Chet Burton

The Nevada Board of Regents approved the immediate appointment of P. Mark Ghan as the acting president of Western Nevada College.

Western Nevada College President Chester (Chet) Burton has announced that Friday, Aug. 18 will be his last day at WNC. Burton has accepted the position of Chief Financial Officer for the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Western Nevada College’s Welding Technology program recently received a donation that will help welding students become more versed and marketable in the future.

Different life journeys brought nine Nevadans together to celebrate a shared accomplishment; earning an internationally recognized manufacturing certification. Emily Howarth’s advanced manufacturing and mechatronics students were honored on Wednesday at Western Nevada College. In as little as two semesters, the nine students earned the Siemens Certified Mechatronic Systems certification.

Western Nevada College President Chet Burton and Niki Gladys, Executive Director of the WNC Foundation, will assist the Leisure Hour Club in recognizing this year’s recipients of three Leisure Hour Club Scholarships. In addition, President Burton will share insights into the college’s leadership role in providing higher education to the residents of Northern Nevada.

Western Nevada College Foundation is pleased to announce the addition of three new scholarships to benefit veteran students attending Western Nevada College. These scholarships, generously funded by Frontier Communications out of Gardnerville, are designed to encourage postsecondary education among the local veteran population.

Carson City Toyota is funding several new scholarships for local students who attend Western Nevada College. The students come from Carson City, Dayton, Douglas and Silver Stage high schools.

Carson Toyata General Manager Dana Whaley presented a $4,000 check to WNC President Chet Burton this week. The scholarships were created to help eight college students meet financial needs, as they work toward a degree from WNC.

Marilee Swirczek, a writer, professor of English, faculty member at Western Nevada College, and a driving force behind the highly acclaimed “Always Lost: A Meditation on War” photo exhibition, died Sunday.

Swirczek was project director for the “Always Lost: A Meditation on War” exhibition that originated in her creative writing class. The exhibition received nationwide recognition, with a national tour that began in 2010 and ends this July 29, 2016. Marilee was a former Carson City Supervisor from 1987 to 1989 and wife of Ron Swirczek, a member of the Carson City School Board. She was 68.

A donation by the Rotary Club of Carson City will help ease the financial burden for some high school students enrolled in Western Nevada College’s Jump Start College program next fall.

This is not just for Western Nevada College baseball but all athletics at WNC:

As this season draws near for WNC baseball, I can’t help but think of the great people, Helaine Jesse Morres and Dr. Carol Lucey just to name a couple of the many major key players, that brought athletics to the college and the hard work they endured and accomplished.

As the state of Nevada expands its manufacturing base, it also seeks to expand and enhance technical training opportunities for area residents. To that end, Western Nevada College has received a $150,000 Science and Technology grant to prepare residents for the new technical jobs.

More than 125 students were awarded over $150,000 across 90 different scholarships at the Western Nevada College Foundation 16th Annual Scholarship Appreciation and Recognition reception in Carson City. Student award recipients and their families and scholarship donors filled the Carson Nugget ballroom Friday, Oct. 16.

In recognition of Nevada’s Manufacturing and Advanced Industries, Dream It Do It Nevada and Northern Nevada Development Authority would like to invite you to our first Nevada’s Manufacturing Month breakfast at the Governor’s Annex, Friday, October 2, 2015 to celebrate the importance of these industries to our state’s economy.

What looks like an auto part collector's dream will eventually take shape into at least one, and as many as three vintage Ford Model A closed cab pick-up trucks and a 1931 Ford slant window sedan.

Donated to the Western Nevada College Foundation on behalf of the E.L. Cord Automotive Technology Center by Garth Richards, owner of the Silver Oak Golf Course located near the college in Carson City, the combined parts have an appraised value of $15,000.

Western Nevada College’s Applied Industrial Technology program, which saw a 50 percent increase in student enrollment between 2014 and 2015, will begin renovations to expand its current facility, thanks to a $25,000 grant from the NV Energy Foundation.

With agency budgets currently being wrapped up in committee, one budget, for the Nevada System of Higher Education, is of special concern to residents of the rural counties. Chancellor Klaich requested bridge funding for Great Basin and Western Nevada Colleges to facilitate their smooth transition to the more austere funding model approved by the Legislature in 2013. The current leadership at these colleges have taken a can-do, entrepreneurial approach to the task, pulling out all the stops to grow their institutions into sustainable long term viability within the new budget constraints.

Members of a community group that seeks to preserve intercollegiate athletics at Western Nevada College met with President Chet Burton Thursday in Carson City about the proposed initiative.
Both parties agreed conceptually to an agreement that would fund athletics through 2021, if new athletics fundraising goals can be met.

Western Nevada College Baseball hosted Sierra College Wolverines of Rocklin, Calif., Tuesday, for their first home game of the 2015 season. The Wildcats improved to 9-7, topping the Wolverines 15-6. Coach DJ Whittemore gave several of his pitchers a chance on the mound.

DJ Peters started for the Western, he was relieved by Cody Kerns in the top of the third. Ty Fox came in to pitch in the fourth, and Kyle Johnson took over in the fifth. Matt Young pitched in the sixth, followed by Thomas Kerr in the seventh and eighth, and Chase Kaplan closed in the ninth. Peters earned the win.

After much deliberation and consideration of alternatives, Western Nevada College has made the decision to discontinue financial support for its men’s baseball and women’s softball programs, effective after the 2016 season. College officials said the decision was not taken lightly, and given the success of the programs, it is even tougher.

Since 2009, Western Nevada College has actively sought ways to be sustainable in the operation of its campuses. Through continuing efforts and a commitment to use green energy, that vision is rising to new heights.

Black Rock Solar, a nonprofit corporation in Reno that specializes in expanding the use of renewable energy, just completed installation of 666 panels atop the Bristlecone Building on the Carson City campus. At 180 kilowatts, the project is Black Rock’s largest roof array to date.

Gil Yanuck has assumed the role of Carson City Chairman of the Board effective Oct. 8 following the resignation of Chairman Lisa Stirgus who resigned because of a Wells Fargo transfer to Seattle.

Mr. Yanuck represents AARP and has been a member of the board since 2010. He will serve as chair until June 30, 2014. Joyce Whitney-Silva, Chief Financial Officer of Greater Nevada Credit Union has moved up to join the Executive Committee as Secretary/Treasurer.

Western Nevada College President Carol Lucey announced that she is retiring from her post Wednesday, following more than 14 years at the helm of the Carson City and Northern Nevada-based college system. The announcement followed an earlier notice to the college community in the summer in which she relayed her intention to retire at some point during the 2013-14 academic year.

Pursuant to Board of Regents Policy, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Daniel Klaich has designated WNC Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services Chet Burton as the Officer in Charge for WNC.

Western Nevada College President Carol Lucey, a staunch supporter of higher education in Carson City and Northern Nevada, abruptly resigned Wednesday four months ahead of when she had said she was going to leave.

In the letter below addressed to the Western Nevada College Advisory Board, Dr. Lucey, who has served 14 years as president of WNC, states that she had hoped the national search for her replacement would have commenced after she announced in July that she would be leaving.