Quick Agenda Item Links:

Call to Order at 1:02PM, Quorum Established
Approval of May Minutes [1:02PM – 1:03PM]
Elect Contingent Senators/Senate Positions [1:03PM – 1:09PM]
Chair Report – Sondra Cosgrove and Dr. Klippenstein [1:09PM – 1:39PM]
[ACTION] Committees and Evaluation Policy Pilot – Sondra Cosgrove and Jim Matovina [1:39PM – 2:07PM]
[INFO] Institutional Bylaws Revision Update – Valerie Conner [2:09PM – 2:15PM]
[INFO] Revised Policies Posted for Feedback – Sondra Cosgrove [2:25PM - 2:30PM]
[INFO] Legislative Action Update – Sondra Cosgrove [2:30PM – 2:32PM]
[INFO] Reviewing Existing Policies – Sondra Cosgrove [2:32PM – 2:35PM]
[INFO] Open Houses – Anthony Herrera and David Shannon [2:35PM – 2:45PM]
[INFO] Faculty Center – Rachel Yoho [2:45PM – 2:52PM]
[INFO] New Interim AI Position – Robyn Rhode [2:52PM – 2:58PM]
[INFO] Disability Resource Center (DRC) – Rileigh Dietz-Correa [2:58PM – 3:20PM]
[INFO] NFA Update – Staci Walters [3:20PM – 3:28PM]
New Business [3:28PM – 3:30PM]
Public Comment [3:30PM – 3:30PM]
Meeting Adjourned at 3:30PM
Next Meeting

Senator Attendance

Senator attendance, September 11, 2026
School/Division	Name	Attendance
School/Division	Name	Present	Not Present
Senate Chairperson	Sondra Cosgrove	☒	☐
Senate Chair-Elect	Kevin Mitchell	☒	☐
Senate Past-Chair	Tracy Sherman	☒	☐
Administrative Faculty	Jacob Bakke	☒	☐
Administrative Faculty	December James	☒	☐
School of Advanced & Applied Technologies	Brian Merrill	☒	☐
	Lina Shoshani	☒	☐
	Jae Simpson	☒	☐
	Jeff Canion	☒	☐
	Gina Nakahara	☒	☐
School of Arts & Letters	Nayelee Villanueva	☐	☒
	Lindsey O'Connor	☒	☐
	James Harvey	☒	☐
	Staci Walters	☒	☐
	Melissa Weinstein	☒	☐
	Arnold Bell	☒	☐
School of Business, Hospitality & Public Services	Mary Kay Bailey	☒	☐
	Paul Minto	☒	☐
	Darryl Raiford	☒	☐
Counseling	Ken Betita	☒	☐
School of Education, Behavioral & Social Sciences	Troy Beals	☒	☐
	David Tery	☒	☐
	Josh Levin	☒	☐
	David Skowronski	☒	☐
	Flora Rudacille	☒	☐
Engelstad School of Health Sciences	Jerry Turner	☒	☐
	Corey Roveri	☒	☐
	Amanda Peralta	☒	☐
	Mark Bolos	☒	☐
	Michelle Vargas	☒	☐
Library	Ajax Delvecki	☒	☐
School of Science, Engineering & Mathematics	Luke Parker	☒	☐
	Ayla Koch	☒	☐
	Marlana Mertens	☒	☐
	Sarah Wood	☒	☐
	Richard Sorrentino	☒	☐
	Andrew Lavengood	☒	☐
Contingent Senator	Peter Legner	☒	☐
Contingent Senator	Michael Denman	☒	☐

Guest Attendance

Guest attendance, September 11, 2026
Name	School/Division	Proxy For
Carla Duran	Engelstad School of Health Sciences
Jim Matovina	Math
Zaven O'Bryant	Science, Engineering & Mathematics
Jay Pedrejosa-Black	Arts & Letters
N. Mark Rauls	EBSS / Ombuds
Nancy Webb	E-Learning

Agenda Items

1. Call to Order at 1:02PM, Quorum Established

2. Approval of May Minutes [1:02PM – 1:03PM]

Kevin Mitchell motioned to approve the May meeting minutes
David Skowronski seconded the motion
The motion passed and the minutes were approved.

