Winnemucca Branch Campus
Overview
The largest of GBC’s outlying educational centers is located in Winnemucca, serving the communities within Humboldt County. Winnemucca is located 160 miles northeast of Reno and 125 miles west of the main campus in Elko. The Winnemucca Branch Campus also supports College interests in McDermitt, a small community located 70 miles north of Winnemucca on the Nevada/Oregon border. There is a full-time director and four full-time instructors whose primary responsibilities are in English, mathematics, business, computing, and science. The business instructor is 0.6 teaching and 0.4 duties in student advising. The campus has 2.5 full-time support staff and two full-time maintenance persons.

The Winnemucca Branch Campus serves approximately 300 students each semester, most of whom attend college on a part-time basis. Students are all ages and take classes for reasons ranging from personal enrichment to degree attainment. Until the past year, enrollment figures represented strong growth with numbers increasing each year since 1995, reaching a pinnacle of 172 FTE during Spring 2001. The increase in enrollment is credited to multiple factors, including the building of a new facility, the implementation of new educational programs, and the expansion of interactive video technology, providing more access for rural Nevada. The College has improved significantly in providing quality education to the individuals in Humboldt County.

The decrease in enrollment witnessed throughout the 2001-2002 academic year was caused by economic changes faced in the area. As gold prices dropped, mining companies reduced operations, and some faced closure. The population in Winnemucca soon dropped as individuals relocated in search of employment. For those remaining in the area, the Winnemucca center played a vital role in retraining individuals to enter the workforce. Many individuals took advantage of College offerings as federal and state funds became available for retraining.

Programs. Students at the Winnemucca Branch have many educational opportunities and can achieve degrees in numerous areas. Full degree offerings include the BA (Elementary Education), AA, AGS, AAS, and certificate areas. Short-term training is also available as the College has offered Certified Nursing Assistant, Commercial Drivers License, and Medical Front Office training. The community has strongly supported the introduction of baccalaureate programs. Some difficulties regarding programs include the lack of vocational programs and their associated high cost of support and the difficulty in providing a true breadth of offerings. The other area of impact is that numerous students desire entry into the nursing program; they can take general education courses in Winnemucca, but must travel to Elko for the nursing courses.

Faculty. Winnemucca is very fortunate in the caliber of faculty providing instruction for the College. Four full-time faculty are available at the center to teach an array of disciplines: biology, business, chemistry, computers, English, environmental science, humanities, mathematics, and philosophy. Each faculty member maintains a balance of interactive video and live courses to support programs to outlying areas. This is an incredible amount of work in the administrative and communicative aspects of delivery. Winnemucca faculty visit each outlying site of delivery to enhance relationships with students. Students often remark about the friendly nature of the faculty and the fact that they avail themselves to students for consultation and assistance.

A talented group of 30-35 adjunct faculty members teach many of the course offerings; many of the adjunct faculty teach from one semester to the next, thus creating a curricular consistency in a number of fields. The College is fortunate to find community members willing to share their talents and also to provide a positive link to the community. Adjunct faculty are a valuable resource, but are not as readily available outside class for program development or student interaction.

WINNEMUCCA FACULTY

Facility. Built in 1994, the Winnemucca GBC building is a superb college facility, one which establishes a solid presence in Winnemucca by providing an excellent venue for GBC’s academic programs and support services. The College is conveniently located near Albert Lowry High School, which provides ready access for high school students as well as providing a source for additional classroom space during high demand evening hours. This facility eclipses all previous campus facilities and boasts computer and science labs, interactive video classrooms, and faculty/administration offices. There is also a separate modular structure for ABE programs.

Ely Branch Campus
Overview
The Ely Branch Campus is located 180 miles south of Great Basin College’s main campus in Elko. There is a full-time director and two full-time faculty (mathematics and English/elementary education/advising), 25 part-time instructors, 2.5 office staff, 1.75 building and grounds staff, and a 0.5 computer lab aide. Student workers and work-study students are employed as programs allow. Numbers of students served have ranged from 289 to 627 of unduplicated headcount with a range of 72-111 FTE over a period of several years.

Enrollment at the Ely Branch has risen and fallen over the years. While economics has played a big part in reducing numbers, some positive features, such as more full-time students, results from GBC’s facility and campus along with new programs being offered. The Elementary Education program has been well-received since students can attain their baccalaureate degrees without having to move 200-300 miles away for the final two years. People within the area are proud of their community’s college in Ely which functions as a one-stop, post-secondary educational service for this area.

