UNLV will celebrate Graduate Education and Academic Excellence Week with a variety of activities April 19-22.

On April 20, the public is invited to learn more about the research being conducted by UNLV's graduate students. Selected students will present posters detailing their research during a presentation from noon to 2 p.m. in the Moyer Student Union, Rooms 202 and 203. Some of the fields to be represented during the poster session are biological sciences, curriculum and instruction, geoscience, and hotel administration.

Immediately following the poster session, the public may join students and faculty at the Celebrating Graduate Education and Academic Excellence reception. The reception will take place in the same rooms and is scheduled to last until 4 p.m.

"We decided to inaugurate a Graduate Education and Academic Excellence Week to shine a spotlight on what UNLV is doing in terms of graduate education," said Harriet Barlow, director of recruitment/thesis-dissertation in the Graduate College.

"Many people -- both on and off campus -- don't realize the number and the diversity of the degree programs we offer at the graduate level. We now have more than 4,000 graduate students and offer more than 60 graduate programs leading to master's, specialist, and doctoral degrees," Barlow said. "Several of our colleges are working toward offering even more graduate programs in the near future."

Students and members of the public who are considering pursuing graduate degrees are encouraged to participate in Exploration Day activities on April 21. Exploration Day will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Moyer Student Union, Rooms 201 and 202 and in the union's north lobby. This event will give those interested an opportunity to meet with graduate faculty, graduate students, and others involved in graduate education at UNLV.

As part of Exploration Day, three workshops will be held. "Myths, Tips, and Realities of Applying to Graduate College" will take place from 10 a.m. until 10:40 a.m. The second workshop, "Show Me the Money: Financial Assistance Opportunities for Graduate Students," will take place from 10:50 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. The final workshop, "The Tests of Time: Taking the GRE, GMAT, and Other Graduate Exams," is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. until 12:20 p.m. All three workshops will take place in the Moyer Student Union, Room 203.

To wrap up the week's activities, the Hank Greenspun School of Communication will present "The Great Debate" on April 22. This event, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby of Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall.

The debate topic is "Resolved: That the Study of Humanities Is Increasingly Vital in the 21st Century." Moderating the debate will be David Henry, director of the Hank Greenspun School of Communication. Taking the affirmative position will be English professor Tim Erwin and sociology professor David Dickens. The opposing view will be represented by environmental studies professor Peter Huntoon and mechanical engineering professor Robert Boehm.

Other Graduate Education and Academic Excellence Week activities include a Thesis and Dissertation Preparation workshop from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. April 19 in Moyer Student Union, Room 210. This workshop is designed to provide assistance to master's and doctoral degree students who are working on theses or dissertations.

For additional information on any of the week's events or on graduate education at UNLV, call the Graduate College at 895-4391.