July 2022 Volume 5 Issue 12

Greetings,

Along with the extremely high temperatures, things are heating up at Nashville State!  As we enter the final weeks of preparing for the Fall semester, I want to take a moment to say thank you!  Your hard work and dedication to the college and our students is noticed. It is because of you that we continue Moving Forward.

For many of us, summer is a very busy time. Every campus is actively serving students from application to enrollment. Many faculty are working to create and improve courses in different modalities. However, there are several areas at the college that are not always seen as student-facing but very much impact student success.

This month, I would like to highlight our Business and Finance Division. Led by Jennifer Rector, this area includes Facilities, Safety and Security, TSD, Purchasing, Accounting, and Student Accounts. While many of the individuals in the various departments may not directly interact with students, everything they do is in support of our students. Whether that is keeping students safe on campus, ensuring our systems are working so students can connect online for classes and support, keeping our grounds and buildings in great shape for learning to take place, or making sure we have the resources available to purchase what is needed to support student success. Each person makes a difference! I appreciate and value the contributions this division adds to our college.

Updates from the Office of the President

Dickson Campus Update

Since 2008, Nashville State has leased space at the Renaissance Center.  We were unable to reach an agreement with the new owner to extend our lease short-term. Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Arrita Summers and her team, we will transition to TCAT Dickson for the Fall semester. Not all classes can be offered on-ground and adjustments are being made to the schedule. Our Dickson team is contacting impacted students. Thank you for your support and patience as we work through this change.

We are currently working with the City of Dickson to lease space that can accommodate our needs for the next three to five years. Please know the county, city, and community members have affirmed their support to keep Nashville State in Dickson.  I am very excited about our opportunity to build a permanent campus in Dickson.

A special thanks to Matt McLean, Kim Silverman, Jennifer Rector, and Carol Rothstein for the countless hours spent visiting locations and meeting with Dickson leaders to find a viable path forward. I also want to commend our Facilities and TSD Staff for their support.

Clarksville

Our Clarksville Expansion has been approved by the State Building Commission to move forward.  Currently, the project is going through the TBR bidding process to identify the architect that will work with our team to design the building.  

Convocation

Convocation will take place August 10 from 8:30-3:30pm. All campuses will close for services to students and community members so that everyone can attend.  Our current plan is to gather at the White Bridge campus in several spaces, including the Theatre and four classrooms. We will continue to monitor current conditions and adjust in-person plans as needed. We are looking forward to having the entire Nashville State family together in one place – celebrating the great strides we have made this past year and looking forward to where we are going in 2022-2023. We also will get to do one of my favorite things — celebrate employees who have reached significant milestones in service.

Enrollment Dashboard

Nashville State and TBR Dashboards are available for viewing.  Our dashboards are updated daily and TBR’s is updated every Monday. It is important to note that you will see a significant decrease when comparing enrollment by “Campus” location. For Fall 22, only on-ground or hybrids based at a specific campus are reported. 

• Fall 2022 Enrollment Dashboard
• TBR Enrollment Dashboard

Sharing the Good

Please remember to send to my attention stories of students, faculty and staff, or great on-campus experiences by using the Good News Submission Form.

Support

Please remember EAP services are offered at no cost to all benefit-eligible employees and eligible family members. Visit Here4tn.com for more information.  In addition, the United Way of Greater Nashville provides free financial counseling. You can make an appointment by calling 615-748-3620.

Nashville State, my faith remains strong that we will be the best community college in the country! As many of you may know, faith still requires significant effort. It is important that we remember it will take each of us individually and collectively to achieve our Vision 2030 plan and become a Student Ready College. We will continue to focus on our LEADS Core Values and the important work still ahead to connect each person and each department to the ongoing efforts to lead the nation in achieving equitable outcomes for our diverse community of learners.

NSCC 1010 First Year Experience is a one-credit, five-week class that all first-time college students are required to take. This course bridges Academic and Student Affairs. NSCC 1010 instructors from Academic Affairs like faculty learn more about career services, advising, and other available student resources. Instructors from Student Affairs like Student Success Advisors learn firsthand how to use D2L, assess student work, and provide feedback. 

While not required that students take NSCC 1010 in their first five weeks, they should. The class can be a jumpstart to not only a successful first year but lay the foundation to persist into year two. The most significant and weighty assignment in the class is a personalized academic plan that shows the student’s unique path to graduation. We find that first-year students that succeed in NSCC 1010 are more likely to earn credits applied to their degree (See Table 1).

Learning Support co-requisite classes and pre-requisite classes are not applied to most AAS degrees and transfer degrees. Another way to assess if students are making progress is to determine their degree completion percent in DegreeWorks. While the formula for degree completion percent includes credits applied, it also includes Learning Support and GPA. First-year students that succeed in NSCC 1010 are more likely to have a higher degree completion percent (See Table 2).

While NSCC 1010 can make a difference if we don’t continue to engage with our students that first year, they likely will not return for a second year. There are all things we can do to help extend the First “Five Week” Experience to the first year.

• Connect students to their advisors and resources throughout the first year.
• Ask students about their academic plans and help them revise as needed.

Table 1. Average Number of Credits Applied to Degree After First Year of College

Table 2. Average Completion* Percent After First Year of College

*Degree completion percent is based on a DegreeWorks formula