Registration now open for 2017 NSHE Southern Nevada Diversity Summit

The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) has opened registration for the 2017 NSHE Southern Nevada Diversity Summit to be held on Friday, Oct. 6 at CSN’s North Las Vegas campus at 3200 E. Cheyenne Avenue. The all-day event is free and open to the public.

The Summit is one of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s (NSHE) ongoing initiatives to help ensure inclusive policies, practices, and institutions that reflect the state’s increasingly diverse population.

This year’s theme is Diversity and Inclusion: Engines of Change, with emphasis on the power of community and individual action. For more information or to register for the Summit, please go to CSN’s Diversity and Cultural Affairs page.

“The Diversity Summit aligns perfectly with NSHE’s goals regarding access to higher education and student success,” said NSHE Chancellor Thom Reilly. “This will be my first experience with the Diversity Summit as chancellor and I’m personally excited about participating and sharing in the experiences of the researchers and speakers, as well as campus professionals who work in this area.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Ranjit Sidhu who serves as president and CEO of the National Council for Community and Education Partnerships (NCCEP). The Summit will include a variety of breakout sessions on topics such as engaging and supporting first generation African-American students, developing young women leaders, and creating an inclusive campus.

“As one of the founders of the Southern Nevada Diversity Summit, I’m proud to see how much it has grown since we first held the event back in 2012,” said NSHE Regent Cedric Crear, who serves as chairman of the Board of Regents’ Cultural Diversity and Title IX Committee. “It’s exciting to see how much the conversation has advanced and the potential positive impact this will have on the students we serve.”

Nevada is now a state with no ethnic majority, which has prompted the NSHE to emphasize programs and support campuses that are reflective of the state’s population to meet the current and future social, economic, and workforce needs of a highly diverse state.

“We are proud to be Nevada’s most diverse higher education institution, as well as a Minority Serving Institution and the state’s first Hispanic Serving Institution,” said CSN President Michael Richards. “Inclusion and student success are our top priorities at CSN and we’re pleased to be hosting the Summit once again. We believe that a diversified economy requires a diverse, educated workforce.”

This year’s program is made possible with support from MGM Resorts International, the NSHE Board of Regents, NSHE Equity and Diversity Council, the Desert Research Institute, Nevada State College, and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.