2016 is a commemorative year for UNLV Continuing Education, honoring 50 years of lifelong learning at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and in Southern Nevada. The anniversary theme is “Proud Past, Future Focused.” 
 
UNLV’s commitment to connecting Las Vegas with high quality non-credit educational experiences started back when the university was still known as “Nevada Southern” and classes were offered through the extension offices of the University of Nevada at Reno. From the start, local business leaders and campus pioneers shared a vision for a university that not only served the traditional college student, but also the workforce of Las Vegas.
 

UNLV Continuing Education kicked off the anniversary commemoration with a reception at Tam Alumni Center on April 28, 2016, highlighting accomplishments from UNLV Continuing Education’s long history and a vision aligned with university goals moving forward. Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman and the Clark County Commission issued proclamations pronouncing the week of April 25 as UNLV Continuing Education Week. 
 
Former Dean of Extended Studies Paul Aizley shared stories from his time at the helm and recalled a time when professors pitched in to teach continuing education classes either in their professional fields or on topics of personal interest; it was just a part of UNLV’s culture for staff to do everything in their power to help programs grow. Two leaders were also recognized at the event. Vice Provost for Educational Outreach Peg Rees received a plaque for her leadership and dedication to diversity and excellence in the workplace. Director of Summer Term Trish Suske was recognized as the longest-serving employee of the Division of Educational Outreach and for her contributions to Continuing Education.
 

 
Dr. Rees also spoke about her vision of Continuing Education’s future. As UNLV moves forward with plans to gain recognition from the Carnegie Foundation as a “Community Engaged University” by 2020, the Division of Educational Outreach will be deeply involved in this effort with Continuing Education being essential to success. Continuing Education is pursuing opportunities to partner with businesses and organizations in Southern Nevada and beyond to provide executive education, continuing education, and lifetime learning opportunities all in support of community needs and individual aspirations. 
 
A half century after Las Vegas City Manager Bill Adams taught a course on building inspection for the newly formed Institute of General and Technical Studies, UNLV Continuing Education still holds a deep commitment to extending the university’s impact beyond traditional academic degrees. With more than 5,000 courses and 23,000 students in the last ten years alone, Continuing Education has truly made a difference in the lives of many Southern Nevadans. UNLV Continuing Education extends its thanks to the university leadership, administrative staff, course instructors, and students who have made the past 50 years a success.

 
To learn more about UNLV Continuing Education’s 50 years, please view our video from the 50th anniversary reception and the timeline.
 
 

UNLV Continuing Education Director Doris Ostrander and one of our retirement investment instructors are quoted in a recent Las Vegas Review Journal article. They provide advice on how individuals can be prepared for the next financial downturn in their career and finances.
http://www.reviewjournal.com/business/neon-rebirth/recession-proofing-l…

Each year the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) recognizes the top marketing and creative work of its members through the UPCEA marketing awards. The Division of Educational Outreach has been awarded the UPCEA Bronze Award for Most Improved for the Fall 2015 UNLV Continuing Education Catalog. 
 
Division of Educational Outreach marketing and continuing education staff improved the content and worked with Reprographics to improve the catalog’s design. The division also formed a new partnership with Desert Companion magazine to increase the effectiveness of catalog distribution. The Fall 2013 and Fall 2015 issues were submitted to UPCEA to present before and after snapshots of the ongoing process of design, qualitative feedback, quantitative analysis, and readjustment.  Conscious design, quality content, and effective distribution made it possible for UNLV to increase the impact of its course catalog and receive this award. 
 
UNLV will be among those honored for the best of the best in marketing at the annual UPCEA Marketing and Enrollment Management Seminar Nov. 4 – 6, 2015 in Denver.
 

Sometimes the training you need does not require going back to college for a degree. UNLV Continuing Education leverages the resources of Southern Nevada’s premier university to offer a broad spectrum of non-credit courses each term.
The fall 2015 Continuing Education Catalog is now available online and in print. Inside, you will find classes to challenge and inspire you. Whether you are looking to build career skills, explore a new hobby, or take a unique journey, the new catalog may have just what you are looking for.
One of our most exciting new professional certificate programs for fall stems from a partnership with UNLV’s Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. The core courses for engineering’s growing Information Technology (IT) minor can now be taken as a certificate program. Potential IT career applications include data analysis, web development, and database administration. All are high-income, high-growth fields. Certificate students take coursework alongside students pursuing the minor; courses are taught by UNLV computer science faculty. To learn about programs requirements, visit continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog/information-technology-it-certificate.  
New in travel is a day trip to Tule Springs Fossil Beds National Monument in September. Nevada’s second national park is a window into the last Ice Age, when fabled animals such as camelops, mammoths, and sloths roamed the Las Vegas Valley. There are currently no visitor services at Tule Springs, so the best way to experience the park is on a guided tour with a leader who can explain the area’s geology, paleontology, archaeology, and history. Participants will take a short hike into the monument to search for fossil remains; any finds will be documented and left at the site. If the early Jurassic seems more intriguing than the Ice Age, an October weekend Dinosaur Hunt in southern Utah is another option. Information about both programs is available at ced.unlv.edu/catalog/exploring-travel.
If you would like to take a course just for fun and personal enrichment, consider enrolling in a history course sure to make you take a fresh look at the past. Last Call: The Alcoholic Republic and Prohibition will cover the complex origins, history, and impact of Prohibition in the United States. In God We Trust: Religion and the Founding Fathers explores the religious values and ideals of the Founders, and trace those values to modern-day America. Course details and registration are available online.
Staff members are happy to answer any questions you may have about programs or to send a fall catalog directly to your home. Reach Continuing Education by telephone at 702-895-3394 or via email at continuing.education@unlv.edu.

