Paul Neill wears many hats for our University, including serving as director of the Core Curriculum. It should come as no surprise for those who know Paul that when the idea for a “course concierge” on our campus came about, he enthusiastically embraced yet another role. For the past two years, Paul has served as the conduit for students who show a demonstrated need to get into a class that otherwise might be closed or unavailable to them. The “course concierge” role is just one part of a larger effort by our campus since 2006 to improve retention and to ensure our students receive their degrees in four years. Continue Reading »

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In an email sent on Monday, Feb. 22, ASUN President Eli Reilly reported that 7,065 individuals had signed the online petition in support of higher education funding in the state of Nevada, “Fight for Nevada: A Petition in Defense of Education.” The online petition is sponsored by ASUN as well as other student government organizations throughout the Nevada System of Higher Education. To find out more about “Fight for Nevada,” go to: www.fightfornevada.com

Eli’s email message is below:

All,

So far, we have received 7,065 signatures on our petition. It is a difficult process to go through each of the names and validate them all but we are working diligently to get it worked through. Thanks so much for your assistance on this operation.

 Go Pack.

 Eli Reilly

President

Associated Students of the University of Nevada

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For more than 40 years, Howard Rosenberg has worked to make our campus a better place, whether it has been through the influence of his teaching as a professor of art, his electric passion for all things creative, or during his distinguished 12-year tenure as a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents. I’m convinced that if there is one phrase that perfectly sums up Howard’s daily existence, it must be his oft-quoted line that “it’s for the kids,” meaning that everything we do on our campus must always have our students in mind. Continue Reading »

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This week, we received excellent news: The University of Nevada’s Graduation Success Rate for student-athletes is at an all-time high for the second year in a row, according to the most recent data released by the NCAA. Continue Reading »

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During our Town Hall Meeting on Oct. 7 in the Joe Crowley Student Union, Provost Marc Johnson and I spoke about the University’s strategic plan. One of the themes of the plan concerns a renewed focus on entrepreneurship, across-discipline partnership and innovation. We realize that once the state recovers from double-digit unemployment and a recession that has hit all sectors of our economy with unprecedented force, things will never quite be the same again. As I noted in my remarks on Oct. 7, we can no longer count on the state to create the type of university that we wish to be. This task is up to us. More than ever before, if we are to realize our full potential as an institution, we must increasingly rely on the creation of new partnerships, both public and private, and we must determine the best ways to innovate and foster a more entrepreneurial culture on our campus. Continue Reading »

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For the past three years, we have stressed the value of creating a “culture of completion” on our campus. It is important not only as a rallying cry for our faculty and staff, but for our students as well. For too long universities and colleges throughout our country have stressed enrollment figures, often to the detriment of what is truly the most important product for any institution of higher learning – the attainment of a college degree by its students. If universities are to succeed in helping to create a more diversified, knowledge-based economy for the 21^st century, it is imperative that we dramatically improve our graduation rates. Continue Reading »

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The first day, the first week, the first month, of any new semester are times of great energy and possibility. It is a time to transition from the endless, open-ended days of summer to the careful calibrations of the fall, where our days become more crisp and focused. It is a time of renewal, to re-connect with our campus, to spend more time in our classrooms, to shift from the pleasant idle of our dreams to the focused learning that we must do in order to one day to realize those dreams. Continue Reading »

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Recently, I found the following item in The New York Times, “How Much Student Debt Is Too Much?” I would venture to guess that more families and students than ever before are engaging in this important conversation. Of all of the commentary associated with this post, there is one quote that resonated with me. I’ve always thought of a college degree as something much more than a piece of paper. A college degree has a dynamism, a life of its own, that never ceases. James Monk, associate professor of economics at the University of Richmond, agrees: “The typical four-year undergraduate student loan package totals approximately $19,000 – no more than a midsized car. An automobile begins depreciating the minute you drive it off the lot, while one’s college degree is an investment that will garner you a lifetime of higher earnings.”

http://roomfordebate.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/14/how-much-student-debt-is-too-much/?em

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During testimony before the Senate Finance/Assembly Ways and Means Joint Subcommittee on K-12 Education/Higher Education on Feb. 27, 2009 in Carson City, three of our students – Nicholas Blevins, Brithany Thomson and Angela Broadus – shared their own stories regarding the value of their respective educations at the University.

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Words are powerful things, made even more powerful by the actions and individuals that they are often used to describe.

On Friday, Feb. 27, a first-generation freshman at our University, Jarell Green, delivered testimony to the Senate Finance/Assembly Ways and Means Joint Subcommittee on K-12 Education/Higher Education in Carson City.

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