BUSINESS COMMUNITY LAUDS JESSUP FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

I don’t condone is the way some small-minded people on the Board of Regents have decided to do their best to chase Len away. That is insanity.”

Jessup’s defenders say his critics have treated him grossly unfairly. The criticisms that have been leveled against UNLV can all be picked apart, they say, and none of them rises to the level of scandals that have shaken other universities — for instance,the sexual assaults at Michigan State University or at the Penn State athletic program under the late coach Joe Paterno.

They also express frustration that the complaints are being aired publicly. The constructive, professional approach would be for the regents to raise their concerns privately with Reilly and Jessup, and work toward resolution out of the public eye, going public only as a last resort.

“Who are we kidding? It will be nearly impossible to find a replacement for Len once the candidates understand the way Len was chased from UNLV,” Moran said. “It would be better and far more productive if we get past this unpleasantness by talking through the issues and showing the same kind of support at the board level that Len obviously enjoys throughout the Southern Nevada community.”

Jessup’s supporters acknowledge that UNLV has its problems as a big, complicated institution that for decades has been mired in mediocrity. But they say Jessup has been addressing them.

With adequate time and support, they say, they’re confident he can keep up the pace of the progress he’s made in his three years.

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Although Jessup has been at UNLV a relatively short time, he has made an outsized impression on community leaders and his education counterparts outside of the state.

Jessup has served on several high-profile community boards — including the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee, which helped bring to fruition the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion projects — and recently became UNLV’S first winner of the annual CEO Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, a fundraising industry association.

“Under his leadership, UNLV is distinguishing itself as an inclusive, diverse institution that’s improving access to education and developing the next generation of professionals in fields ranging from health care to hospitality,” said Scott Roberts, vice president for the Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement and president of the UNLV Foundation, in nominating Jessup for the award.

“I kind of wonder when he sleeps,” says Bill Noonan, senior vice president of industry and government affairs for Boyd Gaming Corp. “I’m pretty busy around the community, and he’s at everything. He’s really very visible, and he’s very approachable. I talk to him on the phone frequently. To the business community, I’m not sure we could ask for a better partner.”

Noonan and a chorus of other local leaders say Jessup and his administrative team have UNLV moving on an impressive trajectory, which in turn is helping fuel Southern Nevada’s post-recession economic surge.

Among the highlights:

UNLV and Las Vegas received an estimated $113 million in publicity value for the presidential debate, which also generated educational opportunities not only for UNLV students but for local high school students. Applications from students have increased since the debate, and although it’s impossible to tell whether that’s a direct result of the publicity from the event, longtime UNLV administrator Don Snyder said “the feedback from many students is that the visibility during the debate is what got their attention about UNLV.” The event was the result of a successful and innovative partnership between with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, which contributed $4 million in hotel tax revenue to cover a portion of the costs. Rossi Ralenkotter, president and CEO of the authority, said the debate helped his organization counter the perception that Las Vegas may be a great vacation spot but isn’t a serious place to do business or raise a family. “Being asked to make a bid for a presidential debate was a perfect way for us not only to showcase the business side of Las Vegas, but the community overall as well as UNLV, both on a national basis and an international basis,” he said.

The William F. Harrah College of Hospitality’s new building opened in January. The building was the product of a public-private partnership, with $29 million of the construction costs coming from Nevada and $27 million coming from private donors.

The UNLV School of Medicine named its first class last year, and full-ride scholarships for all 60 members of the class were funded by the Engelstad Family Foundation and other donors. A fundraising campaign for a medical school building remains in progress, with the total now at $64 million, including a $25 million anonymous donation, a $25 million match by the state and $14 million from the Engelstad foundation.

UNLV and the Raiders came to terms on an agreement for the Rebel football team to use the NFL team’s $1.9 billion stadium. By moving from Sam Boyd Stadium on the far east edge of the valley to the Raiders stadium, university officials hope UNLV will be able to join a top-level collegiate conference, like the Pac-12 or the Big 12, where schools receive more media exposure and more shared revenue than institutions in the Mountain West Conference. “The stadium has a chance to transform sports for UNLV,” said Jonas Peterson, president of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance.” In addition, UNLV broke ground on the $28 million Fertitta Football Complex in January. More than $23 million has been raised for the two-story, 73,000-square-foot training facility, which is expected to open next year.

The significant donor to the university said that until recently, she had been unaware of how much the university had accomplished under Jessup. Then someone gave her a list of the university’s strides and Jessup’s service on community boards. It was 12 pages long.

“I realized we were looking at an extraordinary leader,” she said.

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Snyder, a former commercial banking and gaming executive who served as College of Hotel Administration dean and as a UNLV Foundation board member, said UNLV was in excellent hands.

“I can tell you absolutely and definitively that the quality of the leadership team at the dean and administrative level is stronger, broader in their experience and more effective in their disciplines than at any time in my 30-year history at UNLV,” he said.

Noonan and Bill Hornbuckle, president of MGM Resorts International, said UNLV had found an exceptional community liaison in Jessup. Both men saw Jessup in action as members of the Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee, which hammered out the Raiders stadium deal and the Las Vegas Convention Center expansion. Jessup was vice chairman of the committee.

“Len’s work played a role in delivering more than $3 billion in infrastructure and facilities that will benefit not only UNLV specifically, but the broader business community for years to come,” Hornbuckle said in a statement. He also praised Jessup for bringing “a calm and straightforward demeanor” to the committee.

Noonan said the committee role put Jessup in a delicate position. Given that the panel’s members included competing businesses that stood to either gain or lose from the projects, Jessup faced the risk of alienating a UNLV partner by showing favoritism.

Noonan said Jessup brought a positive, forward-looking demeanor to the role, which has also helped him establish relationships with a number of local businesses.

“I think he’s done a phenomenal job in keeping the business community plugged into what’s happening at UNLV — more so than other university presidents I’ve seen, and I’ve been in town for almost 30 years,” Noonan said.

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But while Jessup’s supporters in Southern Nevada cheer him, he’s received a different reaction from some regents.

Take the debate. When the university encountered cost overruns that raised the price tag from the original $4 million estimate to about $8 million, Regent Trevor Hayes criticized the administration.

“Initially when the debate came up, it seemed like a great way to highlight UNLV and Nevada,” Hayes said during a board meeting. “I think the cost was just way too high for what we got out of it.”