UNLV ceremony may be broadcast on national TV

Friday, May 15, 1998 | 2:25 a.m.

A UNLV graduation ceremony may appear live on national television Saturday morning, thanks to a student who is scheduled to receive five degrees.

A representative of Today show, which appears locally on KVBC Channel 3, contacted Eric Coyle Thursday to arrange an interview with him at the 9 a.m. ceremony at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Coyle is one of more than 4,100 UNLV students eligible to take part in the commencement ceremonies.

Officials estimated that about 1,200 students would take part in each of two events that day.

The 9 a.m. ceremony is for students of the Harrah College of Hotel Administration, the College of Extended Studies, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Sciences, the College of Fine Arts and the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs.

The 1:30 p.m. ceremony is for students from the College of Business, the College of Education, the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering and the College of Health Sciences.

Each ceremony is open to the public and the admission is free.

Coyle began last semester with an overall grade point average of 3.5, a B-plus, and expects to have a GPA of an A-minus at the end of this semester -- despite having carried a course load of 64 hours.

Coyle was still working Thursday on three term papers and one final exam, all due the next day.

Though he will take part in the graduation ceremonies, he won't receive the actual diplomas until after the summer semester. Monday he begins summer school in which he plans to carry 36 hours.

Coyle plans to begin law school at the end of August, a little more than a week after completing classes at UNLV.

He has been accepted at Georgetown University, his second choice, but is waiting to hear from Harvard University. Coyle said after receiving his law degree he wants to return to Las Vegas to practice law and become involved in politics.

The graduation ceremony for the Community College of Southern Nevada, scheduled for Sunday at 6 p.m. in the Thomas & Mack Center, also is not without some controversy.

Kenny Guinn, a GOP candidate for governor, is slated to be the keynote speaker.

A number of professors have expressed concern that a political candidate was invited to take part in the commencement exercises.

Almost 800 CCSN students have completed requirements for associate degrees or certificates of achievement.

Moore noted that Guinn is a well-known educator and businessman who has been a friend of the community college for many years.

Guinn was superintendent of the Clark County School District before resigning to become a businessman. He also served as interim president of UNLV during a search for a new president.

A graduation ceremony for 30 students in the UNLV Environmental Studies Department was held Thursday night at the Desert Demonstration Gardens.