UNLV's College of Liberal Arts this month opened a new academic advising center geared toward helping its students better plan their academic careers.

The Wilson Advising Center, named in honor of the late Hazel and Earl Wilson whose trust contributed $250,000 for the center, currently is providing academic advising to all freshmen, sophomores, and transfer students who have declared a major in any of the 17 undergraduate programs offered by the College of Liberal Arts. Eventually, it also will provide counseling to all juniors and seniors in the college.

An official grand opening is scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday (Jan. 23) in the lobby of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History. Among those scheduled to speak are UNLV President Carol C. Harter, Provost Douglas Ferraro, and Guy Bailey, dean of the College of Liberal Arts.

At the center students can receive information on classes needed to complete their undergraduate degrees, help in planning their schedules, and assistance in working toward prompt graduation. The center is staffed by two professional advisers, a director, two graduate students, and a management assistant.

The center is open 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday. Students who cannot come into the center during those hours may make appointments for other times.

"Opening the Wilson Advising Center is part of our college's effort to meet Dr. Harter's goal of making the entire university more student-centered," said Lea Sexton, director of the new center. "We want to provide our students with quality academic advice from professionals who are readily available at times convenient for the students."

Michael Bowers, associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said it is his hope that the center will help students graduate more quickly by helping students stay focused on which courses they need to complete their graduation requirements.

"We want to help students achieve academic success at UNLV and to make their university experience a positive one," he said. "We thank the trust of the late Hazel and Earl Wilson for helping to make the center a reality."

The trust, which is administered by Jay Brown and Mel Wolzinger, also has made previous donations to UNLV. The results of those contributions can be seen in the Earl and Hazel Wilson Scholarship, a $2 million endowed scholarship fund; the Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium; and the Hazel M. Wilson Dining Commons.

For additional information about the Wilson Advising Center, call Sexton at (702) 895-1997.