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After More than Two Decades, Nevada State College Becomes a University

In a July 2024 news release, Nevada State University (NSU) celebrated its transition from college to university. This milestone is quite an achievement for the institution, which got its start only 22 years ago. The program’s evolution into a university has been characterized by growth and diversity.

Nevada State College (NSC) began with 177 students in 2002. While the school had established itself, it did not get its first permanent building, the Liberal Arts and Sciences Department, until 2008. Today, this building houses labs, a Writing Center, classrooms, and the Neplanta Program, designed to support first-generation students. The college engaged in a campus-wide recruitment and retention campaign that same year.

The campus grew substantially after the college’s recruitment and retention efforts. By 2010, enrollment at the college grew by 20 percent, and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) approved NSC’s master plan, which planned for constructing a sustainable institution that had an estimated six million square feet of academic, residential, industry, retail, and cultural space to accommodate between 25,000 and 30,000 students.

The college saw the addition of more buildings, including the Kasner Academic Building, which comprised more than a dozen classrooms, a large auditorium, faculty/staff offices, and a media center in 2015. That same year, the Rogers Student Center, which contains a student center and administrative building, was built. Other buildings that the college constructed were the one-stop student shopping center, the Raker Student Success Center (2018), its first residence hall (2020), the Christenson Education Building (2021), and the Engelstad Health Sciences Building (2021).

As the campus has undergone a physical expansion, NSC has also aimed to support diversity. The student body, staff, and faculty makeup is one of the most diverse in the state, with 60 percent of students and 40 percent of faculty/staff from different ethnic or minority groups. Today, the university has received designations as a Minority Serving Institute, a Hispanic Serving Institution, and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Institution.

Making the leap to a university was a natural conclusion to all the work the faculty, staff, and regents have done over the two decades of the institution’s existence. The college officially changed its name from Nevada State College to Nevada State University in July 2023 after legislators passed legislation in March 2023 to make the change.

Today, the university can offer students the opportunity to seek degrees in more than 30 majors and 25 minors. Some of the university’s study areas span liberal arts and science degree programs, like psychology, to business, biology, education, and criminal justice disciplines. The university even offers master’s programs in education for speech pathology, education specialist for school programs, and nursing.

In its two decades, NSU has impacted the state in terms of the number of graduates that remained in Nevada and contributed to its growth. The school has more than 8500 alumni, and 80 percent of these graduates still work in Nevada State. Incidentally, over 50 percent of NSU’s alumni graduated with teaching and nursing degrees. While not on the level of other, more established universities, the institution has come a long way, seeing that its first graduating class comprised only 13 students.

A July 2024 NSU press release stated the transition to university was a part of the institution’s overall commitment to offering students from all backgrounds a quality education, making it an ideal place for first-generation, immigrant, transfer, and non-traditional students to get their degree. This commitment to these groups includes adhering to a policy that devises innovative ways to remove the traditional barriers to receiving an education, such as time and money. Dr. DeRionne Pollard, NSU president, said that the transition places the university on a bright and expansive future, enabling it to offer students a more affordable path to getting their education.

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The Nevada State University Community

Nevada State University (NSU), founded in 2002, spans 511 acres and is committed to educational excellence through affordable, diverse degree programs that help students thrive in their careers and personal lives. The campus' vision is to lead in teaching excellence, student support, economic growth, and social justice throughout Nevada.

The NSU community - comprising students, executive leadership, and staff - champions a culture that embraces new ideas and values diversity. The campus community has various offerings to create a supportive, inclusive environment, including a Diversity & Inclusion Task Force focused on equitable practices, resources for counselors/parents, community engagement opportunities, and event spaces for gatherings. The campus also offers scholarships and showcases art collections and exhibitions.

NSU's Diversity & Inclusion Task Force enhances campus diversity and inclusivity by reviewing policies, programs, and factors affecting diversity among students and staff, identifying areas for improvement and strategies to address them. NSU employees, student leaders, and staff and faculty representatives form this task force. Subcommittees complement their work by supporting undocumented students, surveying campus climate, and improving outcomes for people of color.

