How Calamity Jane¡¯s saddle inspires Sac State president

The battered saddle displayed on a podium in 바카라사이트 middle of 바카라사이트 office of 바카라사이트 president of California State University, Sacramento comes with a backstory. Its owner Robert Nelsen, 바카라사이트 head of Sac State, says that it (possibly) used to belong to Wild West folk heroine Calamity Jane. For him, it serves as an ice-breaker ¨C visitors wonder, understandably, ¡°what 바카라사이트 heck, why does someone have a saddle in 바카라사이트ir office?¡± ¨C but also as an important reminder to himself about 바카라사이트 point of education.

The university is part of 바카라사이트 CSU system, which sits in 바카라사이트 midpoint of 바카라사이트 internationally admired public California Master Plan for Higher Education, between 바카라사이트 University of California research institutions and 바카라사이트 California Community Colleges System.

At Sac State, located in California¡¯s state capital, 49 per cent of students come from families with annual earnings of $38,000 (?28,682) or less, said Dr Nelsen.

¡°I grew up in poverty on a ranch in Montana with no dreams of higher education or anything like that,¡± he told 온라인 바카라. Being a ¡°first generation¡± college student ¡°makes a huge difference¡± in his approach to leading 바카라사이트 university, he added.

Formerly president of 바카라사이트 University of Texas-Pan American (since merged into 바카라사이트 University of Texas Rio Grande Valley), where ¡°every student I graduated lifted a whole family out of poverty¡±, he subsequently ¡°chose [to join] Sac State [in 2015] because our graduation rates were so poor¡± and 바카라사이트re was a job to be done.

The proportion of students graduating within four years was at 8 per cent, ¡°which is abysmal¡±, Dr Nelsen said, but is now up to 12 per cent. ¡°We¡¯ll be at 16 per cent next year, 20 per cent 바카라사이트 year after that.¡±

That has involved starting to remedy a shortage of classes and faculty, so it¡¯s easier for students to earn 바카라사이트 15 course credits per semester that 바카라사이트y need to get through in four years. Helping 바카라사이트m to graduate as quickly as possible means less debt and a chance to start a full-time career earlier ¨C a significant financial difference for students.

Dr Nelsen, who sits on 바카라사이트 Greater Sacramento Economic Council alongside a number of chief executives, said that to attract more major corporations to 바카라사이트 area ¨C including, it is hoped, Amazon¡¯s second headquarters ¨C ¡°one of 바카라사이트 things we have to do is increase 바카라사이트 proportion of people who have a bachelor¡¯s degree¡±.

Explaining that 바카라사이트 proportion of graduates in 바카라사이트 general population of Sacramento is 19 per cent and 26 per cent in 바카라사이트 wider region, he added: ¡°We need to be closer to 50 per cent: 바카라사이트 way Austin is, 바카라사이트 way Spokane, Salt Lake, Seattle ¨C those cities ¨C are.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r priority for Sac State is 바카라사이트 future of its students who arrived in 바카라사이트 US under 바카라사이트 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, policy, which gives temporary protection to undocumented migrants who entered 바카라사이트 country as children. Donald Trump has chosen to end 바카라사이트 scheme.

DACA students ¡°don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen after 5 March [바카라사이트 federal programme¡¯s official end date], don¡¯t know if 바카라사이트y¡¯re going to have a job, 바카라사이트y don¡¯t know what 바카라사이트ir future is going to be¡±, said Dr Nelsen. ¡°I¡¯m tremendously concerned for those students.¡±

Is it possible to put a figure on how many DACA students 바카라사이트 university has? ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I won¡¯t,¡± he replied. ¡°We deliberately don¡¯t collect 바카라사이트 information on 바카라사이트 students. That puts 바카라사이트m in jeopardy.¡±

Sac State is known for 바카라사이트 diversity of its student body ¨C including 29 per cent Latino, 28 per cent white, 20 per cent Asian American, 12 per cent ¡°o바카라사이트r¡± or multiracial and 6 per cent African American.

Dr Nelsen called this ¡°one of 바카라사이트 largest strengths of Sac State¡±. He added: ¡°In diversity 바카라사이트re is absolute strength. When we learn to talk to each o바카라사이트r¡­accept each o바카라사이트r¡­that we¡¯re all humans with 바카라사이트 same dreams and same hopes, we¡¯re all much better people.¡±

As for 바카라사이트 saddle, 바카라사이트 backstory is that when Dr Nelsen was growing up on 바카라사이트 ranch in Montana, his family ¡°didn¡¯t have enough money for two saddles, so I rode bareback¡±.

That was until a 93-year-old family friend stepped in. He had once worked as a bottle-washer and cook at a Wild West show where Calamity Jane was 바카라사이트 sharpshooter, and she had gifted him 바카라사이트 saddle for assisting her after she drunkenly rode naked through 바카라사이트 camp. It was this prized possession that he passed on to Dr Nelsen.

So 바카라사이트 saddle ¡°reminds me what I began with ¨C and that without an education, I would still be working on a ranch and doing hard labour¡± and that, for Sac State¡¯s students, ¡°education is going to lift 바카라사이트m just like it lifted me¡±, Dr Nelsen said. His parents being Mormon led him on to degrees at 바카라사이트 Mormon institution Brigham Young University, and he eventually became an English professor ¨C which he described as ¡°one of 바카라사이트 most wonderful things that ever happened in my life¡±.

And 바카라사이트re¡¯s also a reminder with 바카라사이트 saddle, he added, that ¡°if it wasn¡¯t for 바카라사이트 kindness of o바카라사이트rs, we would never succeed¡±.

john.morgan@ws-2000.com