3. Elect Contingent Senators/Senate Positions [1:03PM – 1:09PM]

Two contingent senators
- Michael Denman
  - Elected unanimously
- Peter Legner
  - Elected unanimously
Senate Secretary
- Ayla Koch
  - Elected unanimously
Senate Parliamentarian
- Michael Denman
  - Elected unanimously

4. Chair Report – Sondra Cosgrove and Dr. Klippenstein [1:09PM – 1:39PM] (30 mins)

90-Credit Degrees
- Background
  - Great Basin College (GBC) has proposed a 90-credit Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Project Management, a three-year bachelor's degree rather than the standard 120 credits
  - NSHE is considering a Board of Regents policy that would allow reduced-credit bachelor's degrees, initially as a pilot at the community colleges
  - CSN already offers a 120-credit BAS in Project Management
  - The Council of Faculty Senate Chairs, is representing faculty in the NSHE discussions
- Board of Regents meeting
  - Discussed extensively in side meetings at the September 2026 Board of Regents meeting
  - NSHE staff advised that no policy requires a 90-credit degree to be called a bachelor's degree; the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), CSN's accreditor, then stated the bachelor's title is required
    - Unresolved
  - Board expected to discuss a 90-credit degree policy in October 2026 and vote in December 2026
- Financial aid
  - Federal financial aid covers only one bachelor's degree
  - A student who earns a 90-credit bachelor's and later returns for a 120-credit bachelor's or a graduate program would be 30 credits short with no aid eligibility
  - Dr. Klippenstein to raise the issue with the Chancellor and national higher education leaders in Washington, DC during the week of September 14
- Senate chairs' position
  - Require an associate's degree before the 90-credit degree so general education requirements are unchanged
  - Will not support a 90-credit degree until the financial aid dead-end is resolved
  - General education will not change; in agreement
    - Senate leadership
    - The President
    - The VPAA
    - The Chancellor
- Discussion
  - Question raised whether the Senate can oppose the 90-credit degree outright
    - Response: the chairs prefer it not be called a bachelor's; the associate's-first requirement is the negotiated protection if the title is required
- Concerns
  - Competitive disadvantage to CSN's 120-credit BAS in Project Management if GBC offers the same degree in 90 credits
- Next steps
  - NSHE webinar on the 90-credit degree scheduled for September 18 [VERIFY: date – transcript only]; senators encouraged to attend
  - Chair to convene a Zoom meeting for senators following the webinar
You Said, We Did Project
- Overview
  - Anonymous virtual suggestion box open to anyone at CSN
  - Every submission receives a response
- Next steps
  - Link to be posted on the Faculty Senate Canvas shell homepage

5. [ACTION] Committees and Evaluation Policy Pilot – Sondra Cosgrove and Jim Matovina [1:39PM – 2:07PM] (28 mins)

