Thanks to a $50,000 grant from the NV Energy Foundation, Western Nevada College is expanding welding education opportunities in Fernley, creating a new workforce pathway for high school students and adult learners to gain college credit and industry-relevant skills without leaving their community.

The grant was awarded to the Western Nevada College Foundation to purchase welding equipment for WNC's new welding program at Fernley High School. WNC is partnering with the Lyon County School District to provide dual enrollment welding courses for Fernley High School students, allowing them to earn college credit while gaining hands-on experience in a skilled trade.

During non-school hours, WNC will also use the welding facilities at Fernley High School to offer courses to members of the public.

Western Nevada College Foundation’s 27th annual Golf for Education tournament will be remembered for many things: generous supporters, competitive golf, a record book-worthy hole-in-one and, yes, even a donut hole-in-one.

The Sept. 25 fundraiser at Toiyabe Golf Club brought together businesses and individuals to raise critical funds that help WNC students prepare for meaningful careers while strengthening the workforce and Northern Nevada communities.

The generosity on the course was matched by some remarkable shotmaking.

Greg Nauman recorded his first career ace on the 167-yard par-3, hitting his seven iron into a left-to-right wind, sending the ball 2 feet from the cup before it rolled in. Phil Cowee sank a slick and tricky 80-foot putt to win the Michael Hohl Putting Contest and Michael Brown of Spanish Springs Construction chipped a glazed donut hole into a ring of its own, creating a snack-sized version of the day’s theme.

All of the unusual feats didn’t take away from an intensely competitive 18-hole tournament. Five teams finished within one shot of each other, with the championship ultimately decided by a USGA tiebreaker. The foursome of Sean Davision, Howard Houghton, Vince Christenson and Connor Morze fired a 29-under-par 43 to emerge as the winning team.

Western Nevada College welcomes Kathryn Whitaker as the interim director of the Fallon campus. Whitaker will provide leadership and continuity for the campus while WNC conducts a search for a permanent director.

Whitaker brings more than 25 years of experience, leadership and service to WNC and the Fallon community. Throughout her career, she has supported the college and its students through roles in rural outreach and advising, instruction, academic support and campus operations. She has also developed strong partnerships throughout the region, including relationships with Churchill County High School and Oasis Academy.

Her extensive institutional knowledge and understanding of the Fallon campus, its programs and the unique needs of the rural and frontier communities WNC serves position her to guide the campus during this transition. With a collaborative approach and a continued commitment to student success, Whitaker will help the Fallon campus build on its strengths while preparing for its future.

Consistent care, early learning and a commitment to families continue to distinguish Western Nevada College’s Child Development Center, which has once again been named Carson City’s top child care provider.

The recognition marks the ninth consecutive year the CDC has been named as the Nevada Appeal’s Best Child Care/Day Care Provider in Carson City, a remarkable streak that reflects the lasting confidence local families place in the center.

For CDC Director Anna Lisa Acosta-Rogers, the award is especially meaningful because it recognizes the people behind the program and the daily work they do for children and families.

The CDC wasn’t the only organization with WNC ties to be honored. Western Nevada Musical Theatre Company took third place for Best Arts & Culture Organization.

High school seniors graduating in spring 2027 can apply for the Nevada Promise Scholarship, a last-dollar scholarship that can cover tuition and mandatory fees not covered by other federal or state gift aid for up to three years at Western Nevada College.

The application deadline is Oct. 31.



Created by the Nevada Legislature in 2017, Nevada Promise is designed to help remove financial barriers to higher education. There are no income or high school GPA requirements, making the scholarship available to a broad range of Nevada students who meet the eligibility requirements. Students must begin at WNC in the fall immediately following high school graduation.

A surprise visit, a little encouragement and some sweet treats.

WNC’s student government group received an unexpected and very welcome visitor on campus during the first week of fall semester. Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents member Heather Brown stopped by to spend time with the Associated Students of Western Nevada (ASWN), and she didn’t arrive empty-handed. She brought along “Have a Great Semester” care packages filled with goodies to help kick off the new semester on a sweet note.

But the best part? Regent Brown took time to sit down, get to know each student and hear their voices, encouraging them to speak up and make their perspectives count both at WNC and in their communities.

Western Nevada College students pursuing Career and Technical Education programs can apply for financial support through the William N. Pennington Career and Technical Education Scholarship for the 2026-27 academic year.

This scholarship provides an opportunity for eligible CTE students to reduce financial barriers while gaining the hands-on skills and industry knowledge needed to enter Nevada’s workforce.

Students preparing for careers in manufacturing, automotive technology, welding, healthcare, construction and other high-demand fields are encouraged to apply. Scholarship support can help students focus on their education while preparing for meaningful, household-sustaining careers. Even though the fall semester began at the end of August, there still is time for students to apply for this scholarship.

Caring beyond the classroom!

WNC Nursing students put their skills into action this Saturday, Sept. 19, at the Love Heals Free Clinic at the Carson City Community Center.

Our students volunteered from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., helping provide care and support to members of our community.

We’re proud to see our future nurses living the WNC spirit of service.

What a week! The Associated Students of Western Nevada (ASWN) brought plenty of fun, food, creativity and opportunities to connect during Welcome Back Week at WNC.

Students, faculty and staff filled the Dini Student Center throughout the week for a Club and Resource Fair (outside the Student Center), DIY activities, games, karaoke, pizza, ice cream, slushies, Panda Express and plenty of opportunities to meet new people and reconnect with the WNC community.

The celebration wrapped up Sept. 17 with Constitution Day, as the Dini Student Center was decked out in red, white and blue. The day featured a pancake breakfast, Costco hot dogs, Bubbly Bliss Dirty Sodas, free pocket Constitutions and American flag pins as the WNC Community celebrated the 239^th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution.

It was a huge welcoming for students, who started the semester on Aug. 31. ASWN created such a fun-filled week, helping make the start of the semester feel like a community celebration and making students feel at home.



A scientific review of reported otter attacks worldwide from 2011 through 2021 found just 20 incidents over an entire decade — only 17 involving wild otters. Most occurred in North America, and more than half involved people participating in water-related activities.

That makes what happened at Lake Tahoe this summer all the more unusual.

Within three weeks, two swimmers on opposite sides of the lake reported remarkably aggressive encounters with North American river otters — Lontra canadensis — leaving both injured and wildlife experts considering a difficult question: Why?

NASA’s newest space telescope could spend nearly the next two dozen years changing what we know about the universe, from the mysteries of dark matter to the search for worlds beyond our solar system.

At Western Nevada College, where students study the night sky through the telescopes of the Jack C. Davis Observatory, those discoveries offer a direct connection between what is being learned in the classroom and one of the most ambitious astronomy missions in the world.

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched Aug. 30 and is traveling toward its observing position about 1 million miles from Earth. NASA announced on Sept. 14 that an exceptionally precise launch and early course correction conserved so much fuel that Roman could have enough for at least 22 years of potential science operations.

For WNC Physics and Astronomy Professor Dr. Thomas Herring, who directs the Jack C. Davis Observatory, Roman represents something equally important: the progression of space science.

Western Nevada College (WNC) has announced the retirement of Earl "Butch" Gordo, who has served as the college's Commercial Driver's License (CDL) instructor in Winnemucca for the past three years. Gordo leaves behind a program record that speaks for itself: a 100 percent pass rate among his students and a lasting scholarship fund built from his own paycheck.

When Gordo joined WNC's CDL program, he set a personal goal of helping 100 students earn their CDLs. He surpassed that mark, ultimately guiding 127 students to licensure. Every WNC student who trained under him went on to earn their CDL.