Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 10:49 a.m.
Nevada State College's first commencement ceremony this Thursday is more than just a graduation -- it's a victory dance.
And the victors are celebrating in style.
Thirteen graduates are set to receive bachelor's degrees from the 2-year-old college at a Thursday morning ceremony in the grand ballroom of the Ritz Carlton at Lake Las Vegas.
The ceremony is the culmination of a journey that started with a gamble. Most of the graduates enrolled at a time when naysayers were predicting the college would never even open its doors, much less produce any graduates.
The new graduates entered Nevada State College knowing there was a chance the school would not be accredited or that the Legislature would revoke its funding. They took that chance despite the personal odds against them, as many of them had to juggle work, spouses and children on top of their course work.
So on Thursday, when they walk across that stage and receive their diplomas, their gamble will have paid off.
It will be like hitting the jackpot.
"It was a risk, but it was a risk worth taking," said Stacie Garrett, a 26-year-old working wife and mother who will be receiving a bachelor's degree in elementary education Thursday.
"There is some hesitation for some of the students when they hear about a new school, because you are spending a lot of time and money and if it belly flops, you are up a creek without a paddle," Garrett said.
"But obviously it all worked out. I was a guinea pig but it proved to be successful."
Garrett's fellow guinea pigs include elementary education majors Milissa Avila, 34, Stacy Cohen, 24, Heather Irons, 25, Jaren Payne, 24, Tina Williams, 24, and Jennifer Wright, 22; psychology majors Charlotte Courson, 32, Gwen Fund, 51, and Elizabeth Spiher, 24; integrated studies major Kristy Doo, 34, history major Pam Frazier, 48, and public administration major Gabriel Garcia, 35, the only man in Nevada State College's inaugural class.
The accomplishments of the graduating class are a source of pride for President Kerry Romesburg, but even he said he is pleasantly shocked that the college has any graduates this year at all.
"It's a surprising thing to have a class after only two years," Romesburg said. "What made it possible is that a number of people transferred in."
For Romesburg, Thursday's graduation is proof the campus will continue to thrive.
"This sends a much-needed statement to our whole community that says, 'Look, Nevada State College is here, it's doing exactly what it is supposed to do as far as educating our students and providing an alternative for students, and we are going to continue to do that for years to come.
The school's creation and beginning were mired in controversy, with strong Henderson support for the school opposed by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, an antigovernment editorial board and a handful of politicians.
Opponents argued that the school was a poor way to spend limited state resources, that it duplicated existing UNLV programs and was a pork-barrel reward for prominent Henderson-area officials.
Having started with 165 students in Fall 2002, the school now boasts 738 students -- more than double the state-mandated enrollment. The liberal arts college has also almost doubled its academic offerings in the last two years.
The college was created to help fill the state's need for nurses and teachers, but it now offers 24 academic degrees, including programs in speech pathology, visual media and computing, and a bachelor's of science in psychology option that are not offered anywhere else in the state.
The growth of the college only sweetens the pot for Thursday's graduates, who repeatedly said how excited they were to be the college's first alumni.
Fund, who at 51 is the eldest member of the college's first graduating class, said she chose Nevada State College specifically for the chance to leave her mark.
"I think nothing gets done if people are afraid, and you have to be willing to put yourself out there in order to make it happen," Fund said of the risk involved in attending a brand new school. "I think it's people like us who are willing to do that who are making that happen."
Courson agreed, adding that her parents taught her to be a trailblazer.
"We're helping to set the precedent for people who come behind us," Courson said.
Fund said, "Nevada State College is one of the best kept secrets out there."
Like her fellow graduates, Fund said she loved the personal attention she received from her professors.
"It's wonderful," Fund said. "... You get this incredible education because the focus in on learning and not just on pushing numbers through."
Garrett agreed, saying that "the instructor-student relationship (at the college) is like nothing I have ever experienced.
"They really prepared us," Garrett continued. "But if I ever came into a problem down the road I could call or e-mail them (my instructors) and they would be there to help us or guide us anyway they can."
Many of the graduates said they chose Nevada State College as an alternative to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, because of its small size. The flexibility the college offered through online or accelerated, week-long classes also attracted many of the working parents in the class, graduates said.
More than half of the class -- Garrett, Avila, Courson, Fund, Frazier and Garcia -- are married with children and many of them also balance work along with their familial duties. Doo and Wright are also married, and Wright is seven months pregnant.
Fund, who has eight children with four still living at home, is also expecting her 13th grandchild this week.
The familial duties added to the stress of completing a degree, graduates said, but the family support also made it possible.
"Trying to reach a balance with the family, (was the hardest part)" said Garcia, father to three boys ages 5 to 15. "There are some things you couldn't do if you didn't have a supportive family. But it's hard, there are sacrifices. They have to understand that they have to give something up in order to accomplish something else."
Most of the graduates have invited from 15 to 30 people to Thursday's ceremony.
The event will feature a video documentary on all of the graduates and the premiere of the college's musical score, written by music professor Richard McGee.
Brian Greenspun, president and editor of the Las Vegas Sun, will give the commencement address.
Due to the closeness of the graduates, Romesburg said he predicts a "love fest" at the end of the ceremony.
The graduates agree, as many said they what they look forward to most about Thursday's graduation is completing the journey they began together as the college's first students.
"We'll all be there standing together closing a chapter in our lives and beginning anew," Garrett said.
archive