Faculty Senate Committees
- Committee memberships
  - 2026–27 committee memberships posted in the Faculty Senate Canvas shell
  - Membership will be maintained in the Canvas shell instead of the website
  - Replacement senators require a special election through the Elections Committee
- Motion
  - Motion: Accept the Faculty Senate committee memberships
  - Moved by: Troy Beals
  - Seconded by: Jacob Bakke
  - Result: Passed unanimously
- Executive Committee
  - Acts for the Senate on matters that arise over the summer
  - Request for authority to correct minor grammar and formatting in existing policies without a Senate vote to come to the October 2026 Senate meeting; substantive changes remain subject to the committee process
Evaluation Policy Pilot
- Canvas shell
  - Public and linked from the Faculty Senate web page; no login required
  - Will house
    - Committee work
    - Agendas
    - Minutes
  - A senators-only shell will link to the public shell
- Policy materials
  - Drafts posted in the Evaluation Policy document; none voted on
    - Policy
    - Guide
    - Rubrics
    - Revised job descriptions
  - HR vetted the revised job descriptions in Summer 2026 with no changes
  - Rubric revised in Summer 2026; not yet formally presented to the Senate
- Proposed pilot
  - Runs Spring 2027
  - Voluntary participation
  - Tenured faculty in the School of Science, Engineering & Mathematics
  - VPAA endorsed the pilot and recommended a one- to two-sentence amendment to the current policy rather than reopening it
  - Peer evaluator workshop of approximately 90 minutes being built by the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning [VERIFY: notes say CAPE]
- Concerns
  - Pilot sets the policy in motion before constituents have reviewed changes made since the May 2026 Senate meeting
  - Constituent concerns relayed by a senator
    - Policy appeared to be already decided
    - Administration support for the policy makes faculty suspicious
    - Policy is too patriarchal
    - Process is heavily bureaucratic
  - Job description wording could be used to terminate tenured faculty when a department is eliminated
    - Response: the committee, not HR, wrote the descriptions; discussion to continue
  - An unsatisfactory rating under the pilot should not enter the personnel record, and participants should be able to opt back into standard evaluation
    - Response: will be written into the amendment and pilot statement
- Merit pay
  - No merit pay this year; the Chancellor has stated merit and COLA are not system priorities for the next legislative session
- Motion
  - Motion: Amend the current evaluation policy to allow faculty to opt in to an alternative evaluation method
  - Result: Tabled by consensus until the October 2026 Senate meeting; no vote taken
- Next steps
  - Executive Committee to draft the amendment for the October 2026 Senate meeting
  - Discussion board to open in the Canvas shell for comments

6. [INFO] Institutional Bylaws Revision Update – Valerie Conner [2:09PM – 2:15PM] (6 mins)

Overview
- Bylaws are being refreshed; current version dates to 1999 and still references CCSN
- Agreement with the President on the shared governance committee reached in May 2026
- Feedback from General Counsel and HR on the grievance section was incomplete; HR asked to complete it
Discussion
- Request made that merit pay be addressed in the bylaws, since NSHE Code gives merit to all faculty rated satisfactory or above unless the bylaws specify otherwise
  - Response: not yet discussed by the committee; will be addressed
- Question raised regarding the delay on the shared governance section
  - Response: no shared understanding across groups of what shared governance means; the Chair will send the shared governance fellowship report to all faculty [VERIFY: author's name]
Next steps
- Policy on Policies Committee, reconvened under Patrick Villa, will meet with the bylaws committee to ensure alignment
- Target completion mid-October 2026, no later than November 2026
- Approval path; no college vote or Board approval required
  - College community feedback
  - President
  - Chancellor

Break [2:15PM – 2:30PM] (15 mins)

7. [INFO] Revised Policies Posted for Feedback – Sondra Cosgrove [2:25PM – 2:30PM] (5 mins)

Policies posted
- Posted under New Policies in the Faculty Senate Canvas shell
  - Revised Personnel Evaluation Policy
  - Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) Policy
- Both revised since the May 2026 Senate meeting
- Both reviewed by
  - Instructional technology committee
  - General Counsel
  - VPAA
  - AVP
- Each has a discussion board for written questions and recommendations; open to anyone at the college
Discussion
- Request made that the policies be vetted through Department Chairs before any Senate vote
  - Response: Chair to confirm the vetting route
Next steps
- Senators asked to review both policies and post feedback by September 25

8. [INFO] Legislative Action Update – Sondra Cosgrove [2:30PM – 2:32PM] (2 mins)

COLA and merit
- The Chancellor stated COLA will not be in the NSHE budget recommendation; could still change
- Board handbook change allowing institutions to fund merit from institutional budgets expected for discussion in October 2026 and a vote in December 2026
Student services funding
- Priority is full funding for student services
  - Counselors
  - Recruiters
- The Chancellor, Board Chair, and Vice Chair agreed to open conversations with the Governor's office
Concerns
- Funding must be secured before agreeing to any initiative, given past unfulfilled promises of counselors and advisors
Next steps
- Faculty encouraged to deliver a consistent funding message to legislators and Board of Regents candidates
- Further legislative update expected at the December 2026 Senate meeting

9. [INFO] Reviewing Existing Policies – Sondra Cosgrove [2:32PM – 2:35PM] (3 mins)