Programs. The branch campus has students enrolled in every degree program offered by GBC (college transfer, associate and baccalaureate degrees, certificates, job skill training, and community service). The Ely Branch Campus averages 12 graduates each year with associate degrees and certificates; three have graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

The Ely Branch Campus offers continuing education courses for area nurses, EMTs, firefighters, and educators. Upon request, courses are offered for special workshops; contract classes adhere to College policy. Special training courses have been offered in collaboration with the mines, Forest Service, school district, power company, and vocational rehabilitation. Community service courses are offered as non-credit to fulfill needs within the community for cultural, educational, skills and job training goals. The appropriate institutional body approves all courses in advance and monitors them through established procedures.

Faculty. The academic backgrounds of the full-time faculty at the Ely Branch Campus consist of doctorate and master’s of art degrees. Frank Daniels, PhD in mathematics, teaches math, computers, and variety of special courses. Christianna Rennie, MA, teaches English and education courses and advises students. Mary Swetich, BS, a long-time GBC employee, is director of the Ely Campus. Faculty maintain regular office hours, participate in course planning, conduct academic advising sessions, orientation workshops, and tutor students in open sessions or by appointment.

Faculty and administration regularly participate in campus-wide meetings and committees at the Elko campus and by interactive video (IAV) when appropriate. One Ely faculty member serves as his department’s chair. Both faculty members teach distance education courses and travel to other sites to personally meet those students and periodically teach from their sites.

Part-time instructors’ backgrounds range from doctorate degrees to those who teach in the vocational and technical fields with bachelor’s degrees and/or work experience. Part-time faculty members are flexible and available to support coursework for students. (Many part time instructors provide academic support needed by their students outside of class time—students may call or visit them at their work, call them at home, and set up special tutorials, etc.). These occur not so much on a regularly scheduled basis but more on an as-needed basis. All instructors are approved according to College standards of teaching. Some part-time instructors are qualified to teach interactive video courses, and although not required, these instructors also travel to other sites to teach and meet with students.

Facility. The Ely Branch Campus building—first phase completed in 1996—as made possible by a U.S. Department of Commerce grant, a substantial gift from an Ely businessman, the UCCSN, and Great Basin College. With the completion of the office section in Fall 2002, the building has eight classrooms, including three interactive video labs, a learning resource center, which doubles as a classroom at times, and one computer lab. The administrative and vocational shop additions were completed for Fall 2002 use. This change opens another area for student study as well as additional classroom space.

Battle Mountain Satellite Center
Overview
The Battle Mountain Satellite Center is located 70 miles west of Great Basin College’s main campus and 230 miles east of Reno, Nevada. The office staff consists of four half-time employees: coordinator, assistant coordinator, and two administrative aides. Math, English and computer lab aides are also available during the semester. Student workers, work-study students, and interactive video facilitators are employed as needed. Students are enrolled in every degree program offered by Great Basin College. Battle Mountain has averaged over 13 graduates per year for the past three years including associate degrees, certificates, and three Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education.

Programs. Scheduled classes are planned to meet the needs of Battle Mountain students in general education core requirements, local employment needs, and student/instructor request. All courses are designed, approved, and administered under established institutional procedures. Courses are evaluated by the local coordinator and by the department chair for content and outcomes. Syllabi and textbooks are recommended and/or approved by department chairs and are consistent with GBC classes taught at other sites.

Live classes in Battle Mountain are taught by adjunct faculty on an as-needed basis. Developmental courses in math and English are available live each semester. In addition, students have access to courses taught through distance education, IAV, and online.

Faculty. Educational backgrounds of the five to ten part-time instructors range from doctorate degrees to associate degrees and/or work experience in related technical or vocational fields. Part-time faculty members are available during posted office hours and by appointment. All instructors have been approved according to the college standards of teaching.

Facility. The building housing the Battle Mountain Satellite Center, part of a former BLM complex, is owned by Lander County and leased by the College for minimal rent. The county maintains the building inside and out.

General, Off-campus Programs
Distance Education
In the past six to seven years the establishment and expansion of the newer distance education technologies—compressed interactive video and online courses—have significantly extended the availability of postsecondary education to many of the residents of northeast Nevada, a large, sparsely—settled area that the U.S. Census Bureau calls “frontier.” The technologies complement the“ live” course offerings and enable the residents to complete certificate, associate degree, and baccalaureate degree programs.