Partnerships are central to NSU's mission, connecting students and graduates with industry leaders, local businesses, organizations, educational institutions, and their families and communities. These collaborations enhance students' exposure to real-world opportunities, helping them define their career paths. Outbound partnerships provide avenues for internships, field placements, and project-based work where students gain hands-on experience and contribute through volunteer initiatives. Inbound collaborations bring professionals to campus as guest lecturers or executive participants, sharing their expertise with students.

Local visionaries established the Nevada State University Foundation to transform the lives of individual students and their families. The foundation believes a solid education can significantly impact first-generation students, benefiting them, their families, and future generations. Graduates help the economy by thriving in their careers, influencing new sectors, and elevating global discussions. The foundation relies on donor support to fulfill its mission, supplementing state funding to finance campus operations, community projects, and scholarships. The leadership, comprising professionals from construction, law, civic leadership, architecture, and finance, oversees financial management and auditing. Former leaders who have made significant contributions continue to guide the foundation, ensuring its ongoing success and impact.

Supporting the NSU Community is an alumni network that fulfills various roles. It fosters strong social and academic connections among current and former students and the broader community. It also facilitates contributions to initiatives benefiting Nevada, providing avenues for involvement in various programs, events, and opportunities. To drive institutional advancement, the alumni network helps recent alumni and current students become career-ready through mentorships, workshops, and networking events.

The Division of Finance and Business Operations also supports NSU's mission by ensuring educational excellence and career opportunities. Through careful management of assets, the division oversees accounting, budgeting, facility management, grant administration, student financial aid, and general operations, ensuring a smooth-running university. For career opportunities, NSU invites internal and external applicants. External candidates can apply online, while current NSU and Nevada System of Higher Education employees can use the institution's employment system, Workday.

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An Overview of the Swiss Apprenticeship Model

A group of American businessmen established the American Swiss Foundation (ASF) in New York City in 1945 as a private, non-profit group dedicated to maintaining positive relations between the United States and Switzerland. The organization has developed many programs and resources, including the ASF online videos and workshops series. Topics covered in ASF Connect include the benefits of Americans following Switzerland's apprenticeship model.

The Swiss apprenticeship model combines traditional vocational training and a salaried position. After a student decides on a trade they would like to pursue as a profession, they begin to split their time between in-class learning, also known as vocational training, and on-the-job work opportunities, which constitute the apprenticeship portion of the system. Apprenticeships have fallen out of favor in the US, but the model has regained some prominence in recent years.

Apprenticeships were common in the US during colonial times when American culture more closely resembled those of Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Colonial-era apprenticeships were similar to modern apprenticeships but with a few key differences. In the past, it was common for apprentices to live with their masters. In many cases, the bond between master and apprentice was comparable to indentured servitude.

While apprenticeships in England and Europe began to shift to the present-day model, the American apprenticeship system gradually declined in prominence and ultimately fell into obscurity. Many factors contributed to this cultural change, perhaps most notably the labor agreements between business leaders and unions regarding salaries for workers-in-training. The advent of technology during the Industrial Revolution and child labor laws also played roles in the end of American apprenticeships.

Despite falling out of favor, the US retains a national apprenticeship registry. Congress created the registry in 1937 through the National Apprenticeship Act to regulate apprenticeships and ensure safe, equitable work conditions. Most importantly, the National Apprenticeship Act standards distinguished apprentices from indentured servants. The law did little to reinvigorate professional interest in the apprenticeship model; today, the registry rarely maintains information on more than 500,000 apprentices during any given year. Furthermore, apprentices can only find work in a few industries.

Cultural perception is a major factor in the decline of apprenticeships in America. Many people associate the concept of apprentices with poorly performing students whose only options for work involve manual labor. By comparison, obtaining a college degree has become the standard route in many professions.

These perceptions have changed during the last decade, thanks in part to the US-Swiss Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which explores the benefits of apprenticeships and how the Swiss model can be integrated into the US workforce. The MOU enhances bilateral ties between the US and Switzerland while raising American interest in the apprenticeship system.

In 2017, Washington Governor Jay Inslee signed a $6.4 million grant to provide approximately 29,000 students with apprenticeship and internship opportunities. During the following years, many states have adopted legislation supporting the apprenticeship model and other programs and resources that provide students with alternatives to a college education. Examples include the Biennial Wisconsin Apprenticeship Conference, Minnesota's No Four-Year Degree Required policy, and a state-wide apprenticeship model in Colorado.