the NSCC Voice

Update from the President

by Dr. Shanna L. Jackson

Greetings Fellow Falcons,

For many years, I have started meetings and conversations talking about the “numbers.” Being Data Informed is a LEADS Core Value and a very important one. But as I often say when talking about our 90, 60, 30 and 10k Vision 2030 targets, these numbers represent real people with real lives, hopes and dreams. Teaching NSCC 1010 this semester has brought me closer to our students and the challenges they face completing their education at Nashville State. I have gained a new appreciation for our faculty who must navigate those academic and nonacademic barriers in real time. And I am thankful that we are continuing to build a variety of resources for our students to help them stay and complete college.

Below are a few updates from the Office of the President:

TBR Quarterly Board Meeting – The September Quarterly Board meeting took place September 18-19 in Knoxville. If you are interested in viewing the meeting please visit TBR’s Board Meeting Schedule and Materials webpage. Nashville State will host the June 2026 Quarterly Board meeting in partnership with TCAT Dickson and TCAT Nashville on June 11-12, 2026. It is a wonderful opportunity to share the great work happening at the college with the Regents and colleagues across the state. You will be hearing more about how each of us at the college can support the event from your supervisors and right here in The Voice.

Early College Expansion – Under our Better Together partnership with MNPS, we are launching three new Early Colleges. Maplewood and Pearl Cohn will be home to our first Early Colleges aligned to a high-demand workforce need – Health Sciences. Students will have the opportunity to earn an A.S. in Health Sciences. McGavock is the home of our third Early College where students can earn the A.S. in Business Administration.

CAT Financial Apprenticeship – On September 22 we honored two graduates of Nashville State’s School of STEM Information Technology program, who have been working through a 20-month Information Technology apprenticeship at CatFin. Justin Crowley and Stephanie Pedigo are the second cohort to finish the paid apprenticeship. Stephanie will be our student speaker at the Legislative Breakfast the college will host on November 21 at White Bridge. Launched in January 2023 with the support of Apprenticeship TN within the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, the apprenticeship offers Nashville State students a valuable opportunity to earn credit toward their degree while gaining thousands of hours of paid, hands-on experience in the field of Information Technology.

Fantasy Football Season 4 – The chaos of Fantasy Football is underway. Several teams are off to a great start this year, and we still have a few that have yet to win a game. The competitive spirit is high.

Fall Enrollment Update – To date, we have enrolled over 8,100! The last time our college had more than 8,000 students was Fall 2018 — and we are still registering students for the 2nd 7-week session. At the 14th day of enrollment, we were second only to Pellissippi State in both headcount and FTE. Our continuing students are up 17.8% headcount and 19% FTE! Our improved student outcomes reflect the great work taking place and a united commitment to student success. I do understand that our growth requires a strategic approach to increasing resources, as we do not want to lessen our support for students, staff or faculty. Stay data informed by visiting the Data Access Page. Please contact Institutional Research if you have any questions.

Wellness – Taking care of ourselves is not always easy. Many of us are in a season where we are caring for others, children, spouses, parents, etc. Always remember that there are programs and resources available online through Partners for Health and Emotional Wellbeing Solutions (formerly EAP) for support services. Also, you will be receiving information from Human Resources soon on annual open enrollment, which runs October 3-17. This is the only time to make changes to your benefits selections unless you have a qualifying event.

Being in the classroom has strengthened my commitment to supporting our students, our college, our community and each of you! Nashville State’s mission is critical to the success of the region we serve. Together, we can realize our vision to become a national leader in achieving equitable outcomes in our diverse community of learners.

FAFSA 2026–2027 Opens October 1

By Jennifer Byrd, FAAC*, Director, Financial Aid Office

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2026–2027 academic year officially opens on October 1, 2025.

Why File Early?
Filing early ensures students are considered for aid with limited funding, which is often awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, such as Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG), Tennessee Student Assistance Award (TSAA), and/or Federal Work-Study.

Early filing also gives colleges more time to prepare financial aid packages, allowing students to compare offers and make informed decisions about enrollment.

Get Ready to File
Students and families can prepare now by:

Creating an FSA ID at StudentAid.gov
Gathering 2024 tax returns, Social Security numbers, and financial records
Checking with their college for priority deadlines

Final Thoughts
Help us in encouraging our students to file their FAFSAs early! Let’s get them on the right path early.

NSCC Foundation Updates

By Ryan Parker, Executive Director, NSCC Foundation

Thank You for Fueling the Future!

