 18 high-achieving high school juniors currently completing a first-year seminar course and Psychology 101 as part of their 10-course curriculum.

Learning Support programs continued to grow and improve services: 278% increase in the attendance of student success outreach presentations/workshops, 98.2% of students who attended Summer Math Bridge and/or First-Gen Connect enrolled in Fall 2018, 77.18% of students attending Spring 2018 LLB Tutoring passed their respective courses, and 89.1% of students attending Supplemental Instruction in Spring 2018 completed the semester.
Summer is coming! What does this season mean? The Academic Success Center Bridge Programs are starting up. The Academic Success Center offers two bridge programs to help students succeed and transition to UNLV: Math Bridge and First-Gen Connect.
Math Bridge
Math Bridge is a free, on-campus program designed for students that place in preparatory math classes (Math 95/96) based on their ACT and/or SAT scores. Math Bridge can save students about $1500 in books and tuition by helping them place into credit-bearing math classes. Preparatory math classes do not count as credits toward graduation; therefore, students may find themselves taking an additional semester to complete the college math requirements. Math Bridge classes take place in computer labs at UNLV and have tutors who help the students with math concepts that they may be struggling with. In addition to the tutors, the students work on their ALEKS, which is an individualized online assessment and learning system. Students will work through their ALEKS topics to ensure that the information is being learned and retained throughout math bridge.

Below are comments from previous Math Bridge students:

 “Math Bridge helped me realize being scared of math was silly, I feel more confident stepping out of this program than how I did going in.”


“I’ve enjoyed taking part in this program and it has definitely improved my math skills and confidence.”

First-Gen Connect
First-Gen Connect is a free conference for first-generation college students and their guardians. A first-generation college student is defined as a student whose parents do not have a four-year college degree. First-generation college students have a harder transition into college for various reasons. First-Gen Connect helps first-generation college students’ transition into UNLV by discussing potential barriers to success and equipping students with the knowledge and resources necessary for a successful first-year and beyond while at UNLV. Additionally, because guardians are invited to participate in this conference, they have the ability to understand what their students will be going through and learn how to support them. The First-Gen Connect conference has workshops, panels, discussions and networking opportunities for students to prepare for their first year of college. The overall benefit of this conference is to help first-generation students prepare for college, connect with campus resources, form a peer network, learn information about UNLV and engage with faculty/staff.

Below are comments from previous First-Gen Connect attendees:

“It was helpful to know when, where,
what, and how to apply or find the resources students may need throughout their semester.”


“I felt secure, welcomed, and safe. I felt the support UNLV was giving to us students. To feel that feeling of confidence is a great feeling.”

As part of the COLA 100E curriculum, we utilize a common reader for many reasons. Reading the same text across COLA sections provides our exploring majors with a shared experience, allowing them to build a common vocabulary and context around reading, writing and critical thinking. Our text this year, Callings: The Purpose and Passion of Work , edited by Dave Isay, is especially pertinent to our students’ own major exploration cycle/process: this series of interviews showcases (extra)ordinary people, from wildly different backgrounds, who have found their way to a career path—a calling. Throughout the semester, Callings is a conversation starter, a connective link to UNLV’s undergraduate learning outcomes and a means for students to consider diverse careers and their own search for meaning. Here’s how three COLA instructors use the text in their classrooms:

Kevin Sebastian, Visiting Lecturer

Careful listening is an idea that Isay highlights in Callings , and it resonates greatly with what we do in COLA 100E. This kind of listening, Isay argues, is integral to not only the heart of oral history, but also, more broadly, the discovery of a life worth living. Of course, as demonstrated by the range of stories in the book and by the richness of our students’ varied interests and pursuits, a life worth living differs from person to person—a fact beautifully amplified by our campus’ diversity. To understand our own personal versions of a fulfilling life, Isay says, we must listen carefully to ourselves and to other people. So, in our classrooms, we practice this act of listening in a variety of ways: from ambitious existential inquiries like “who am I?” to more practical skills-building activities involving active note-taking. Most significant, though, I think, is the social dimension of careful listening, since listening, after all, involves dialogue. In our classes, we find out about each other by sharing our histories, our motivations, our strengths and our weaknesses. In one assignment, students are tasked to find a professional in the field they are interested in and to interview them—to carefully listen to their stories and gain insight about their prospective life paths, and ideally, to discover something about themselves in the process. Similarly, Callings’ array of narratives from people who find value and meaning in their work (from sanitation workers to astronauts, from artists to doctors) illustrates for students the power of carefully listening to many voices—their own and others.'
Dr. Hanna Andrews, Visiting Asst. Professor

Exploring majors are, by definition, trying things out—whether working to gain admission to a program, taking varied courses to gauge disciplinary interests, or attempting to imagine their own personal versions of an ideal future. What happens, though, when we encounter a closed door, when the odds feel insurmountable, or when the best-laid plans fail? Callings , as a course reader, equips students with countless examples of people whose paths to fulfillment are often uphill climbs. When we discuss astronaut Ronald McNair’s struggle against systemic racism, or bricklayer Barbara Moore’s challenge to prove she is an asset to a masonry crew despite her small stature, we are really discussing grit, motivation, perseverance, and coping—all essential skills for student success. Besides building empathy and providing insight on various lifestyles and perspectives, Callings also allows our students to talk about failure—when we collectively express sadness at tool-and-die maker Phil Kerner’s loss of his business, we are creating an environment where failure can be another kind of common ground: as a class we share our own roadblocks, habits, and letdowns, and strategize about how we might grow from those experiences. The stories in Callings are a perfect example of how our ability to cope with setbacks—our ability to keep trying—is often one of the greatest predictors of success.
Ashley Jagodzinski, Visiting Lecturer

