More than 2,000 degrees were awarded at the 42nd Commencement ceremonies of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas today, representing a 17% increase in the number of degrees awarded at the undergraduate level and a 15% increase for graduate degrees.

UNLV President Carol C. Harter and the Board of Regents bestowed special honors to community members, including the City of Las Vegas with the President's Medal in honor of the Las Vegas Centennial. Mayor Oscar Goodman was on hand to accept the honor on behalf of the city. The President's Medal was also awarded to Bobby Siller, a long-time public servant and law enforcement officer. The President's Medal is an award given annually to recognize individuals who have provided distinguished service to the university. An honorary Doctor of Laws was awarded to Brian Greenspun, president and editor of the Las Vegas Sun, for his distinguished service to the university and the dedication to the Las Vegas community.

Distinguished Nevadan awards, conferred by the University and Community College System of Nevada Board of Regents, are presented at commencement to formally recognize significant achievements contributing to the cultural, economic, educational, or social advancement of our state and nation.

Those honored this year include community activist Franny Forsman, former sheriff Jerry Keller, and former Nevada Assemblyman Joseph M. Neal.

"Today is the most significant event in the life of a university," Dr. Harter said as she addressed the graduates. "There is no day more meaningful than graduation. This is a day of celebration on which we present to this community, to this state, and to the country, the products of our efforts, our best and brightest."

UNLV honored several students with special recognition as Outstanding Graduates of 2005. Those students included:

Jessica Adler
Jessica graduated with a dual major in hotel administration and political science. She has earned numerous scholarships and thrived academically. Jessica conducted research, authored and edited scholarly publications, and presented academic papers internationally- for example, she recently represented UNLV at the Annual International Tourism Conference in Spain. Jessica will be joining the prestigious Teach for America program, which seeks bright college graduates to teach in challenged school districts. She will be going to Philadelphia to teach language arts at an inner-city school middle school for two years.

Louis Admundson
Louis has been a key role player for the Runnin' Rebels during his time at UNLV, but he has demonstrated just as much success off the court. He has maintained a GPA of 3.3 throughout the course of his university studies major, and has overcome both physical and personal hardship during the past four years. After graduation he plans on pursuing a second degree in business and hopes to one day apply for medical school.

Anthony Allen
At the age of 13, Tony was uprooted from his hometown of Toledo, Ohio, and most of his family and lifelong friends, when his mother passed away from cancer. He attended four different high schools in three states, yet continued to excel academically, finally graduating with honors from Henderson's Basic High School. Although he was recruited by such top institutions as Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Stanford and the University of Arizona, he chose to attend UNLV, due to the strong reputation of its honors program. He graduated summa cum laude from the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs

Norah and Chelsie Campbell
This mother and daughter have been attending UNLV since 1997 and graduated together for the second time. Norah came to the United States in 1971 as a political refugee from Cuba. She eventually learned English, settled in Nevada, got married and started a family. In 2001 - thirty years after leaving Cuba - Norah walked across the UNLV stage with her daughter Chelsie, where both received bachelor's degrees. Norah has now completed her master's degree in foreign language studies, and Chelsie a graduate of the Boyd School of Law. Both women are very active in Las Vegas- particularly within the Latino community. They have been recognized by many organizations for their stellar academic performance and dedication to serving Latino youth in Las Vegas.

Karen Kesterson
Karen graduated with a Ph.D. in biological sciences. In addition to her outstanding academic achievements, Karen is a 15-year Naval Reserve Medical Corpsman, who interrupted her graduate studies to serve active-duty for 12 months in Kuwait during Operation: Enduring Freedom, where her unit provided medical support. Following this deployment, Karen returned to UNLV to finish her doctoral degree.

Bradley Mayer
Bradley graduated from the College of Business with a degree in economics. Bradley has been a very active student at UNLV, holding various leadership positions on campus and volunteering for numerous organizations. As a student representative, Bradley has been active with the Alumni Association and serves on the membership committee. In addition, his community activities include work with several political campaigns. Bradley plans to pursue his MBA.

Stephanie Mrozek
Stephanie is a geology major with a GPA of 3.8, and past president of the UNLV Geology Club. She has excelled academically and has been involved with a number of research projects, and in 2004 was awarded an Undergraduate Research Award to study salts occurring on school grounds and parks in Las Vegas. After graduation, Stephanie will attend a prestigious summer course in Field Methods in Volcanology at the University of Hawaii, funded in part by the Norman R. Tilford Scholarship. She plans to pursue her PhD in Geology in Oceanic Geology..

Henry Schuck
A member of the Honor's College, Henry graduated with a dual degree in hotel management and accounting. He finished his UNLV experience with many accomplishments, including being student body president and serving in a number of other leadership capacities on campus. He was a founding organizer of the UNLV Water Polo Club and has been active in a number of student organizations.

Since 1964, UNLV has awarded over 68,000 degrees- 50,710 bachelor's degrees, 14,587 master's and specialist degrees, 444 doctoral degrees, and 584 Juris Doctorate degrees. Some key statistics about this year's graduating class include:

* 59% female
* 41% male
* 28% minority
* Average age of baccalaureate recipients is 27
* Average age of graduate and professional (Law) degree recipients is 34
* Average overall age of graduating class is 29
* 76% of graduates are Nevada residents. The remainder represent 48 different states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 53 foreign countries