Universities

[MisterV]

One hallmark of a city or area that has seemingly "arrived" is the presence of well-regarded private universities.

Las Vegas is a pretty big city, it should have such schools but does not, so far as I can tell.

Oh sure there's UNLV and a few others but no private colleges worth a fart in a wind storm.

Could be the populace is too mobile, too rootless, to care; could be the citizens blow any needed tuition money at the casinos; perhaps the concept of a liberal arts education seems worthless in a city dominated by The Percentage.

Whatever, it is a glaring omission that should be filled, at least if Las Vegas is ever to be anything other than a curiosity.

[LarryS]

You could have the most opulent wedding at the Bellagio with 300 guests. But if you tell someone "we got married in vegas" and leave it at that.....the visual is one of Elvis in a small chapel with 4 people for a 12 minute wedding. A quckie wedding. Sub standard by most standards. Not taken seriously.

So no matter what...a person with a medical degree, engineering degree, law degree.....from a college located in vegas.....may not be impressive or taken seriously. Maybe like weddings, degrees would be viewed as substandard. Maybe one step above online degrees.

I read once that UNLV has great course to get a degree in Hotel Management....which makes sense since those jobs are all over(although not sure if there is a high demand or turnover)

The big cites you speak of have a theater district, major museums, concert halls(not talking about arenas) where you can see, opera, ballet orchestral muscic, popular singers and acts.

Instead vegas get the watered down broadway productions of shows, and the casinos version of popular acts.

its glitzy, but not alot of substance. And schools dont want to be viewed as not having alot of substance. And people who spend 100k for 4 years, want to be taken seriously as well.

[FABismonte]

One hallmark of a city or area that has seemingly "arrived" is the presence of well-regarded private universities.

Las Vegas is a pretty big city, it should have such schools but does not, so far as I can tell.

Oh sure there's UNLV and a few others but no private colleges worth a fart in a wind storm.

Could be the populace is too mobile, too rootless, to care; could be the citizens blow any needed tuition money at the casinos; perhaps the concept of a liberal arts education seems worthless in a city dominated by The Percentage.

Whatever, it is a glaring omission that should be filled, at least if Las Vegas is ever to be anything other than a curiosity.

I don't disagree that Vegas has a rootless population. But great private universities don't spring up spontaneous from the soil -- or the desert and rocks for that matter. Most of the great universities in the East Coast, look to the Ivy League, were founded about 200 years ago or earlier. In the Midwest we are talking about at least 150 years ago for Northwestern, or U of Chicago.

In the West, private schools like Stanford, USC and Caltech were founded during the railroad "Robber Baron" era about 150 years ago - as was Vanderbilt in Nashville or Carnegie -Mellon in Pittsburgh.

Nevada never even had a law school until 1998 when UNLV opened up the Sam Boyd law school -- notably not in a private university.

Vegas was a Podunk town until my lifetime so I am not surprised that it has no well-regarded private university.

[MisterV]

Las Vegas is the same size as Portland, and here there are at least three good private universities / colleges.

Lewis & Clark was established in 1867, not long after Portland was more than a couple brothels and bars on the waterfront.

Reed was established in 1908, and Univ. of Portland, a Catholic college, came to being in 1901.

Las Vegas became reasonably viable about six decades ago; there has been ample time for any well-heeled locals to take the initiative and say "We can be greater than we are," but it hasn't happened.

Sheldon, Steve, E. Parry Thomas and others could and arguably should have cared, should have stepped up.

To my mind it would have been much more impressive to have a college or university named after you than a casino, but hey, what do I know?

No "Stanford " for Las Vegas; just goes to show the powers that be could give a flying fuck.

[FABismonte]

Las Vegas is the same size as Portland, and here there are at least three good private universities / colleges.

... Univ. of Portland, a Catholic college, came to being in 1901.

My son graduated from the University of Portland last May. Thanks for the shout-out!

FAB

[Bill Yung]

Private schools fit the paradox of more education than brains.

[LarryS]

the above is an example of one's education exceeding one's intelligence.......whether from a private college/university or barber's college. Rather a lazy wide sweeping generalization.
Just a mere declaration with no meat on the bones.

