Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

The university system brings hope to Nevada

I would like to commend Mayor Oscar Goodman for having the courage to speak out in support of higher education — particularly UNLV, the state’s largest university. I also hope that we will see more of our political leaders expressing support for the continued funding of education in our state, especially as all potential sources of revenue have not been exhausted.

When I moved here more than seven years ago from New Mexico, my friends and colleagues around the world were surprised as they thought that only gambling exists here. Some frequently heard comments were: “They have a university in Nevada?” “Are you doing research on gambling?” “Isn’t it just empty desert outside of the Strip?”

Yet, as I have lived here, it is obvious to me this beautiful state has much more to offer its citizens beyond entertainment and that there remains a strong need for an educated workforce to globally compete and further diversify Nevada’s economy to be less dependent on the disposable income of visitors.

I have also found UNLV to be a first-rate institution with dedicated scholars who not only push the frontiers of knowledge (as I enjoy doing) but also share that knowledge and the skills required to acquire that knowledge which enables humanity to progress.

Hard-earned knowledge is akin to a living organism that needs education to sustain it so future generations don’t have to reinvent the wheel and can learn from the mistakes of their predecessors.

Instead of passively reacting to ever-diminishing returns, our leaders should strive to resurrect hope in Nevada by actively supporting education and actively seeking the means to properly fund it.

The writer is a physics professor at UNLV.

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