Four finalists for have been selected for UNLV's next chief academic officer.

A search committee for UNLV's next executive vice president and provost, essentially the second-in-command under President Len Jessup, has whittled down the list of candidates to four finalists.

It’s not easy landing a place among the nation’s top research universities, but UNLV is trying to get there.

Mary-Ann Winkelmes looked out at her students one evening 15 years ago. Even now, she can remember their day jobs: banker, security guard, plumber, lounge singer, priest.

Science, technology, engineering and math.

They’re not exactly words that inspire raucous excitement, but with a shortage of qualified workers in Southern Nevada frustrating attempts to attract and grow high-tech businesses, many community leaders aren’t talking about much else.

This week it was UNLV’s turn with their annual STEM Summit. Around 250 people from the university and beyond gathered Monday and Tuesday to discuss this year’s question: “What does the valley need?”

In UNLV vice provost and summit organizer Carl Reiber's take, these were the issues panelists considered most important:

Women often come to Harriet Barlow with a question: “Can we have it all?” Her answer is always yes, but she advises them to have defined “all” as something they want, not what others may have told them to want.