Policy review
- All Senate policies will be reviewed for alignment with the revised bylaws
- Changes to be applied
  - Standard format
  - Offices rather than people's names
  - Learning management system rather than Canvas
- Reviews to recur approximately every three years

10. [INFO] Open Houses – Anthony Herrera and David Shannon [2:35PM – 2:45PM] (10 mins)

Overview
- Saturday recruitment events hosted by Recruitment; prospective students and the public tour a campus and meet faculty and staff from the featured programs
- Attendees can apply and be admitted on site
- Faculty participation requested so programs can showcase their offerings
Spring 2026 results
- 144 attendees applied and were admitted; 107 enrolled
2026–27 Open House Series
- Saturdays, 8:00AM – 11:00AM; details at csn.edu
- November 7 – North Las Vegas Campus
  - Business
  - Hospitality and Culinary Arts
  - Art and Design
  - Computing and Engineering Technology
  - Transportation
- December 5 – Charleston Campus
  - Health Sciences
  - Biological and Physical Sciences
  - Public Safety
- March 6, 2027 – Henderson Campus
  - Engineering Technology
  - Industry
  - Manufacturing
  - Construction
  - Aviation
- April 3, 2027 – Charleston Campus
  - Education
  - Humanities and Communication
  - Social and Behavioral Sciences
Logistics
- Postcards sent to approximately 20,000 CCSD high school students
- Open to the public
- Programs outside the listed focus areas may participate at any event
- Recruitment will promote any program on request
Next steps
- Faculty sign up through the QR codes on the flyer; flyer to be posted in the Faculty Senate Canvas shell

11. [INFO] Faculty Center – Rachel Yoho [2:45PM – 2:52PM] (7 mins)

Overview
- Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning is a faculty-driven initiative three years in development, now under its first director
- New space in Building E, Rooms 127 and 131; faculty were encouraged to visit
Fall programs
- New Faculty Institute for faculty new to CSN; 59 have expressed interest
- Innovators Club for trying and sharing changes in teaching, with selected awards carrying a monetary component
- Teaching Data Explorer, in partnership with Institutional Research
- Faculty Fellows
  - Inaugural applications due the week of September 14
  - Remaining applications due September 25
  - Topic-focused fellows program begins Spring 2027
Discussion
- Question raised regarding how the center differs from CAPE
  - Response: CAPE covers compliance and leadership training; the center focuses on community-driven, reflective teaching development
    - The two collaborate
- Question raised whether the center will offer online teaching training at convocation
  - Response: a syllabus workshop was offered at Fall 2026 convocation; nothing further structured yet

12. [INFO] New Interim AI Position – Robyn Rhode [2:52PM – 2:58PM] (6 mins)

Overview
- One-year interim position, effective July 1, 2026, to act on the AI Task Force report and recommendations
- The AI Task Force has concluded its work; faculty may contact the position through the task force email or directly
Approach
- Identify first priorities with
  - The college community
  - Shared governance groups
  - Students
- Serve as a community organizer connecting AI conversations now happening in silos across the college
- No new structures or branding without the college's direction
- Goal is that the work completed in 2026–27 continues without a successor AI position
Discussion
- The Chair noted the approach should leave room for faculty who want to use AI and those who do not

13. [INFO] Disability Resource Center (DRC) – Rileigh Dietz-Correa [2:58PM – 3:20PM] (22 mins)