When I was in grade school, there was a large poster that hung near the teacher’s desk with a daunting question printed in bold block letters across the top: “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Below this, a series of familiar occupations: teacher, doctor, police officer, lawyer, artist, etc. One of the primary responsibilities of the COLA 100E instructor is to dramatically expand this narrow field of career options and to help students hone in on a major that will fit their skills, values, and interests. For this reason, Callings has been an indispensable teaching tool. The book offers insight into an impressive variety of careers, ranging from the traditional—the medical field, law enforcement, education—to the rare, exotic and quirky—things like street corner astronomy, NBA refereeing, tattoo ink removal, and video game design. The book brings these jobs together in a loving embrace, highlighting the passion and enthusiasm that each interviewee feels for their calling. For students who are actively exploring and often struggling with career and major options, exposure to such a wide variety of jobs can be truly revelatory. As a common reader, Callings invites students to broaden their perspectives, embrace their passions, and explore the dazzlingly rich variety of paths available to them.

Academic Success Center (ASC) Tutoring and SI student leaders play an integral part in student success as partners in higher education. Whether it is by facilitating peer-assisted SI study sessions that partner with historically difficult courses, or leading discussions in drop-in group-tutoring labs at locations across campus, these leaders offer guided reviews of subject material and learning strategies with peers for a deeper understanding of course content. Student leaders in Tutoring and SI continuously work to remove the stigma of asking for help felt by a lot of our UNLV students. Many of our student staff were once previous users of these same programs, and always emphasize that all enrolled students that perceive a gap in content knowledge can benefit from Tutoring and SI in supported subjects, not just those, “struggling” in a course.

As part of our appreciation for the work our peer leaders do at the Academic Success Center, we recognize and congratulate the Tutoring and SI student leaders slated to graduate this Spring/Summer 2019 term. Great Job!
Tutoring/SI Leader 2019 Graduates
Abigale Ly - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry
Alexis Sauceda-Quintero - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in pre-professional studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience
Blaze Ream - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics
David Bandbaz - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in pre-professional studies
Haylie Joseph - Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Neuroscience
James Mangohig - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in pre-professional studies
Josephine Libero - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry
Marv Mangalino - Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences with a concentration in pre-professional studies
Tyler Cross: Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting
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Elizabeth Johnson and Sheetal Survase presented a game of, “Zeopardy” (Jeopardy with a Gen Z twist) at the Academic Advising Council in late February. The presentation used a game show format to help increase our understanding of Generation Z.

Research has only just caught up with the millennial's, while Generation Z is already entering college. With both generations said to be drastically different, we felt it important to broaden our understanding of these differences and better meet the needs of students we are welcoming through our doors. Using mostly research done by marketing firms, we focused the presentation on GEN Z students’ characteristics, experiences, and motivations and how this impacts the way in which they engage and learn.

We based our game of Zeopardy on three categories: assumptions, facts, and Gen Z speak. We hoped the questions created under each category would challenge the stereotypes we have about this generation, test our knowledge of the facts and used statistics to expand our understanding, and lastly, to include a category to help us better understand this generation’s language!

Since the New Student Orientation (NSO) season is around the corner, we thought it timely to also make time to share some of the research we found on engaging Generation Z audiences in presentations. Key takeaways included:

Make it Visual: Images are the language they speak. Photo sharing apps are a fast growing media tool.

Interact Online: Online and mobile interaction can be key to grabbing their attention. Gen Z grew up with the Internet at their fingertips, research suggests that 92% of them report going online daily, so design a presentation with that in mind.

Represent Them : Generation Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation yet. When designing your presentation use a diverse range of people and places in your images and messaging to help better represent them.

Get Personal: They are used to sharing and connecting with stories on social media and therefore are used to compelling, personal storytelling. When designing a presentation, include a personal tale, making it easier to connect with your audience.

With our achievement of the Top Tier Initiative goal to become recognized as a top tier public university in research, education and community impact by 2025, we must continue to recognize and understand the needs of the students we are welcoming through our doors. With this being said, it is important to consider and research the audience of incoming student populations. Tactics that we may have used in our NSO presentations for previous students may no longer be as effective. After doing preliminary research, during the presentation, Elizabeth and Sheetal shared some of the research-based ideas on how to connect with Generation Z and provided food for thought (as well as a take-home document) on the way our units can further improve our presentations and styles.


Research References:
Elmore, T., & McPeak, A. (2017). Marching off the map: Inspire students to navigate a brand new world. Atlanta, GA.

Smith, Trianne, and Tony W. Cawthon. "Generation Z Goes to College." College Student Affairs Journal 35.1 (2017): 101-02.

Sparks and Honey (2015). Gen Z 2025: The Final Generation . Retrieved from URL:  https://www.slideshare.net/sparksandhoney/gen-z-2025-the-final-generation-preview
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