Overview of Great Basin College

A Message from President Lynn Mahlberg

It is my pleasure to welcome you to Great Basin College (GBC), where each one of us takes pride in enriching the lives of the students and the communities we serve by providing student-centered, post-secondary education to rural Nevada. As our mission indicates: “Educational, cultural, and related economic needs of the multicounty service area are met through programs of university transfer, applied sciences and technology, business and industry partnerships, developmental education, community service, and student support services in conjunction with certificates and associate and baccalaureate degrees.”

Great Basin College covers 62,000 square miles, two time zones, and six of Nevada’s largest counties. We border Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and California. The main campus in Elko is a comprehensive residential college. Centers are located in Battle Mountain, Ely, Pahrump, and Winnemucca. There are satellite facilities in over a dozen communities across northern Nevada and our Internet campus continues to grow rapidly. We are very committed to working with the communities in all of our locations to meet their educational needs.

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities has reaffirmed the accreditation of Great Basin College based on Year One of the newly revised accreditation schedule; the College is currently working on the Year Three Self-Evaluation Report. Recently, we have received reaffirmation of program accreditations for the Associate and Bachelor’s degree in Nursing and the Associate degree in Radiology.

Great Basin College has built strong relationships with employers in the service area. GBC has worked collaboratively with the regional mining industry over many years. With industry support, GBC has developed 48- week accelerated Associate degree programs in five technical areas. Over 90% of graduates from these programs are employed within a year of completion. Bachelor and associate degrees in health sciences and education provide graduates to supply the needs of local health care providers and school districts. "Growing our own" has become a strategy to provide a trained workforce for rural Nevada in jobs for which it is otherwise difficult to recruit and retain quality professionals. These are just a few examples of partnerships GBC has developed over the years.

Great Basin College has a very dedicated and talented faculty. Courses are taught in traditional classrooms as well as through distance delivery using high-tech interactive video technology and web-based learning platforms.

There are over 3800 students attending GBC. In surveying students, 89% of enrolled students agree the quality of instruction is excellent; 87% of enrolled students would recommend GBC to a friend or relative. This past year, 386 certificates and degrees were awarded with an additional 110 Recognitions of Achievement.

We thank and appreciate the work of the Great Basin College Foundation Trustees in moving forward with VISION 2020, a plan for Funding for Scholarships, Health Sciences, New and Emerging Technologies, and Institutional Sustainability.

As you prepare for your future, we welcome you to meet with our faculty and staff to discuss your own educational goals and how GBC can assist you in reaching your goals.

Sincerely,

Lynn M. Mahlberg, President