Editorial: University’s near catch

Tuesday, May 16, 2006 | 7:47 a.m.

Over the weekend, when the superintendent at West Point was just days away from being officially appointed the president of UNLV, he suddenly withdrew his name from consideration for what he said were personal reasons. If Lt. Gen. William Lennox Jr. had been named the new president of UNLV, it would have generated considerable positive attention for the university.

UNLV has long been trying to improve its academic standing. So if someone such as Lennox, who had run one of the top academic institutions in the country, had been brought here it certainly would have caused excitement, including among prospective students and university donors.

But some faculty were uneasy about how well a lifelong military man would fit into a university setting that is hardly as structured as a military academy. This is a valid area of concern, but at the same time it certainly would have been worth the risk to bring someone of Lennox's international stature to run UNLV.

A recent story in the Times Herald-Record, a newspaper in Middletown, N.Y., noted that Lennox was credited with innovative incentive programs to stem the attrition among West Point graduates, an increasing number of whom are only staying in the Army for five years. And, in an era when funds for the war in Iraq have taken a toll on West Point's budget, the Times Herald-Record reported that his most lasting legacy was his fundraising. He has raised more than $230 million in private funds to pay for a library expansion and sports complexes.

While it is a disappointment that Lennox withdrew, the fact is that the other two finalists are top-notch candidates in their own right. Marvin Krislov, the vice president and general counsel of the University of Michigan, was supported by much of the faculty, and David Ashley, the executive vice chancellor and provost at the University of California at Merced, had the most support of the advisory search committee.

What is encouraging is that UNLV has drawn the interest of such talented individuals. It is yet another sign that the Las Vegas metropolitan area is maturing and that UNLV's academic reputation is ascending.