UNLV president’s e-mail

Monday, June 8, 2009 | 11:16 a.m.

UNLV President David Ashley sent the following e-mail Sunday to university employees. Sources tell the Sun that during his three-year tenure, Ashley has only used e-mail a handful of times to communicate with the entire campus community.

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Dear Campus Community,

We have just completed the inaugural graduation ceremonies for the UNLV Singapore campus – it was an exciting and heartwarming occasion. The success of this new campus is a testament to the Harrah Hotel College’s outstanding reputation, the entrepreneurship of key individuals, and Singapore government funding; a key design feature was no use of Nevada state funding and no financial liability to either our main campus or NSHE. It is also a vivid reminder that even in difficult budget times, we are still able to accomplish new milestones and advance the university.

Through e-mail and limited access to Las Vegas media, I am fully aware of the drama surrounding what should or should not be included in my presidential performance evaluation -- this will be resolved. What is more important is to remain focused on the critical decisions facing our campus and the system in implementing our new budget. The upcoming June Board of Regents meeting requires special attention since we will be addressing a broad set of compensation and student fee issues. I very much appreciate your continued support as we move forward in finalizing what has been an extraordinarily difficult budget process. I remain optimistic that UNLV will come through this next biennium with its mission intact and with new milestones demonstrating our progress.

Regards,

David Ashley

President