Milt Glick, 2006 - 2011
Glick was appointed president following a distinguished career as a chemistry professor and as provost at one of the nation’s largest universities, Arizona State. At age 67, he was one of the oldest “new” presidents ever appointed at the University, and quickly won the campus over with his engaging personality, energy and emphasis on student success. Wearing a wide-brimmed, slightly sweat-stained hat, Glick was a constant campus presence, and the University responded. The University increased its number of National Merit Scholars from a handful to 38 during the 2010-2011 academic year – a record.
For these efforts, the University was named a prestigious National Merit Scholarship Sponsor School. In 2010-2011, the University set all-time records for enrollment and graduation. In addition, freshman retention rates reached 80 percent, also an institutional record. In fall 2010, for the first time in the University’s history, the University was named a Tier I school in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings. Glick stressed the value of creating a “sticky campus” – a dynamic campus setting where both the student body and the community are engaged – and with the opening of key buildings such as the Joe Crowley Student Union, Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, the Center for Molecular Medicine and the Davidson Mathematics and Science Building, he was able to markedly strengthen the connection between the campus and the community.
When he died unexpectedly in April 16, 2011, at age 73, the campus mourned the loss of a president who had told all of Nevada during his inaugural address on Sept. 29, 2006 that, “The next Comstock Lode is not in the mines of Nevada. It is in the minds of Nevadans.”