Terry Robinson has a UNLV graduation ritual. After he shakes hands with university leadership, he walks to the edge of the stage. Then he throws both arms above his head and yells.
He did it in 2022, when he earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration, and again in December 2024, when he completed master’s degrees in management information systems and cybersecurity. This past May, he did it for his MBA, his fourth UNLV degree in seven years.
His first UNLV degree came more than four decades after he began taking college courses overseas.
Six Moves in 18 Years
Robinson enlisted in the Army in June 1977. His assignments took him to Germany, South Korea, Iraq, and Kuwait. As a military policeman in West Germany during the Cold War, he investigated traffic accidents and worked alongside German police. Later, as a military police investigator in Seoul, he worked with local law enforcement.
He began college in West Germany in 1979 and eventually earned an associate degree through Central Texas College in South Korea. But assignments and relocations kept putting his plans for a bachelor’s degree on hold.
After nearly 15 years in the Army Reserve, he returned to active duty in 1999. During his final 18 years in the Army, he moved six times. By the time he retired in 2018, 41 years after enlisting, his bachelor’s degree was still unfinished.
Back in Las Vegas, Robinson initially planned to look for civilian work. He enrolled at Lee Business School in January 2019 instead.
Returning to the Classroom
Robinson hadn’t sat in a traditional college classroom since 1991. Many of his UNLV classmates were about 40 years younger and familiar with the academic technology he was still learning to use.
Classmate Jude Martin Arsulo (BSBA Finance, ‘21) showed him how to use the university’s online systems and helped him plan his courses around his degree requirements. “He is still my best friend,” Robinson said. “Our families are still very close.”
For help with essays and academic reports, Robinson went to UNLV’s Writing Center. At home, his wife, Nelia, encouraged him before exams.
Help with business math and algebra came over video calls to the Philippines. Nelia’s nephew, Windel, had excelled in math in high school. Over Facebook Messenger, he helped Robinson work through problems. Robinson helped Windel improve his English in return.
By his third year at UNLV, Robinson was also helping other students. As a peer mentor, he met with first-year and transfer students individually for an hour each week. He also served as president of the Lee Transfer Student Club.
Putting His Degrees to Work
He had worked in information assurance in the Army and earned a CompTIA Security+ certification in 2012. After completing his bachelor’s degree, he enrolled in UNLV’s master’s programs in management information systems and cybersecurity. Alongside his coursework, he worked about 20 hours a week as a graduate student faculty assistant at Lee Business School. He earned both degrees in December 2024.
The MBA came next. Robinson wanted to build on his undergraduate management education. He planned his coursework with Lisa Davis, executive director of Lee’s Office of Graduate Student Services, and John Baur, an associate professor in the Department of Management and Entrepreneurship.
Today, Robinson works as an intern analyst in UNLV’s Information Security Office, part of the Office of Information Technology. He reviews vulnerability scan results and other security information to identify risks across campus. He has also led projects to improve how the university investigates cybersecurity incidents and proposed updates to its vulnerability disclosure policy to make security expectations easier to understand for people without technical backgrounds. Robinson said his military police training helps him approach security problems in a structured way.
He has also been involved with the UNLV Cyber Clinic, a free, student-led organization that helps small businesses find vulnerabilities in their computer systems and protect them from online attacks.
In honor of Veterans Day, he offered this advice to veterans wondering whether to return to school or change careers: “Do not underestimate what you can still accomplish."
