Two-plus-two: Students start at CCSN, finish at UNLV

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2003 | 10:59 a.m.

If you can't bring the student to the university, bring the university to the ... community college.

That thinking has transformed the Community College of Southern Nevada into what's essentially a two-college campus.

Under a new agreement, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas is holding classes this semester at CCSN's Cheyenne campus in North Las Vegas. While CCSN offers the first two years of college, UNLV will offer the final two years there. About 180 students have signed up to take university-level courses at CCSN.

"I think that we are trying more to bring the university to the neighborhood instead of having the neighborhood come to the university," Tom Pierce, chairman of UNLV's department of special education, said.

Pairing the two institutions creates a way for Nevada colleges and universities to grant more bachelor's degrees -- an idea that one expert says is crucial to fostering a vital local economy.

"Nevada faces a higher education shortage," said Dr. James Samels, an education consultant who is chief executive officer of The Education Alliance, a firm based in Massachusetts. "They've got to understand that the high-rollers are not going to come to the casinos in 36 months (due to the economic slowdown). There just won't be that kind of discretionary spending. I think that the colleges and universities of Southern Nevada are going to be Nevada's best medicine for economic recovery."

Despite the addition of the Nevada State College at Henderson and now CCSN's new "two-plus-two" program, Samels said there is still more room for expansion in higher education. As Las Vegas expands its higher education programs, the economy will become increasingly educated and diversified, he said.

UNLV and CCSN turned to the option of a two-plus-two setup because of unprecedented growth in the university and community college system. The university has more students than it has space for, and CCSN has space and students who don't necessarily want to travel to the other side of town.

Dellene Canty, a UNLV education major who lives in North Las Vegas, was excited by the prospect of having more options in her community.

"I think it's a blessing that this is here because my neighbors and friends come up to me and say, 'You're in college?' " Canty said. "Kids need to see that it is possible to graduate with a four-year degree right here in their own neighborhood."

The two-plus-two concept is not new. In fact, it is a nationwide trend.

"It's a national movement," Samels said. "These kinds of projects are all over the United States."

In Bothell, Wash., for example, the University of Washington built a satellite campus next to Cascadia Community College. As a result, people in the rural community got easier access to college courses.

The same is true in Hibbing, Minn., where Hibbing Community College has paired up with the University of Minnesota.

The University of Central Florida, based in Orlando, has 14 regional campuses, many of which are paired with a community college in a two-plus-two system.

The community-based learning offers two big benefits: reduced travel time and an easier way for some to get into college.

"It's getting ever harder and harder to get into the university." said Gloria Lambert, office manager for University of Central Florida's Lake Mary campus. "I think a lot of students out of high school are now trying to come to the community colleges first."

Entrance requirements for UNLV are expected to become more stringent in 2006, making avenues like the two-plus-two program all the more necessary. The hope is that by the time entrance standards change, a host of other programs will be in place at CCSN.

"The ideal dream is that we would end up putting every UNLV course here on campus that a student would need to get their bachelor's degree without ever leaving the CCSN campus," Dale Warby, chair of CCSN's education department, said.

So far, the CCSN-UNLV partnership seems to be a hit. All of the classes offered by UNLV in North Las Vegas are full.