January Good News at TMCC: Part 2

K. Patricia Bouweraerts
Student and Professor Image

Featured are Massage Therapy students' high MBLEx scores, and Prof. Lokken's appointment to the national Forward50.

Massage Grads' High Scores on MBLEx

Truckee Meadows Community College massage therapy students have decidedly excelled in their 2017 licensing exams.

TMCC students passed the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards’ Massage & Bodywork Licensing Examination (MBLEx) with the highest pass rate in Nevada. The MBLEx is used for licensing therapists in 44 U.S. states.

“TMCC’s rate was 94 percent,” wrote Sandra Anderson, Executive Director, Nevada State Board of Massage Therapy. “The state average is 72 percent. Congratulations to the entire team.”

The massage certification program at TMCC has been in place since 1999. In 2017, an additional option launched for an associate degree in massage therapy, focusing on self-employment. The new two-year degree is the Associate of Applied Science—Business, Massage Therapy Entrepreneurship Emphasis.

“Many of our graduates are self-employed massage therapists, and others are employed by spas, stand-alone massage businesses, medical offices and other wellness facilities,” said Amy Williams, Interim Dean, Business and Social Sciences.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the median pay for therapists at more than $19 per hour, and it expects the employment rate to grow by 24 percent from 2016–2026, faster than the average of other occupations.

“Today more than ever, there is a greater emphasis on wellness and healing—there is an understanding of the health benefits of massage therapy,” Williams added.

For more information about the Massage Therapy programs at TMCC, please call 775-824-3830.


Fred Lokken Appointed to NASFAA

Political Science Professor Fred Lokken was appointed in December as the Distance Learning Expert for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA).

He is part of the Higher Education Committee of 50, the “Forward50” who are leaders from colleges and universities in the U.S.

Lokken was chosen from a pool of 200 applicants. Bios of participants are posted on the Forward50 website at Forward-50.org/members.

He’ll be traveling to Washington, D.C. for the spring meeting in March, and to Las Vegas in December. Members of the committee will also meet regularly by telephone. The NASFAA Policy and Federal Relations team is seeking the expertise of the Forward50 panel to improve higher education, specifically in the following main topic areas that affect students’ ability to enroll in, pay for, and graduate from college:

  • Access
  • Accountability
  • Affordability
  • Transparency

The Higher Education Committee of 50 represent U.S. colleges and will present lawmakers with a consensus of information about student equity, success, and outcomes.

They will develop a series of three or four white papers for each of the four main topics, and each will write one or more blog posts on Forward-50.org.

Forward50 will last 18 months, and is paid for by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

For more information about Political Science at TMCC, please call 775-673-7132, and for Financial Aid, Scholarships and Student Employment, call 775-673-7072.


Contributions to TMCC Good News are Welcome

Additional contributions for good news are welcome. If you have an achievement or volunteer experience to share with the TMCC community, please let us know.