Update from the President
by Dr. Shanna L. Jackson
Greetings,
I was recently sharing my professional journey to the Presidency of Nashville State, which started when I moved to Tennessee in the mid-90s to work for the Pillsbury Company. There I was a third shift Dry Processing Management Coordinator. That work revolved around how many cases of product we could get out the door each shift. But today, my work is centered on people not products and is so much more fulfilling. That doesn’t just include the students we serve but working with each of you. I believe in our mission, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve others.
Nashville State has been Building Bridges and Changing Lives for more than 50 years! Our work is important, our work is meaningful, our work has purpose. We provide the opportunity to change the lives of individuals, families and communities. In addition, we impact economic development and provide the talent needed to keep our region vibrant and thriving. That is why it is critical that we continue Moving Forward towards Vision 2030 and embedding our LEADS Core Values into the fabric of the college.Together – we can make a real difference!
Below are a few updates for the Office of the President:
Fall Convocation – Save the date August 9 from 8am-4pm for Fall Convocation at the White Bridge Road campus. All full-time employees are expected to attend; part-time employees and adjunct faculty are welcome. More details will be coming in early August with information about the format and the schedule for the day.
Clarksville Campus –The conceptual design for the Clarksville expansion is complete. I look forward to sharing it with you during Convocation. We are now entering the next phase of the project that will finalize the details and cost of our expansion plans.
Dickson Campus – I am excited to share that in partnership with TCAT Dickson, we are moving forward with building a new Higher Education Center in Dickson that will be our new, permanent home! We recently received final approval from the State Building Commission to move forward with the project that was included under TCAT Dickson in the Governor’s budget. More details to come.
Enrollment Update – Celebrating the good! Our tracking for the Summer semester ended on July 11. At that time, we were up 10.7% in headcount and 11.9% in FTE compared to the prior year. Of special note was an increase of 3.4% in continuing students, 20% in readmits and 104% in new dual enrollment students! There was also an increase of 14.4% in transfer students, which is a positive continuing trend for the fall.
As of mid-July, Fall headcount was down 2.1% and 5.2% in FTE. However, we are tracking well against last year in key areas and see positive signs that we can close the enrollment gap. Two key areas of opportunity are continuing and new students. Stay Data-Informed by viewing our enrollment dashboards using these links:
- Summer Enrollment Dashboard
- Fall Enrollment Dashboard
- Enrollment Profile Dashboard (Fall and Spring)
- Persistence-Retention-Graduation (PRG) Dashboard
*Please note the Application Dashboard is not accurate. We are continuing the migration from our new Slate system to Banner. Special thanks to Miranda Inman and team, for leading the Slate implementation.
Safety and Security – Our new Chief, Tommy Phelps, has been working with MNPD, TBI and others to ensure our officers receive the critical training needed. In addition, you will soon hear information about training for all Nashville State employees. The first of several scheduled training courses will begin in August. Watch Campus Announcements for detailed information.
Support –For many of our employees the summer months can be a very stressful time, particularly for those supporting students or involved in year-end closing. I will continue to encourage everyone to make their physical and mental health a priority. Please remember EAP services are also offered at no cost to all benefit-eligible employees and eligible family members. Visit Here4tn.com for more information.
As we start to wind down the summer semester and gear up for the fall, I believe we are building positive momentum towards Vision 2030: A Student Ready College. Each day we are making progress on building a Culture of Excellence in People, Programs and Places. Yes, we have work to do, but I believe in what we do, and I believe that together we can make a difference.
New Staff Assembly Chair
by Karina (Camilo) Davis, Student Support Specialist I, Student Success Center
Greetings Nash State,
As the new Staff Assembly Chair, I want to share a little about me. First, I was part of the first group that established the Student Success Center four+ years ago.
I was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. I was Universal Licensed as TV-Radio Host for Spanish Broadcast in the Dominican Republic and a former Spanish TV host for the Hispanic community in Nashville.
Earned my Associate of Science Transfer Degree in General Studies at Volunteer State Community
College. Where I then started my career in the education field as a Hispanic Outreach Specialist at the Advising Center where I concentrated in serving the Hispanic community of Sumner County and other counties near Nashville.
My Personal and Professional goal is to try to earn a Social Work Bachelor’s Degree and continue growing at Nashville State by being more involved with reaching out to resources that help students’ academic path in order for them to get to the finish line, graduation!
My hobbies, I love Latin music and other good beat music too, dance is part of me, I enjoy reading in both languages Spanish/English, I love traveling anytime I can because I enjoy going to different places around the world.
I am fascinated by quotes’ words; I always say that they express within short lines a direct and deep message that we can apply in our life. One of my favorites is: “Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” by Maya Angelou
Here are the Staff Assembly Officers for 2023-2024:
Chair: Karina Davis
Chair-elect: Sharneka Parker
Secretary: Ruth Green
Secretary-elect: Kelsie Clement
Budget Chair: Eddie Abel
Parliamentarian: Jamie Brake
All staff employees are welcome to join us in our monthly meeting.
