Truckee Meadows Community College​

Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC) is a public institution that was founded in 1971. It has a total undergraduate population of 10,861, its setting is city, and the campus size is small. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. The enrolled student population at TMCC is 57% White, 28% Hispanic/Latino, 5% Asian, 4% Multiracial, 4% Multiracial, 3% Black, 2% Race Unknown, 1% International, and 1% American Native/Alaskan Native. There are about 53% identified female students and 47% identified male students. 96% of students are from Nevada.

Engagement Summary

At TMCC, staff, students and faculty felt that the overall environment on campus was one that was healthy, hopeful, and positive. Progress on campus was acknowledged and appreciated, and ideas for improvements on campus were discussed and encouraged.

There was a unanimous understanding that faculty and staff cared to aid students, and that they could be more helpful if given comprehensive training to provide students with resources available on campus. Training to develop peer support among students was also needed. TMCC faculty and staff made good use of online services by sharing the need for student resources. Many of the students attended TMCC part-time due to responsibilities outside of their academics, such as those pertaining to work and family. This made involvement, participation, and engagement in programs and leadership development uniquely limited.

There was also an increase in interest of hiring more staff and faculty of color to reflect the diversity of the student body. Resources and programs for students were already available on campus, including a child care center, a food pantry, the building of a gym, and others.

To improve upon the already positive environment on campus, it was recommended that TMCC was more proactive in creating a welcoming campus environment for incoming students, especially of color.

The next recommendation was to collaborate with other members on campus to provide multicultural competence and unconscious bias training.

The third suggestion was to get students involved in planning peer support, and the final recommendation was to better utilize technology to promote events and programs for students and for bringing more students of color together.

Midterm Evaluation Progress-to-Goal Snapshot

TMCC had a goal to work with the Public Information Office (PIO) to create virtual messages to be posted on electronic boards all over campus, focusing on mental health, to to create virtual settings where diverse students can feel welcomed and included, to gather and analyze data on marijuana use to assist students on how to proceed with its new legal status, and to collaborate with tutors to promote mental and emotional health strategies.

Highlights include:

  • By December 2019, at least 10 different messages were distributed on 90% of the electronic boards all around campus. 45% of these messages aimed to represent the diverse student population, and messages were posted in Spanish and Japanese.
  • A social media specialist was hired to assist in this process. 
  • By December 2019, two methods of implementing a safe online space for diverse students that promote counseling and mental wellness across campus were identified. One of the two methods was piloted successfully with 25 students in attendance, and it received a positive user rating.
  • By December 2019, three different strategies were established to inform students, faculty, and staff on types of cannabis, the influence of cannabis on the user, and ways to seek help for dependency. These strategies were to hold professional training for faculty and staff from speakers that work in the cannabis industry, to establish a marketing plan with materials produced, and to host a town hall type of event for students. This event would involve community members such as those that work in cannabis stores, substance abuse counselors specializing in marijuana use, and participants would complete an assessment after the event.
“I just want to add that I kind of agree with all of them in terms of like how the diversity here on campus makes you feel you belong. It’s like one of those things. When you walk into an unfamiliar place, you want to see people who look like you. And when you see people who look like you or who identifies with the same things as you, you feel, as you said, almost empowered because you feel like you belong there. You feel like you’re not just some foreign person. You don’t feel like everyone is looking at you because you have other people who might be sharing similar experiences and who might be coming from a similar place as you. Obviously, they won’t have the exact same experiences, but they will understand.”