Overview
- Presenter is one of three senior disability specialists and the faculty contact for DRC questions
- DRC has had structural and leadership changes since 2024
- DRC has 8 staff plus a director serving over 1,400 students; over 100 DRC students graduated in Spring 2026 and 30 in Summer 2026
- DRC does not want to be seen as an adversary and wants to hear faculty concerns about
  - Accommodations
  - Implementation in courses
  - Alternative testing
How accommodations are determined
- The process is rooted in federal law, not arbitrary
- The student applies with documentation of a disability and functional limitations from a qualified professional, then meets with a disability specialist
- Disability specialists meet twice weekly to determine accommodations reasonable to the student's limitations and not an undue burden on the college or faculty
- Accommodations provide equal access; they do not alter course outcomes
Why this matters
- Accommodations take effect in the classroom
- Faculty asked to contact the DRC immediately if an approved accommodation appears to conflict with a course learning outcome
- DRC offered to attend department meetings and hold workshops with faculty
Discussion
- Question raised regarding what is expected when an accommodation letter calls for copies of notes or PowerPoints before class
  - Response: faculty are not required to create notes or PowerPoints; existing materials are provided in whatever way is convenient (paper copies, email, or Canvas); a PowerPoint used in class must be provided
- Question raised regarding confidentiality of accommodation letters, dual-enrolled students' expectations from high school 504 plans, and student requests that are not accommodations
  - Response: a DRC training video on communicating with DRC students, made with Deaf and Hard of Hearing services, to be posted in the Faculty Senate Canvas shell
- Question raised regarding faculty who have not received notification letters for students with accommodations
  - Response: letters are sent by email; faculty who have not received them should contact the DRC immediately
- Question raised whether the DRC prepares students for workplaces that will not provide accommodations
  - Response: yes; a larger systemic issue is the accommodations students receive before college
Concerns
- Testing integrity under accommodations
  - Chemistry faculty reported students who never attended lecture scoring 100% on every DRC-proctored exam, a student scoring 35 in class and 95 at the DRC, and DRC exams returned with no work shown
  - Questions raised regarding proctoring, checks for smart devices, cameras, and security of purchased exams
  - Response: a Spring 2026 case led to discussions with Dr. Hudson and Dr. Sims on DRC test proctoring protocol; cameras in DRC testing spaces exceeded the budget; students were shifted to the Testing Center, which has cameras, as an interim solution; DRC live-proctors but space limits full monitoring
- Student workers handling secure exams, such as ACS exams
  - Response: DRC has no student workers now but is hiring due to understaffing; testing materials are normally handled by full-time staff; contact cannot be guaranteed to be zero
Next steps
- DRC to reschedule a meeting with the School of Science, Engineering & Mathematics on exam security
- DRC communication video to be posted in the Faculty Senate Canvas shell
- Faculty requested more training and access to DRC information

14. [INFO] NFA Update – Staci Walters [VERIFY: presenter] [3:20PM – 3:28PM] (8 mins)

CSN chapter
- New chapter officers elected for 2026–27
- Legal defense steward needed for the North Las Vegas Campus
- New collective bargaining council formed
Collective bargaining
- NSHE collective bargaining training for Regents and others on October 1, online, Thursday morning; 60–90 minutes; presented by the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS) as a neutral third party; open to all faculty
- NFA is again running a collective bargaining bill in the 2027 legislative session; faculty may be asked to testify in Carson City in Spring 2027
EBAC non-disclosure agreements
- Members of the Executive Budget Advisory Committee (EBAC), drawn from shared governance groups, were asked by administrators to sign non-disclosure agreements
- NFA executive board voted that no NFA officer will sign an NDA at the institution
Concerns
- NDAs prevent committee representatives from reporting back to stakeholders and conflict with shared governance
- Pattern of limited shared governance, including at the bargaining table and the stalled shared governance policy
- Response: the President's position is that some committee information is sensitive; the issue is at an impasse
Shared governance task force
- Executive Committee unpaused the shared governance task force led by Patrick Villa to resume work on how policy development will happen
- Task force to work in parallel with the bylaws revision
Next steps
- Request made that the Senate consider a resolution asking all shared governance groups' representatives not to sign NDAs; placed on the October 2026 agenda as new business

15. New Business [3:28PM – 3:30PM] (2 mins)

Strategic plan faculty day
- October 1, West Charleston Campus
- Survey and comments at https://www.csn.edu/institutional-effectiveness/strategic-plan

16. Public Comment [3:30PM – 3:30PM] (0 mins)

No public comment

17. Meeting Adjourned at 3:30PM (2 hr 28 mins)

Next Meeting

Friday, October 2, 2026
1:00PM – 5:00PM
North Las Vegas Campus, Building H, Room 207