Meetings are held virtually through Teams on the third Wednesday of each month from 2:00-3:00 pm.
You can contact me at Karina.Davis@nscc.edu or by phone at 615-353-3655
Police Chief Ceremony
by Jennifer Rector, Vice President, Business & Finance
Leaders gathered on July 6, 2023 for the Swearing-In Ceremony honoring Nashville State Community College’s Police Chief Tommy Phelps.
Dr. Jackson officiated the ceremony while attending were TBR’s Michael Williams Assistant Vice Chancellor for Safety and Security (pictured) and Chuck Grimes as well as Nashville State’s Jennifer Rector, Dr. Rothstein, Dr. Carol Osorio, Tom Hayden, Natalie Olsen, Shari Shields and others.
Chief Phelps is a veteran police officer with 34 years of experience in law enforcement and a proven success at building high-performing teams and controlling crime. Chief Phelps is committed and focused on providing a safe and secure learning environment.
In his short time as Chief, he has been actively recruiting and hiring four Tennessee P.O.S.T Certified Police Officers to add our Police and Security department.
Welcome Chief Phelps to NSCC!
Fall Forward
by Amy S. Bryant, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Director, The Teaching Center
Fall Forward 2023! Embrace the opportunity to learn by falling forward. When we try new things, sometimes they work, and other times they don’t. Both help us to grow and learn.
Join The Teaching Center for professional learning to Take Chances, Look for Opportunities, and Fall Forward August 10 – 17, 2023. Over 30 professional learning sessions will be available.
NSCC participants who engage in 8 professional learning sessions presented by the Teaching Center and Online Learning between August 10 and 17 will earn the Fall Forward 2023 badge. View the Fall Forward Conference Schedule online: https://ww2.nscc.edu/theteachingcenter/fall-forward/.
Navigating Nashville as a College Commuter
by Tom Hayden, Associate Vice President, Office of Communications and Marketing
Nashville State joined with the Tennessee College Access and Success Network and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce to present a report about transportation challenges faced by college-bound and going students. The presentation took place in the Clement Auditorium on the White Bridge campus.
College President Dr. Shanna L. Jackson remarked that transportation is a critical issue for college students. Student Resources Manager April Robinson, who served as an event panelist, said “Some students have to plan their entire day around transit times.”
The report was conducted by TCASN and funded by the JPMorgan Chase New Skills Ready investment.
Read the report: https://www.tncollegeaccess.org/point-of-departure
Professional Learning Ad Hoc Update
by Amy S. Bryant, Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Director of the Teaching Center
Did you know that you can register for professional learning through Nashville State online? Visit the Professional Learning website and click on LEADS and Experts to view the calendar of currently scheduled professional learning opportunities.
Click on any date that has available professional learning, and the professional learning scheduled for that date will appear. Click the title of the session to go to the Registration page. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email with an Outlook Calendar invitation that you can add to your Outlook calendar. Multiple opportunities are available for fall, and new sessions are being added.
Would you like to lead a professional development session? Share your expertise and knowledge with us. To support the professional learning needs of NSCC employees, we need you to lead professional development sessions in areas where you have expertise. Help us build a calendar of professional learning events for all employees for 2023-2024. Submit your proposals to Professional Learning throughout the year.
Slate Update
by Miranda Inman, CRM Administrator, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management
We are a year and a half into our Slate CRM implementation and have just concluded Phase I of our implementation. In Phase I, our focus has been on launching the admissions application and transferring data to Banner using the Axiom middleware program. Our first application term was summer 2023, and though there were a few hiccups along the way, our first admissions period using this new system has been a success. Slate has simplified the application process for prospective students and allowed us to communicate with prospects, applicants, and students in a more equitable and personalized style. These communications pull from data points in Slate to automate appropriate messaging and provide tracking data showing an engagement rate of approximately 80% for email communications that have been sent out.
We have also recently launched a Welcome Center check-in system that will allow us to track who is coming to our offices and why they are visiting.
In Phase II of implementation, we will be focusing on bringing data from Banner into Slate. This integration will allow us to provide financial aid information alongside admissions information to further streamline the enrollment process and will also allow us to begin work on utilizing Slate for Student Success, including a redesign of the Early Alert system. This phase is still in very early days, but as we move forward, we will provide further updates and training as required for new functionality.
Effective July 1st, I have transitioned to a new role of CRM Administrator. I have been working on this project for the last year and a half as a Slate Captain under my previous position as Assistant Director of Admissions. By transitioning to this new role, I will be able to focus full-time on moving this project forward. I am currently working on access and separation forms as well as an internal project management system including a project request form and a portal to display active projects and their status to make it easier to track who should have access to Slate and to ensure transparency of the work being done. Also currently in the works are a new ESOL testing appointments process and communications for that student population.
