In my recent inaugural address, I outlined a new vision for UNLV, one that developed after I spent several months assessing the challenges we face and identifying the advantages we can leverage to our collective benefit. Let me share with you some of the comments I made.
As many of you know, I am an engineer by formal training. I have applied many of my discipline's principles to my role as president. I have collected the data, much of it through conversations with students, campus leaders, community members, and alumni. These groups have a wide array of needs, wants, and expectations, but above all else, they share a genuine desire for UNLV to accomplish great things.
For many years, UNLV has focused on keeping pace with our community's phenomenal growth. Now is the time for UNLV to stop keeping pace and to start defining the pace. I have asked members of our campus community to banish the word "expansion" from our lexicon — it no longer represents what we do. Instead, deliberate growth will be the hallmark of our university.
We will grow our campus, but with sustainable facilities. This means we will be a leader in Southern Nevada for intelligent building design. We will also be a valued resource and model for others who wish to pursue this worthy cause.
We will fully commit ourselves to our research endeavors, but with priorities. With the overarching goal of elevating our research programs, we will allocate resources to the areas of research that offer the greatest potential to serve our unique state, enhance our reputation, and open new entrepreneurial avenues. UNLV will be a place that industry and enterprise look to as a leader. And we will bring that research into the classroom to enhance the educational experiences of our students.
We will grow our student population, but with a renewed dedication to those who flourish under higher standards. Our increasing selectivity in admissions will change the character of our student body. UNLV must reshape its undergraduate experience to ensure it inspires our students to persevere and prepares them to be leaders in their chosen fields.
As an alumnus, UNLV's evolution affects you. Your degree will become more valuable as UNLV rises as an institution. I hope you will become engaged in our future development as we work together to build a great university.