But then I suspect there is no first hand knowledge of a good cross section of private schools that would make the comment rationally worth taken seriously.

[MisterV]

I see no paradox there.

The implication is that in going to a private college there is less improvement than in not going.

It is clear to me that all people can benefit from education, be it public, private, or self-taught.

[LarryS]

one thing for sure, ...private schools can have higher standards. They dont have to lower standards in the name of diversity. They are not bound by a state guideline of percentages of various walks of life like state schools. I went to a state university and saw first hand the quality of student that was admitted in the name of diversity.
Eventually the ones in my circle of classes eventually dropped out or flunked out......but thats what you get when admissions arent based on the mind, and rather by the ethnicity. Private schools do not have to deal with that. And for that reason, a degree from the private schools are often looked on with higher regard.

And thats why a private college would never land in vegas. No matter how high their standards...there will always be a stigma attached to the earned degree. And for that reason they will never attract the brightest and the best professors and students.

But with all the well healed folks in vegas....I dont see them opening up free standing museums, theaters like JPGetty did in LA. Its a rather selfish town in that respect. There is a tiny art museum in Bellagio...at least I think its still there. But the rest is all about dancers and tits, and extravaganzas and comics....the glitz.

For the non gambler....what does vegas offer that other cities or towns dont offer.

[MisterV]

Las Vegas is not a complete cultural wasteland; the Smith Center is supposed to be nice, and there is a philharmonic, theater etc.

But its addiction to and dependence upon casinos certainly sucks up the souls of their myriad employees, making them so jaded that it is tough for them to see the beauty of anything abstract.

[mickeycrimm]

The first 100 universities in America were started by Christians. That's how "useless" theologians are to society.

[redietz]

Las Vegas is not a complete cultural wasteland; the Smith Center is supposed to be nice, and there is a philharmonic, theater etc.

But its addiction to and dependence upon casinos certainly sucks up the souls of their myriad employees, making them so jaded that it is tough for them to see the beauty of anything abstract.

Mr. V, pardon my cynicism, but Las Vegas looks no different than a large shopping mall, and there are plenty of those dotting the American Dreamscape. Between shopping malls and fast food joints I think this country is pretty much saturated with sucking up souls in the name of consumption. Las Vegas is just stripping away an obvious layer of hypocrisy and getting right to the meat of addictive consumption.

[Bill Yung]

The first 100 universities in America were started by Christians. That's how "useless" theologians are to society.

I wonder the reason they did that.

[mickeycrimm]

The first 100 universities in America were started by Christians. That's how "useless" theologians are to society.

I wonder the reason they did that.

Yeah, what's up with that?

[Bill Yung]

Christian universities with a Christian purpose are no gift to humanity, and today’s prestigious universities have turned their back on their original focus of creating clergy.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossex...and-hospitals/

It seems to me that salvation is more about love than satisfaction, which is about knowledge.

[mickeycrimm]

Christian universities with a Christian purpose are no gift to humanity, and today’s prestigious universities have turned their back on their original focus of creating clergy.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/crossex...and-hospitals/

It seems to me that salvation is more about love than satisfaction, which is about knowledge.

So you searched the internet for some bullshit article that supports your views. Big fucking deal.

[Bill Yung]

Couldn't be happier to be proved wrong. You can't really get ahead by winning. In this way, (the initial) anger isn't what really exists.

Just now, I saw another error in my placement of the quality of love in my own theorizing. Something minor, though, in the grand scheme of things.

Happiness is every thing in its place?

[mickeycrimm]

Couldn't be happier to be proved wrong. You can't really get ahead by winning. In this way, (the initial) anger isn't what really exists.

Just now, I saw another error in my placement of the quality of love in my own theorizing. Something minor, though, in the grand scheme of things.

Happiness is every thing in its place?

Lay off the pot and LSD, dude.

[MisterV]

Tough to tell if Bill is spouting profound realizations or garbled brain farts.

[mickeycrimm]

Tough to tell if Bill is spouting profound realizations or garbled brain farts.

I finally figured out who bill is. He's onehitwonder with a tor browser.