In June, Laura Moran, Julie Williams, and myself attended the Slate conference here in Nashville where we were able to learn about some exciting planned product updates including new AI functionality that Technolutions, the parent company of Slate, is working on. We also learned how this database is being utilized by other institutions throughout the United States and were able to bring those ideas back with us to add to the vision of what our database can become. This was our 2nd year to attend the Slate conference, and both years have been overwhelming, exciting, and inspiring as we are able to see what is possible from institutions that have been using Slate for up to ten years or more.
We are also meeting monthly with the other TBR community colleges to share ideas as all TBR community colleges and TCATs are also building Slate databases. Nashville State along with Volunteer State were the first in the system to obtain Slate so we are currently leading the pack but are looking forward to seeing what our sister institutions will do with it as they move forward with their own implementations.
News Releases
by Tom Hayden, Associate Vice President, Office of Communications and Marketing
Facilities Management Department Report
by Christopher Saunders, CFM, Executive Director of Facilities Management
This is the current status of the projects underway at the NSCC campuses.
Clarksville: Renovation – New Campus – Underway
- Architects Programming w/ NSCC Management Team
- General Contractor working with TBR on Contract
Dickson: 2023 School Year Items – Underway
- Janitorial Contractor Changed – Window & Floor Cleaning
- Pressure Washing – Falcon Flags Installation
- Furniture from East Davidson to be transferred and installed
Humphreys County: General Maintenance of the Building – Underway
- Janitorial Contractor Changed – Window & Floor Cleaning
- Lab Equipment Relocation
North Davidson
- HVAC
- Roof Repairs
- Floor Finish Review
- New Monument Sign
Southeast
- Installation of New Chiller – Underway
- Addressing issues with the new unit
- TBR Refurbishment Project – Underway
- General Contractor working with TBR on contract
- Other items – Painting – Sprinkler Head Replacement – Office Moves
White Bridge
- H-Building Health Sciences Project – Underway
- General Contractor working with TBR on Contract – Pianos moving out
- HVAC Central Plant Upgrades – Underway
- General Contractor working with TBR on contract
- Middle College New Signage: Complete
- Beautiful sign and installation
Human Resources News July 2023
by Janet Dennis, Personnel Assistant, Human Resources
New Hires
| Name | Position | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Eliakim Relerford | Police Officer | Police and Security |
| Teshyra Butler | Admissions and Records Clerk | Admission and Records |
| Ritu Mishra | HR Administrator | Human Resources |
| Michael Sostre | Student Success Advisor | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
| Bianca Laury | Student Success Advisor | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
| Olivia Ooten | Student Success Advisor | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
| Mary Caroline Langdon | Student Success Advisor | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
Status Change
| Name | Prior Position/Title | Prior Department | To Current Position | To Department |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stephanie Mallonee | Technical Clerk | Dickson Campus | Student Success Advisor | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
| Eric Walker | HVAC Worker | Operations | Central Plant Supervisor | Operations |
| Sharneka Parker | Secretary III | TSD | Sr. Administrative Assistant | TSD |
| Rochelle Williams | HR Coordinator | Human Resources | HR Administrator, Benefits and Leave | Human Resources |
| Mia Sneed | HR Coordinator | Human Resources | HR Administrator, Employee Relations and Equity | Human Resources |
| Jill Ferrand | Director | Human Resources | Executive Director | Human Resources |
| Miranda Inman | Assistant Director | Admissions and Records | CRM Administrator | Enrollment Services |
| Patricia Vargas | Student Services Specialist I | Southeast Campus | Student Success Advisor | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
| Lindsay Hager | Manager Peer Mentoring | Student Affairs and Enrollment Management | Assistant Director | Student Success Center/Nashville GRAD |
Separation
| Name | Position/Title | Department |
|---|---|---|
| Derrek Sheucraft | Director | Police and Security |
| Thomas Bilderback | Security Guard II | Humphreys County |
| Al Sheriff | Database Administrator | TSD |
| Tim Hurt | Maintenance Worker | Dickson |
| Kim Zills | Director/Associate Dean | Dickson and Humphreys County |
| William Matsunaga | Police Sergeant | Police and Security Services |
| Sylvia Lewis | Library Assistant II/ Media Technician | Southeast Campus |
The NSCC Voice
Founded 2017
Cliff Rockstead, Managing Editor
David Gerth, Assistant Managing Editor
Isabella Putman, Layout Editor
July 2023 Contributors
Amy S. Bryant
Karina Davis
Janet Dennis
Tom Hayden
Miranda Inman
Dr. Shanna L. Jackson
Jennifer Rector
Christopher Saunders