University of Nevada, Reno President Milton Glick answered questions today from students on topics ranging from the upcoming football game with University of Nevada, Las Vegas to how budget cuts will affect the university.
About 42 students came and went during the one-hour Pizza with the President session. Glick said the group had a high turnout with a low energy level.
Glick answered questions in an informal forum while students ate pizza, cookies and sodas provided through the event.
“This is really my chance to hear from you,” Glick said.
Glick explained he would eat his salad while talking. He said he was jealous of the students and their pizza because his diet restricted him to salad. Students listened to the president from couches and chairs arranged around the Graduate Student Lounge. More chairs were brought in during the course of the event to accommodate students as more attended.
A senior economics major asked what steps the university is taking to lobby the legislature about raising the tuition rate.
Glick said the Nevada Assembly leadership is supportive of raised tuition rates and senate leadership is open to the possibility.
“We have alternatives,” he said.
A nursing student asked about proliferation of online classes, saying most of her classes are online. Glick asked the students who have a majority of online classes to raise their hands. Only one student, an accounting major, did.
Glick said he does not think online classes are the wave of the future.
“If you can’t get to the university, we want to bring the university to you,” he said.
A member of the audience asked what the university is doing to decrease the amount of time it takes students to graduate to four years.
“Most students are still on a four year degree,” Glick said.
The university is considering lowering the required amount of credit hours to graduate from 128 to 120, he said.
Students change their majors two to three times on average, he said, increasing the time it takes to graduate.
“I still haven’t figured out what I want to do when I grow up,” he said.
One student asked about the chatter flying around campus surrounding the possibility of cutting majors. Glick responded that in one worst-case scenario, the university will cut some programs.
“We don’t want to degrade every program so we may have to eliminate a few,” he said. “If we have a $30 million budget cut, we have to stop doing some things.”
When asked about the upcoming football game against Las Vegas, Glick said it will be a tough game.
“It’s too close to call,” he said. “I hope we whip ‘em.”
http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2008/09/23/president-answers-stude
nts-questions-in-open-forum/
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