The Nevada State College will be conducting a Town Hall meeting at Moapa Valley High School on Monday, March 28 at 6:00 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is for the College to determine the viability of offering a Bachelor of Arts degree program in Elementary Education here in the Moapa Valley.

The degree course would be an accelerated program allowing students who have already obtained an Associates degree to earn a Bachelors in about 18 months. The program is proposed to begin in May of this year and continue through the Spring of 2013. Some of the classes offered would be in-person classes held here in the Moapa Valley and some would consist of online courses. The program would also include the state’s student teaching requirements.

The program is being brought to the community in a cooperative effort between Nevada State College and Moapa Valley High School . MVHS Dean Tracey Cardinal has met with Nevada State College staff in coordinating the program. Cardinal hopes that the program can tap a pool of qualified people in the Moapa Valley community to help teach the courses.

“It has been so exciting to see this program start to take shape,” Cardinal said. “I see it offering a great opportunity. I know, for example, that there are women here who want to go back to school but have thought that they couldn’t do it for 5-7 years. They are limited by the high cost of gas going to classes in Las Vegas and the time involved and having to pay for babysitters for kids and so on. This gives them a chance to do the classwork locally and the state will even work with them on student teaching to place them here or in Mesquite or Bunkerville. It is a great chance.”

Cardinal recommended that anyone interested in the program attend the meeting on Monday to gather information. Interested parties may also call Cardinal directly at 702-283-4867 to ask questions or get information.

Those planning to attend are asked to complete an online survey prior to the meeting. A live link to the survey is available from this story on the Progress website at www.mvprogress.com. Paper surveys will be available at the meeting. The results of the survey will assist in the decision process of whether the program will be offered in the community.