The UCCSN Board of Regents on Friday approved a joint initiative between UNLV and CCSN designed to provide greater numbers of qualified teachers to help meet the growing demand for educators in Southern Nevada.

The agreement calls for some lower-level education courses to be offered at the Community College of Southern Nevada so that students planning to major in education at UNLV can begin their education classes at the community college.

At the same time, UNLV will expand the number of sections of higher-level education courses it offers, so that it will be prepared to receive the incoming education majors from CCSN as well as serve the students who have completed their lower-level course work at UNLV.

The program, which is anticipated to begin in 1998, would serve students interested in elementary, secondary, early childhood, and special education.

Officials at the two institutions will begin working this summer on the changes necessary to accommodate the collaborative agreement. Once the program begins, it is anticipated that a student going to school full time will be able to earn a bachelor's degree in education in four years, spending the first two years at CCSN and the latter two at UNLV.

"We're pleased to be able to work in partnership with the community college on this important effort," said John Readence, dean of UNLV's College of Education. "This collaborative venture will allow us to better serve our students who wish to become teachers. The eventual winners, however, will be the Clark County School District and its students who will find a larger pool of highly qualified teachers waiting to serve their needs."

Robert Silverman, CCSN senior vice president said, "I think it's a good project because it involves faculty working together to establish a new venture which will better meet the needs of the community."

For additional information, call UNLV's College of Education at 895-3375.