Doris Ostrander brings creativity and collaboration
to the continuing education experience
 
LAS VEGAS – A results-oriented leader has been appointed to advance continuing education within the Division of Educational Outreach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Doris Ostrander is the new director of Continuing Education, coming to Las Vegas from Washington, D.C., where she was the director of Continuing Education for Corcoran College of Art and Design. 
 
Ostrander brings nearly 20 years of experience in higher education policy development, business analysis, operations management, and instruction to her position. She also has extensive experience working with community partners and academic departments to identify emerging educational opportunities and develop new courses and programs. In addition to her years in higher education teaching and administration, Ostrander was a designer and consultant for more than 15 years.  
 
“While Doris has yielded impressive results in online education, distributed learning, and continuing education, it is her specialized skill and experiences with design thinking that will transform the continuing education learning environment at UNLV,” said Margaret N. (Peg) Rees, vice provost for Educational Outreach. “She uses design thinking and has worked with clients in the entertainment, fashion, and healthcare industries to focus on the people for whom the product is designed and improve client business practices.”
 
As director of UNLV Continuing Education, Ostrander will guide an office responsible for offering UNLV’s wealth of educational resources and learning opportunities to people of all ages and community partners. Continuing Education currently provides hundreds of courses and programs for professional and personal development, and learning for the fun of it.
 
Ostrander has a master’s degree in Foundations of Education from Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY. She completed additional graduate course work in Design, Technology, and Sociology of Media at The New School University in New York City, and earned her BFA in Advertising and Packaging Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (State University of New York).
 

UNLV Continuing Education will hold a graduation celebration on February 23, 2015 to recognize the new graduates of the UNLV Paralegal Certificate program. The ceremony will be held 5:30-7:30 p.m. in Room 133 of the UNLV Paradise Campus. Graduates are invited to attend along with their families. Light refreshments will be served.

The Grand Canyon is the second-most-visited national park in the country. In-the-know adventurers, however, will tell you there is a better way to experience the Grand Canyon—a raft trip down the Colorado River. This July UNLV geologist Peg Rees and artist/naturalist Sharon Schafer will lead a week-long exploration of the Grand Canyon by motorized raft through UNLV Continuing Education. Taking eight days to cover nearly 200 miles of the river through nearly 2 billion years of the earth's history allows plenty of time for photographing and learning about the natural and cultural history and geologic evolution of the region. 
Rees and Schafer have scheduled three multimedia programs to share stories and images from past Grand Canyon trips. They will cover the canyon’s geology, natural and cultural history, and logistics of a trip of this scale.   
Dates for the multimedia presentations are Jan. 26 in the large conference room of Paseo Verde Library (280 S. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, 89012), Jan. 29 in the program room of the James I. Gibson Library (100 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson, 89015), and Feb. 5 in the program room of Green Valley Library (2797 N. Green Valley Pkwy, Henderson 89014). Presentations are 6:30-7:30 p.m. and are free and open to the public.
For additional details about the presentations or about the Grand Canyon Raft Trip, call 702-895-5224 or email charlee.zingraf@unlv.edu. Grand Canyon Raft Trip details are also available online.

Continuing Education’s upcoming term features many classes to challenge and inspire you. Whether you are looking to build career skills, explore a new hobby, or take a unique journey, the new catalog may have just what you are looking for. Catalogs will be available at area libraries by Thanksgiving, but the digital catalog and registration are already available online at ced.unlv.edu/cat2015.
Continuing Education’s professional development team works with local industries to create classes and certificate programs which teach the practical skills employers seek. Nevada’s designation as one of just six Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) test sites in the US will open numerous career opportunities in UAS design, testing, and policy. Courses from UNLV’s UAS academic minor can be combined into a non-degree certificate program through Continuing Education. Courses begin in January. For personal trainers, we have expanded National Academy of Sports Medicine certifications to include Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training and Fitness Nutrition Specialist certifications in the spring. Also new in the catalog are two programs for nurses. Experienced nurses can apply their medical knowledge in the growing field of medical law as a nurse paralegal. Recently graduated nurses can gain the clinical experience needed to secure their first job by enrolling in GAP Training for RNs.
For additional information of these and other professional development opportunities, visit continuingeducation.unlv.edu/certificate-programs.
Not to be outdone, the personal enrichment team will also launch numerous new programs for spring. Capture and edit high-quality images with your phone or tablet after taking Cell Phone Photography. Uncover your family history with a new Genealogy course. Take Car Care 101 and extend the life of your car by completing your own preventative maintenance; this course would make a great gift for new drivers. There is a bit of a theme among another set of new courses: Home Winemaking, Home Brewing, Whiskey, Bourbon & Scotch Tasting, World of Craft Beers, and Wine Essentials all will wet your whistle (but only if you are 21 or older!). These courses are only a small sampling of the broad spectrum of available courses.
UNLV travel courses offer unique experiences led by experts from the university and community. Travel options range from a daytrip studying the Mojave’s geology, ecology, and native people, to overnights in Death Valley or California, to a once-in-a-lifetime raft trip through the Grand Canyon. View upcoming travel course itineraries at continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog/exploring-travel.
Staff members are happy to answer any questions you may have about programs or to send a spring catalog directly to your home. Reach Continuing Education by telephone at 702-895-3394 or via email at continuing.education@unlv.edu. 