Courses are compatible with those offered at the main campus and other GBC sites. In addition to“ live” on-campus classes in postsecondary education, students have access to an education via distance delivery. Students also enroll in Internet classes and can complete coursework at home or on campus.

Distance education courses are taught by faculty from all sites; an orientation is given prior to the beginning of each semester to faculty and facilitators. Workshops, short courses, evening, and summer programs are available. These courses provide access to appropriate learning resources and provide time and opportunity for students to interact with faculty. In addition to “live” classes, additional courses for associate and baccalaureate degrees and certificate programs are offered through distance education. This process provides the additional opportunity for students to interact with students at other sites. Independent study courses are developed as necessary (syllabus, instructor, and textbook are approved according to College policy). Students enrolled in telecourses or online classes requiring a proctor for testing are able to complete the coursework through arrangements with the library or other educational facility near them.

A limited number of courses are offered through telecourses, but the number has declined with the addition of Internet and more interactive courses.

Workshops are available to instructors each semester, and adjunct faculty are encouraged to visit with the department chairs and visit corresponding classes at other sites. The availability of full-time faculty to meet with adjuncts ensures that the distance education courses are consistent with those taught in other locations of Great Basin College.

Winnemucca Branch Campus. In Fall 2002, two new interactive video rooms will be available, one additional room located in the GBC Winnemucca Center and the other at Lowry High School, directly located across from the Winnemucca Branch Campus. These new rooms will further expand the branch’s IAV capabilities for reception and delivery.

A grant program is underway to install interactive video capability and equipment to the rural reaches of the Humboldt County School District. This would be an exceptional asset for Great Basin College to reach McDermitt and the smaller schools in the county, not only for high school dual enrollment but to provide outreach to these small communities. Completion for this project is anticipated by Fall 2004.

Ely Branch Campus. In Fall 2002, a third interactive video room was installed, increasing the academic degree opportunities for Ely residents.

Battle Mountain Satellite Center. The Center currently has two Interactive Video rooms, one of which can be used as an originating teaching room. A third room was added in Summer 2002, allowing the reception of additional classes.

Eureka Satellite Center. Eureka students have access to distance education through two interactive video rooms as well as Internet courses. Students are able to achieve an associate degree at the Eureka site through a combination of distance education courses, live courses, and transfer courses from other institutions.

Student Services. Through the hard work of branch and center directors, main campus faculty, staff, and administrators and, probably, as a positive consequence of the rise of distance technologies, the range of services to students outside of Elko has been broadened and greatly improved:
• Financial Aid representatives visit once a semester, making themselves available to students for advising about financial aid guidelines and programs. Students may also contact the main office in Elko by telephone to ask assistance. The directors of the branch campuses can provide basic financial aid assistance and information through use of the Student Information System.
• Placement testing is required for students intending to enter English or mathematics courses. ACCUPLACER is the new computer-based testing program. It has been readily accepted and improved the delivery of service. Students can receive their results immediately upon taking the test, and can also re-test if they are not satisfied with the results. This is an improved practice
over previous methods.
• Both the Library and the Career Center provide outreach service to students. Staff from both departments provide training at the centers each semester.
• Students needing library resources can take advantage of many online databases for research and make use of interlibrary loan programs to receive information needed for coursework. One drawback to this process has been a struggle to provide students access to library resources from home.
• Tutoring has been a great benefit to our students. GBC makes an effort to provide support to all students. The College offers an array of services designed to give students extra assistance. Winnemucca provides 24 hours, Ely eight hours, and Battle Mountain six hours of weekly critical skills tutoring services. Tutors can help with writing or proofreading papers, and selfpaced
computer courses. Online tutoring is also available for students to email work for a tutor
to review and assist.
• A computer lab aide is also available in Ely, Battle Mountain, and Winnemucca to support individual students and instructors with classes.
• The centers have implemented a new process in the delivery of textbooks for courses. No longer does the center have a repository of books; instead, students use MBS Direct, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble—the college bookstore—to receive textbooks. Students can order texts by mail, phone, or Internet and receive their books by mail. Books are delivered in a week or two, dependent upon delivery options. This process has improved with time as returning students become familiar with the process and order books in advance of the start of the semester. One advantage is that students can participate in a buy-back program, previously not available. One difficulty with this process is with those students receiving financial aid. Under federal
guidelines, financial aid funds cannot be distributed until close to the start of the semester. Those students who have no means other than financial aid to pay for books receive their books after the start of the semester. Those students registering at the last moment may also begin the semester without texts. These late registrations sometimes occur when classes are canceled and
students register for a different class. As mentioned above, faculty and staff have worked to educate students about the process to reduce the occurrence. Instructors have accommodated students as best they can to relieve the stumbling block of the first weeks.
• The revision of the general education curriculum to include a mandatory orientation session is a strong commitment to retention and preparedness for students. This provides students the opportunity to learn about policies and services needed to succeed in college. Academic advising and placement testing are mandatory components of the orientation. In smaller centers, this
orientation provides the opportunity to establish a relationship with students that sustains students throughout their education experience.
• Lead faculty for baccalaureate programs visit the campuses to meet periodically with students. College-wide consistency. Schedules are planned to meet the needs of local students through use of program recommendations, general education course requirements, student evaluations, business/ agency needs, and student/instructor request. Programs and courses are consistent with the mission and goals of the institution with the same academic standards as those offered throughout the service
area. These programs are designed, approved, and administered under established institutional procedures; courses are evaluated for content and delivery. Syllabi and textbooks are consistent with the College’s standards and are generally recommended and/or approved by department chairs. Both full-time and part-time faculty are provided with a strong level of support. Orientation is held at the start of each semester to review college policies and outline assistance and resources for adjunct faculty. Full-time faculty provide local support for adjunct faculty. In order to assure the same level of quality instruction regardless of the site of delivery, common
course texts and syllabi are provided.

