Remarks at President Ashley's Inauguration - 2007

Good morning, my name is Bill Robinson. For the past 27 years, I have been a member of the Economics faculty. For the past year, I have had the distinct honor and privilege of serving as Chair of the UNLV Faculty Senate.

The Faculty Senate is the voice of the more than 2,000 dedicated faculty and professional staff on campus.

One year ago, as we embarked on the search for a new president, our hope was to find a leader who would both re-invigorate the drive to turn UNLV into a nationally recognized research institution and re-energize the relationship between the university and the Las Vegas community.

I have had the opportunity to interact frequently with President Ashley since his arrival on campus. His actions are always governed by the simple fact that he considers himself a member of the faculty. He sees the world with the eyes of a tenured professor at MIT or Berkeley.

President Ashley invites faculty involvement, not because he has to, but because he considers the input of his colleagues to be of value. He holds the academic quality of the institution to be its most important asset, and the faculty to be its guardians.

President Ashley, we welcome you to the faculty of UNLV, and as our leader, and we look forward to working with you to create an outstanding UNLV.