Workforce Development Brainstorm with Senator Jacky Rosen
U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen visited the Dandini Campus on July 15 to lead a roundtable discussion on training for some of Nevada’s most in-demand jobs, improving workforce development education to combat labor shortages and meet the community’s needs.
“These types of conversations with Senator Rosen and other elected officials are vital to our future success,” said Vice President of Finance and Government Affairs, Mike Peyerl. “We have the chance to align our goals with the federal priorities, and look for funding opportunities which will fast track student support and new programs.”
Faculty, staff and select community members in attendance contributed ideas on how additional federal funding could be used to hire additional instructors in workforce fields and improve classroom space shortages. Advocacy and wrap-around services for students, such as affordable childcare, were also considered as the group stressed the importance of federal support. Increasing opportunities for federal Pell Grants and a review of financial aid eligibility were also presented as areas that would help students gain access to increased education.
2024 Edition of The Meadow Literary Journal Published
For many years, summertime at TMCC has meant the arrival of a special literary gift to the community: The Meadow.
“The Meadow is the literary arts journal of Truckee Meadows Community College, and we publish work from students alongside national contributors,” said co-editor Lindsay Wilson, English Professor. The journal was published irregularly starting in the 1980s and became an annual publication in 2002.
This year, Wilson reports, “we have a Ukrainian cover artist in Kateryna Bortsova. It’s fun to have an international artist on our cover.”
Besides the beautiful cover art, this year’s edition boasts almost 200 pages of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.
“We have some really strong student work, and a short story, Performance, from English professor Brad Summerhill. We also have work from Kathy Nelson who just published her book, The Ledger of Mistakes. She just moved to the area and has won the James Dickey Prize in poetry. She’s a wonderful poet,” Wilson continued. “Our student, Karen Luna, has one of the best student short stories, Bernard, we’ve ever published. It ends the issue.”
In just the past few years, authors included in The Meadow have been nationally recognized for their outstanding contributions with awards from the Community College Humanities Association Awards (CCHA), and in listings, such as The Best American Essays.
To submit your own work for the 2025 edition of The Meadow, the submission window will be open from Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024 through Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025.
NACTE Recognizes Career and Technical Education Leader Kyle Cassinelli
Kyle Cassinelli (center) celebrates her NACTE award with (from left) Jaquelyn Vivar-Payes, Karen Saldana, Amber Burroughs, and sister Roni Green.
Across all departments, TMCC employees are dedicated to advancing Career and Technical Education (CTE) fields and providing the best student educational opportunities, but among them, Kyle Cassinelli has proven to be a standout leader on campus and off. Cassinelli serves as the Assistant Director of CTE Programs and works tirelessly to promote CTE programs to prospective students of all ages and backgrounds. She was recently recognized as the Postsecondary Professional of the Year by the Nevada Association for Career and Technical Education (NACTE).
As a subgroup of the national Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE), NACTE is dedicated to advancing education that equips youth and adults with the technical and employability skills needed to be successful in the world of work. Each year, the NACTE organization celebrates CTE educators across the state via their Excellence Awards. The Excellence Awards are presented to educators, administrators, and institutions that have exhibited exceptional performance, leadership, and commitment in advancing CTE. The Postsecondary Professional of the Year Award is awarded to a postsecondary CTE professional who demonstrates dedication to the improvement of CTE in their institutions and communities. Cassinelli has been a member of the organization for 10 years, and received their Career Guidance Award in 2016.
"I have been a champion for CTE programs throughout my entire career,” said Cassinelli. “As a longtime member of the NACTE organization, it is such an honor to be recognized for my work at the postsecondary level. I truly believe in what CTE does for students, businesses, and communities, and I look forward to continuing my ambassadorship of CTE and TMCC. I appreciate the support from my TMCC colleagues, in addition to the support of CTE professionals from across the state."
Cassinelli was nominated by Amber Burroughs, TMCC Associate Director of Workforce Development, who also gathered letters of support. As the recipient for Nevada, Cassinelli is now eligible to apply for the ACTE Region V Postsecondary Professional of the Year award. Region V is made up of 17 states/territories mostly in the western US.
“Over the next 3 years, Kyle will serve as the NACTE Postsecondary, Adult and Career Education (PACE) Vice President and NACTE Scholarship Committee Chair,” said Burroughs. “There will be a brand new scholarship application for postsecondary CTE students and it will become its own award.”
At the summer NACTE conference in July, attendees also benefitted from two breakout sessions led by TMCC staff. "Pathways to Partnerships" by Burroughs and Cassinelli highlighted workforce/CTE relationship building, and "TMCC Dual Credit: Boosting CTE Pathways" presented an academic affairs/student services collaborative session by Cassinelli along with Karen Saldana, Dual Enrollment Program Director, and Jaquelyn Vivar-Payes, Dual Credit Specialist.
Burroughs proudly remembered the summer conference with confidence. “Overall, TMCC's participation at the NACTE summer conference was highly regarded, and will leave a lasting impression on the Nevada CTE community!” she said.