UNLV's Graduate College, like the city in which it is located, is booming, according to a recent report by its dean to the university's Graduate Council. Dean Ron Smith told the universitywide council that graduate headcount enrollment at UNLV grew by 405 percent in 10 years, from 796 students in fall 1986 to 4,020 students in fall 1996, making it the largest graduate education program in Nevada.

In terms of full-time equivalent (FTE) figures, the numbers by which budgets are determined, the Graduate College grew from 855 to 2,146.9, a 151 percent change, between 1986 and 1996.

Graduate degrees (master's and doctorates) granted during the period increased from 235 in the 1986-87 school year to 603 in 1995-96, a 157 percent increase.

The number of graduate assistantships increased from 96 to 392 between 1986 and 1996, with 410 expected to be filled in 1997-98.

President Carol C. Harter said the Graduate College's expansion over the past decade is the kind of success story that will be continued and fine-tuned within the context of the university's strategic plan for the next decade.

"One of the seven goals of UNLV's strategic plan calls for the university to 'grow selectively, serve the region, and achieve distinction,'" Harter said. "Reaching that goal involves carefully picking among a host of opportunities to develop new graduate and advanced professional programs. We must create and nurture programs that meet local and regional needs and that move the university toward its goal of evolving as a nationally recognized research institution."

Smith pointed out that, "Nearly one in five UNLV students is a graduate student. Many of these people are community leaders -- teachers, public administrators, professional people."

Provost Douglas Ferraro said, "A significant portion of a university's academic reputation --in the areas of both scholarship and teaching -- is attributable to the quality of its graduate programs. I believe the progress UNLV's Graduate College has made over the past 10 years is a measure of the university's success in its effort to achieve academic excellence."

Smith attributes the growth of graduate programs at UNLV to several factors, including the university's expansion of offerings in order to meet the needs and interests of students, the relatively low tuition, the fact that UNLV is the only source for graduate education in a large population center, and the growing national and international reputation of certain programs.

"The work force in Southern Nevada is becoming increasingly professionalized," Smith said. "For many people, graduate education is necessary if they are to advance in their careers."

For more information about graduate education at UNLV, call the Graduate College at 895-4391.