Lesley University gets own site

The only university most people associate with this city is the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. But there is another and it's been here since 1989.

It's Lesley University, offering graduate degree programs to educators and, after years of operating in various locations, it now has its own site in Las Vegas.

Lesley's new campus is located in an office complex at 4730 S. Fort Apache Road, near Tropicana Avenue and the Las Vegas Beltway.

"Lesley has offered graduate programs to teachers in Las Vegas for more than a decade and continues to grow," said Hugh Norwood, dean of enrollment planning and vice president for marketing. "We believe that with our own campus, we will better serve our alums and other Las Vegas educators, as well as become a better partner with the Clark County School District and community."

Lesley University (www.lesley.edu) is a 13,000-student, multi-site university. Anchored by a liberal arts curriculum, it offers undergraduate and graduate programs in education, the arts and human services at its Cambridge and Boston campuses and at more than 250 sites in 20 states.

No other Lesley site operates out of an office complex, according to Mary Saladino, curriculum and instruction site coordinator.

"It's been a dream for my husband, Steve, and I for many years," she said. "This is uncharted territory for the university. We are one of the largest and most successful schools they have. They thought, 'If it makes sense anywhere, it makes sense to do it in Las Vegas.' "

In Las Vegas, Lesley offers master's programs in Technology in Education, Creative Arts in Learning and Literacy. Since 1989, it's graduated more than 1,300 Nevada students.

Before the office building was built, classes were held at various sites. Sometimes Lesley used Parson Elementary School, near Craig Road and Decatur Boulevard. It also used a number of Catholic schools.

Most recently, Lesley had a shared-lease agreement with Piggott Elementary, 9601 Red Hills Road, for its technical classes. It was a win-win situation.

The university got to use the computer lab classrooms and the school got to use dozens of computers provided by Lesley. With the recent move, the university left a parting gift, donating a number of those computers to the school.

The Creative Arts in Learning and Literacy classes met at Faith Lutheran Junior-Senior High, 2015 S. Hualapai Way.

One of Lesley's current students is Gene Fife, a fifth-grade teacher at Bass Elementary. He is scheduled to attain his master's degree in Technology in Education in May.

"It's wonderful (to have a secured site)," he said. "It's a lot more professional setting and it provides more of an educational atmosphere."

Fife joked that the last place he wanted to go to after a long week of teaching school was another school. He said he would like to attend Lesley for his doctorate, too.

The university's format is unique. Only one three-unit master's course is offered at a time. The information is packed into a condensed form and requires intensive study.

The students take classroom instruction two weekends, about a month apart. They begin on a Friday night and spend all day Saturday and Sunday in class.

The next three to five weeks are done through independent study. This involves reading textbooks, using the Internet for research and finishing a mid-term assignment.

The class may not meet every week but the instructor can be contacted should the need arise. The program dictates there be 45 hours of class time.

The schedule is seen as a plus for those with full-time jobs and growing families. Saladino's husband, who is now an administrator with Lesley, earned his advanced degree through the university.

"There was no way I was going to see him go every evening to UNLV to get his master's," she said.

Students go through the same sequence of courses together for the entire length of the degree program. Class size is kept to no more than 25 students.

The cost per credit hour is $375 for Creative Arts in Learning classes, $390 per credit hour for the other programs. The price difference was attributed to software needs and computer upgrades.

For those days when no classes are being conducted in the classrooms, they will be used for instructor training sessions (Las Vegas is the western region headquarters for Lesley) and various administrative needs.

In January, Lesley expects to begin offering continuing education programs for teachers.

The new site is about 5,000 square feet with five classrooms. Two of those rooms are devoted to the technical program and state-of-the-art computers have been installed. There is also a large break room, similar to a teacher's lounge and office space.

The site was selected for its proximity to the Beltway, making easy access for students from all areas of the valley.

"We thought about a central location," Saladino said. "But nobody wanted to fight the traffic."

Those interested in the school can call (800) 999-1959.


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