U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen visited the Dandini Campus on July 15 to lead a roundtable discussion focused on addressing Nevada’s labor shortages through workforce development education. The session aimed to align local educational goals with federal priorities and explore funding opportunities to support new programs.
“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.”
Participants, including faculty, staff, and community members, discussed how additional federal funding could be utilized for hiring more instructors in workforce fields and addressing classroom space shortages. The group also highlighted the importance of federal support for advocacy services such as affordable childcare. Expanding opportunities for federal Pell Grants and revising financial aid eligibility were identified as key areas to enhance access to education.
The 2024 edition of The Meadow Literary Journal has been published by Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC). Co-editor Lindsay Wilson, an English professor at TMCC, emphasized the journal's significance: “The Meadow is the literary arts journal of Truckee Meadows Community College, and we publish work from students alongside national contributors.” This year's edition features nearly 200 pages of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and cover art by Ukrainian artist Kateryna Bortsova.
“We have some really strong student work,” Wilson noted. Among this year’s highlights are a short story by English professor Brad Summerhill and contributions from Kathy Nelson, a recent addition to the area who has won the James Dickey Prize in poetry. Wilson praised student Karen Luna's short story "Bernard," calling it one of the best student works ever published in the journal.
Authors featured in The Meadow have received national recognition through awards from the Community College Humanities Association Awards (CCHA) and listings such as The Best American Essays. Submissions for the 2025 edition will be accepted from August 15, 2024, through January 15, 2025.
Kyle Cassinelli has been recognized as Postsecondary Professional of the Year by the Nevada Association for Career and Technical Education (NACTE). Cassinelli serves as Assistant Director of Career and Technical Education (CTE) Programs at TMCC and has been actively promoting CTE programs across various demographics.
"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.”
Nominated by Amber Burroughs, TMCC Associate Director of Workforce Development, Cassinelli is now eligible for the ACTE Region V Postsecondary Professional of the Year award. She will also serve as NACTE Postsecondary Adult Career Education Vice President and NACTE Scholarship Committee Chair over the next three years.
At this summer's NACTE conference in July, TMCC staff led two breakout sessions: "Pathways to Partnerships" by Burroughs and Cassinelli focused on building workforce/CTE relationships; "TMCC Dual Credit: Boosting CTE Pathways" was presented by Cassinelli along with Karen Saldana and Jaquelyn Vivar-Payes.
“Overall, TMCC's participation at the NACTE summer conference was highly regarded,” Burroughs remarked.