Enrollment increase hailed

Friday, Sept. 17, 1999 | 1:59 a.m.

He said a 16 percent hike in the number of freshmen and a four percent rise in total enrollment should mean more money for campus growth.

Crowley also said in Thursday's annual state of the university address that the number of transfer students and doctoral candidates also is up, although the number of master's degree candidates has slipped.

To accommodate the growth, the University of Nevada system has resorted to creative measures to find money for construction after limited funds were allocated by the 1999 Legislature.

"The state has not been generous with renovation funds. It's not a high priority," Crowley told about 150 UNR administrators, instructors and others.

The university system has refinanced bonds used to build the Lawlor Events Center at UNR and the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. UNR's share of the savings, $19 million, is being used for several construction projects this school year, Crowley said.

Those include:

- A new student services center next to the Church Fine Arts building.

- A renovation of the aging, 81-year-old Frandsen Humanities building.

- A reworking of the dining commons adjoining the Jot Travis Student Union.

Additionally, UNR expects to begin work soon on a 259-room dormitory near Nye Hall. The aim is to accommodate the influx of new students next year expected with the first Millennium Scholarships given to next spring's high school graduates.

"With so many new freshmen, we want to focus on retention," Crowley said.

Crowley also said he welcomes a legislative interim study on the university system's formula for allocating money to the six campuses.

The issue threatened to blow up in the '99 Legislature after some southern lawmakers questioned whether UNR gets more than its share at the expense of faster-growing UNLV.

"The time has come to take a fresh look at formula funding," Crowley said.