Today the Workforce Connections' Board of Directors approved $200,000 to fund participation for 66 newly graduated registered nurses in the GAP Training for RNs program, a 13-week pilot program which will develop new graduate knowledge, skills, attitudes, and competencies to increase employability and retention in the nursing profession. This program was developed in partnership between UNLV Continuing Education and the UNLV School of Nursing to offer real-world experience for newly-graduated nurses as they transition from school to professional practice.          
Despite high overall demand for nurses, RNs fresh out of school frequently find it difficult to land their first position. Job postings often ask applicants for several years of experience; new graduates are automatically eliminated from consideration. Some hospitals offer their own transitional training programs for new graduates, but applicants far outnumber openings. The GAP Training for RNs program was developed to give new nurses the opportunity to gain experience and demonstrate their skills while working alongside an experienced nurse mentor.
The GAP Training for RNs program will provide RNs with additional education, mentoring/coaching, and clinical experiences to improve competence, professional skills, and employability. The program incorporates:
Precepted clinical experiences (two 12-hour shifts per week at a local hospital)
Mentoring
Leadership coaching
Online learning activities focusing on quality and safety in professional practice
Hands-on training using simulation
Technical skills practice
Interviewing techniques and resume development
Due to Workforce Connections' funding, the training program will be completely free for new nurses who wish to enroll. To be eligible, a participant must be a Nevada resident and a licensed RN (ADN, BSN, and/or entry level Master’s) graduate of any nationally accredited academic nursing program within the previous 18 months who has yet to find employment. The program is also suitable for registered nurses seeking to return to acute care practice after having experienced an extended absence.
Local area hospitals partnering with the program are Sunrise Hospital, Dignity Health, and Nathan Adelson Hospice. The program benefits not only the nurses, but also participating hospitals which will see a significant decrease in the time and cost of hiring and training new nurses. The clinical sites selected for this training currently have open employment opportunities for which participants can apply. 
The funding from Workforce Connections will cover three cohorts of 22 students with the first cohort starting November 10, 2014. Interested participants should register and attend a free information session at UNLV to learn about program requirements and the application process.  Participants may register online at ced.unlv.edu/rn-training or call our registration desk at 702-895-3394.  Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information about UNLV’s GAP Training for RNs program, please contact Jodi Gilliland at 702-895-3394 or jodi.gilliland@unlv.edu. 

Almost 5 million people flock to the Grand Canyon annually to ogle the deep, dramatic gorge that cuts over a mile deep to expose 2 billion years of the earth’s geologic history.  The Grand Canyon is the second-most-visited national park in the country; peak season is crowded with busloads of tourists from around the world.
Adventurers in-the-know, however, will tell you there is a better way to experience the Grand Canyon—a raft trip down the Colorado River.  A raft trip offers big whitewater adventure, but also moments of solitude, serenity, and communion with nature you simply will not find along the rim. The National Park Service issues just 1100 raft permits annually for the Grand Canyon, so when you set off in your raft at Lee’s Ferry for your 200 miles journey to Whitmore Wash, you are among the privileged few.  
Next July UNLV geologist Peg Rees and artist/naturalist Sharon Shafer will lead a week-long exploration of the Grand Canyon by motorized raft through UNLV Continuing Education. Taking eight days to cover nearly 200 miles of the river through nearly 2 billion years of the earth's history allows plenty of time for photographing and learning about the natural and cultural history and geologic evolution of the region. Each day offers the opportunity to take short hikes to explore amazing places such as the Little Colorado River, Deer Creek Falls, Elves Chasm, and Red Wall Cavern. Nights are spent camping along the river, enjoying delicious meals, watching the stars, and falling asleep to sounds of rushing water.
Rees and Shafer have scheduled three multimedia programs in the coming weeks to share stories and images from past Grand Canyon trips. They will cover the canyon’s geology, natural and cultural history, and logistics of a trip of this scale.  The presentations are free and open to the public. You may just get inspired to join them on an adventure of a lifetime next summer.
Dates for the multimedia presentations are Nov. 6, Nov. 13, and Dec. 4. Presentations are Thursday evenings from 6-7 p.m. and will be held in Room 301 at UNLV Paradise Campus, 851 E. Tropicana.
For additional details about the presentations or about the Grand Canyon Raft Trip, call 702-895-5224 or email charlee.zingraf@unlv.edu. Grand Canyon Raft Trip details are also available here.