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The proposed UNLV law school has the solid support and a pledge of $5 million from William S. Boyd, chairman and CEO of Boyd Gaming Corporation, UNLV President Carol C. Harter announced at a Monday (Aug. 5) news conference on the university campus.

During the news conference, Boyd announced additional pledges of support for the law school of some $2 million, bringing the total of private pledges for the school to some $7 million. These pledges came from Sunbelt Broadcasting Co. Channel 3 and James E. Rogers, president and chief executive officer; the Marnell family; Michael Gaughan, chairman of the board and CEO, Coast Resorts; John D. (Jackie) Gaughan, president, El Cortez Hotel & Casino; Warren Nelson, a member of Boyd Gaming's board of directors; Sam and Pat Lionel; Boyd Gaming, represented by William R. (Willie) Boyd; and Mirage Resorts, represented by Elaine Wynn, member of the board of directors.

"UNLV and Nevada will once again benefit from the dedicated efforts of knowledgeable and concerned local business leaders," Harter said. "With the recent unanimous approval of the law school by the UCCSN Board of Regents, we are very hopeful of securing support by the 1997 Nevada Legislature. If all goes as planned, UNLV will be enrolling its first law students in 1998."

"There is great expense associated with the attainment of a law degree, and those costs are multiplied when students are required to attend school away from home," Boyd said. "The time for Nevada to house its own law school has come. I want to help give all Nevada students the opportunity to pursue an education in law from a quality, affordable, first-class institution in their home state. And the campus of UNLV offers the perfect, dynamic urban setting for students seeking a degree in this discipline."

Boyd has been a member of the UNLV Foundation board of trustees since 1983. He received the Distinguished Nevadan Award from the Board of Regents in 1985 and the Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from UNLV in 1986. He, his family, and Boyd Gaming have given UNLV more than $3 million to support a wide variety of academic and athletic programs.

Boyd and Kenny Guinn, UNLV Foundation Board member and long-time supporter of higher education, were instrumental in securing the additional gifts for the law school.

"I felt the law school would be an important addition to UNLV and will improve the university's national stature," Guinn said. "It will also do a great deal to promote the legal profession in Clark County and throughout the state."

Current planning calls for the law school to enroll its first class in 1998 and eventually to have a student body in excess of 400. The school would seek provisional and full accreditation at the earliest opportunities, assuring all graduates of being able to sit for the Nevada Bar exam.

The school would specialize in issues of local and regional importance, such as gaming, mining, water, and environmental law.

In June the Board of Regents endorsed a detailed implementation plan and directed the chancellor to include the law school in the UCCSN 1997-99 budget request to the Legislature.