Analysis
Winnemucca Branch Campus
Winnemucca has encountered a rise and fall in enrollment over the past ten years. The past few years of economic difficulties have affected the delivery of programs at the center, yet the branch continues to provide a wide variety of courses and offerings. Faculty at the center are talented and are qualified to offer diverse courses. Students seem to value the quality instruction and personalized interaction. The branch campus reaches out to many of the smaller centers throughout the service region to
deliver much needed courses. The introduction of baccalaureate programs to the offerings greatly enhanced educational opportunities for the community. Of the many successes over the past ten years, there have been strong gains in the delivery of student services. Students receive the full range of services: testing, advising, financial aid, college orientation, and tutoring to accommodations as needed.

STRENGTHS
• Capable, experienced, committed full-time and adjunct faculty.
• Much improved student services in recent years, including financial aid, placement testing, orientation, tutoring, library outreach, etc.
• Benefits from GBC’s baccalaureate programs.
• A “friendly” campus.

CHALLENGES
• Community’s economic slump.
• Textbook problems at times.
• Limitations in course offerings.

RECOMMENDATIONS/ACTION ITEMS
• Strengthen and expand delivery of programs.
• Do workforce training.

Ely Branch Campus
Enrollment at the Ely Branch Campus has risen and fallen over the years. While economics has played a big part in lessening numbers, some positive features, such as increasing full-time student numbers, are a result of the College having its own building and campus (instead of a less than ideal rented facility) and new programs. The Elementary Education program has been well-received since students can attain their baccalaureate degrees without having to move 200-300 miles away for the final two years. People within the area are proud of their community’s college in Ely which functions as a one-stop, post-secondary educational service for this area.

STRENGTHS
• Access to distance education.
• Benefitted from GBC new baccalaureate programs (e.g., elementary education).
• Committed adjunct faculty.
• Strong community support.
• Small class size.
• Year-around, face-to-face advising available to students.

CHALLENGES
• Community’s distressed economic status.
• For degree students, extended period for taking all courses because of necessary limitations on course offerings and course rotations.
• Various difficulties with textbooks.

RECOMMENDATIONS/ACTION ITEMS
• Increase interactive offerings.
• Encourage economic development involvement and workforce training.

Battle Mountain Satellite Center
The Battle Mountain Satellite Center is a “One Stop Center” for the local students. Students are provided with on call, face-to-face, year-round academic advising, financial advising, career counseling, tutoring, and support. The Battle Mountain Satellite Center of Great Basin College offers small class size, availability of distance education courses, and friendly and knowledgeable
administrators.

The College has been an asset and offers retraining to out-of-work miners, senior citizens learning how to use their first computer, or recent high school graduates beginning their post secondary
education.

STRENGTHS
• Strong support from county commissioners, school district, and citizens of the community.
• Accessibility to distance education.
• Face-to-face advising.
• Ability to complete an associate or baccalaureate degree with minimal traveling out of town.

CHALLENGES
• Fluctuation in enrollment, following boom/bust cycles of mining, the major industry.

Exhibit 2.42 List of all GBC sites with Coordinators.