Thank you for your incredible support during the employee giving campaign. Because of your generosity, we surged past our goal and raised an extraordinary $28,857. Every gift is more than a donation; it is fuel for the future of our students and the momentum that drives our students toward graduation.

Through our Beyond Financial Aid Programs, that momentum becomes action, providing personalized support that empowers students to overcome challenges and achieve their dreams. Even if you were not able to give during the campaign, you can keep fueling the future all year long by setting up a payroll deduction or making a one-time gift at any time.

Here’s to a year filled with progress, purpose, and possibility. Together, we are building unstoppable momentum that will carry our students toward brighter futures!

Employee Giving Campaign Facts:

114 employees participated, representing 29 percent.
10 Employees became a GEM.
6 GEMs increased their monthly giving.
4 GEMs made an additional gift.

Folded With Care

No student should ever have to choose between clean clothes and going to class. That is why we are proud to introduce Folded With Care, a program designed to remove yet another barrier to student success. Born out of a need identified by the Nashville State Student Government Association, this initiative eases stress, promotes well-being, and gives students the freedom to focus on their goals. More than laundry, it delivers confidence, encouragement, and peace of mind, one folded load at a time.

This program will provide 30 bags each week during the fall and spring semesters at the Clarksville, Dickson, North Davidson, Southeast, and White Bridge campuses. Each student may participate twice a month.

We are deeply grateful to our community partners whose generosity has fully funded Folded With Care for this academic year – Nashville Predators Foundation, Piedmont Natural Gas, and United Way of Greater Nashville.

As an added benefit, Clothesline Laundry is extending a special offer to Nashville State employees with 30 percent off their services using the promo code NSCC30.

And the Honorees Are…

We are thrilled to announce this year’s Falcon Awards Honorees. The Falcon Awards is our annual celebration of Nashville State alumni who have gone beyond professional success to embrace a higher purpose. These honorees have built careers while creating opportunities that strengthen and uplift their communities. Their achievements and service inspire others and highlight the impact of donors and volunteers whose generosity opens doors for students and creates lasting change across Middle Tennessee. The Falcon Awards also shine a light on the donors and volunteers whose generosity and dedication make this work possible. By giving their time, resources, and support, they help open doors for students and create lasting impact across Middle Tennessee. Together, our alumni, donors, and volunteers embody the spirit of service, achievement, and community that defines Nashville State Community College.

Join us for an evening of celebration and inspiration on Tuesday, November 18, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at 14TENN, located at 1410 51st Avenue North in Nashville.

As a member of our Falcon Family, you are invited to join the celebration with two discounted tickets for $50 each. Simply use the access code FS25FA at www.event.gives/falconawards25.

Staff Assembly Committee Highlight

By Kelsie Huffman (Clement), Student Services Specialist III, Welcome Center

Our July 2025 Employee of the Month is:

Kiana Jones
Records Clerk, White Bridge Campus

Thank you, Kiana, for all that you do!

This is what nominators had to say:
Kiana consistently demonstrates exceptional dedication, adaptability, and initiative in her role. Despite managing a substantial workload, she has willingly taken on additional responsibilities to support the department during a period of staffing shortages. Not only has she remained on top of her own duties, but she has also gone above and beyond by assisting her colleagues in catching up with their processing tasks. Additionally, Kiana actively seeks out opportunities to learn other processes and procedures beyond her immediate responsibilities, showing a genuine commitment to professional growth and team success. Her proactive attitude and collaborative spirit make her an invaluable asset to our team.

Human Resources Update

By Connie Daniel, Senior Administrative Assistant, Human Resources

September 2025

New Hires

NAME	TITLE	DEPARTMENT
Shreya Nagar	Instructor, Biology	School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
Cheyandra Rogans	College Coach	Office of the Welcome Center
Susan Scheetz	Sr Administrative Associate	School of Health Services

Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Nashville State’s newest employees!

Separations

NAME	TITLE	DEPARTMENT
Valerie Olivas	Financial Aid Counselor	Office of Financial Aid

Please join us in saying farewell to this NSCC employee!

The Workforce Minute

By John Cunningham, Director of Healthcare Partnerships, Center for Workforce Dvelopment and Continuing Education

The Center for Workforce Development and Continuing Education is excited to celebrate the recent completion and launch of several healthcare cohorts! Through innovative partnerships, rigorous training, and committed educators our students are growing and effectively contributing in their relevant specialties.

The Medical Assistant (MA) Front
On September 2^nd, thanks to a partnership between Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville, Nashville State, TCAT Dickson’s Clarksville Campus, and the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development, our first MA Cohort with Tennova is underway!

