A $5 million gift from William G. Bennett, owner of the Sahara Hotel and Casino, will build a new preschool on the UNLV campus, President Carol C. Harter announced on Tuesday (Nov. 2).

The gift came from the Bennett Foundation through the UNLV Foundation and is earmarked for an early childhood center building.

"This new gift will help us build the third phase of a project that began with moving the Paradise Elementary School into a new building on the UNLV campus in 1998," Harter said. "Mr. Bennett's generosity and interest in education also made possible the William G. Bennett Professional Development Building, which is now under construction adjacent to the Paradise Elementary School. The three facilities will provide a professional practice education program that we believe will become a national model."

Bennett gave $2.7 million in 1998 to support construction of the professional development building that bears his name.

"Mrs. Bennett and I have a tremendous amount of respect for Carol Harter, and we appreciate the fine job she is doing at UNLV," William Bennett said. "We are pleased that the prior gift we made has been used to build the Professional Development Building, which is nearing completion. We were excited by the opportunity to fund the construction of a new preschool facility adjoining that building. We believe that these two buildings will complement each other, providing the university and the community with a one-of-a-kind complex."

Dr. Gene Hall, dean of UNLV's College of Education, said, "We are excited about the opportunity to develop a model space for the educational development of young children.

We expect this facility will be excellent for the children who are enrolled in it, and we hope it will become a site that educators around the country will want to visit."

Noting that the first five years of life are critical to the development of young children, Hall said the College of Education will host a national invitational conference of leading practitioners in early childhood education in early 2000 to gather information and ideas for the new preschool.

"We must be thoughtful about what we know and what others know about early childhood educahon as we build this school," Hall said.

The existing preschool in the College of Education will move into the new facility when it opens, he said. The school will serve the children of UNLV students and faculty, some children from the school district, and some special-needs children. The school currently serves more than 200 children; the new facility could serve as many as double the current enrollment.

The gift is pending acceptance by the UCCSN Board Regents.