This inaugural Clarksville cohort will rotate between classroom and clinical settings through December before sitting for their certification and transitioning into full-time roles at Tennova Healthcare – Clarksville.

Additionally, in the MA sector, Aimee Irvine, Allied Health Educator, is working with a number of cohorts.

Soon to complete:

• VUMC MA Cohort 13
• Ready to Reconnect MA Cohort 3
• Tennessee Oncology CCMA Cohort 4
• Uprise MA Cohort 1

Soon to start:

• VUMC MA Cohort 14

Transitioning to Workforce Central Sterile Processing Technicians (CSPT)
Nashville State, in partnership with Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Center for Programs in Allied Health, renewed our CSPT workforce partnership program and celebrated the successful completion of our third cohort earlier this month.

Since June, Cohort 3 completed demanding classroom instruction paired with hands-on clinical training. This cohort’s hard work and commitment to advancing patient care in this critical field is outstanding.

A tremendous shoutout goes to Sterile Processing Trainer, Candace Battles, who completed her first cohort and immediately transitioned to leading Cohort 4 on September 15. This cohort is comprised of 11 students and will conclude in early December.

Looking Ahead
We are excited to welcome VUMC MA Cohort 14 at the East Davidson Workforce beginning on September 29 and are truly grateful for the continued support of both internal and external stakeholders. These unique workforce opportunities have resulted in more than 200 job placements in recent years, demonstrating the outstanding talent within the communities our college serves. We look forward to working with our current cohorts as we close out the last quarter of calendar year 2025 and are excited for the work to come in 2026!

New D2L Survey Tool Messaging

By James Edwards, PhD, Executive Director of Online Learning and Teaching Innovation, TN eCampus Student Liaison

NSCC has ended our contract with the Watermark survey tool. Institutional Research (IR) has downloaded all previous end-of-term surveys from Watermark. If you need access to historical Watermark survey results, please contact Institutional Research (ir@nscc.edu).

Starting this semester, Nashville State will use Scantron’s Class Climate as the end-of-term online survey tool. The departments of TSD, IR, and Online Learning (OOL) are working together to onboard this product and the goal is to provide a familiar survey experience for both students and instructors, but with improved ease of use and a better return on investment.

Our first implementation of Class Climate will run in the First 7-Week courses with only the approved survey questions used in previous semesters to determine this successful launch. More functionalities will be added to the end-of-year surveys later in the semester for instructors once guidance is available.

This first Class Climate survey will be launched for students from October 6th until October 13th with reminders built into the survey launch.

Students will receive email notifications on surveys. We will also be adding a Class Climate Surveys button to the D2L home page for easy access to surveys and results.

More information and guidance will be announced and updated on OOL’s Learning Support for Faculty page soon.

RECAST Badge Recipients

By Harlan Pease, Associate Professor, English and Communications/EHCT

The Teaching Center would like to recognize the following people for earning a badge during the RECAST 2025 Fall Conference. Badges are earned by participating in at least 8 professional development sessions. Thank you for your dedication to our students and to Nashville State!

Jesmin Akther
Bir Bohara
Kristen Bradley
Kurstin Bush
Beverly Collins
Audrey Cross
Brian Curtis
Howard Doty
James Edwards
Landon Edwards
Steven Hancock
Hannah Hurdle
Janessa Jacobs

Eucretia Johnson
Karen Kendrick
Gracie King
Michael Knap
Jennifer Knapp
Rachel Lewis
Connie Matthews
Cynthia Morgan
Barbra Mullaney
Shreya Nagar
Maryellen Nash
Alyssa Nunez
Harlan Pease

Janusz Polanowski
Carson Prevatte
Jessica Rabb
Amelia Rinehart
Cliff Rockstead
NeelyAnn Sheucraft
Derek Smith
Laurie Swanson
Mary Womack
Megan York
Shuli Zhang

RECAST Presenters

By Harlan Pease, Associate Professor, English and Communications/EHCT

The Teaching Center would like to recognize the following people for providing Professional Development during the RECAST 2025 Fall Conference. Thank you for your dedication to our students and Nashville State!

Van Bates
Kurstin Bush
Audrey Cross
Evan Espy
Elizabeth Heffington
Hannah Hurdle
Janessa Jacobs
Dr. Kelsey Johansen

Karen Kendrick
Robert Ladd
Brian Lee
Peter Lyon
Dr. Shane McCoy
Maryellen Nash
Eli Nettles
Harlan Pease

Jessica Rabb
Dr. Sarah Roberts
NeelyAnn Sheucraft
Katherine Sorenson
Julie Williams
Courtney Woodard