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Bob Boughner ! A l u m n u s o f t h e Y e a r Despite the great success that Alumnus <strong>of</strong> the Year Bob Boughner has had in his 40-year career with Boyd Gaming, he is still a modest man at heart. “When I learned I was being honored with this designation, I was very surprised and humbled,” he says. “I just love UNLV and everything the university has done for the community.” When Boughner was looking into schools in the mid-1970s, he was working as a room service captain at the Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix. “It was that job that made hospitality an easy choice for me,” he recalls. “I knew that the hotel business was where I wanted to be.” Although he was <strong>of</strong>fered a job to stay on at the Biltmore as a manager, and despite the fact that he enjoyed the property and its clientele, he turned it down to move to <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong> and attend UNLV. “UNLV was really a great place for me—it was affordable and not too far from my family in Arizona. Plus, I knew that being in <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong> would be convenient to apprentice a bit in the hotel business.” Boughner began working for Boyd as a timekeeper in 1976 at downtown <strong>Las</strong> <strong>Vegas</strong>’ California Hotel and Casino,. He began at UNLV the following year. “The regimen <strong>of</strong> school and work together provided me with a level <strong>of</strong> discipline,” he says. “Further, the process <strong>of</strong> having to read technical material—in Frank Borsenik’s class—was tough but worthwhile. I’ve applied some <strong>of</strong> those principles in my work life over the years and have found it very gratifying.” In addition to Borsenik, Boughner was impressed by then Dean Jerry Vallen, Jim Abbey, and Charles Levinson, among others. “My pr<strong>of</strong>essors were inspirational to me in regard to this industry and the sheer practical nature <strong>of</strong> the work enabled me to be better informed and a more disciplined manager,” he says. “The way the courses were set up allowed me to work full time and be a full-time student.” In 2007, Boughner gave a $1.2 million gift to fund a new career services center within the Harrah Hotel College. He remembers that when he was a student, the “career services center” existed as a corkboard with 3-by-5 cards tacked to it. Through his generous gift, the process <strong>of</strong> finding job opportunities has become much more convenient for students and graduates. During the fall 2008 semester, representatives <strong>of</strong> the Bob Boughner Career Services Center met with 1,170 students, which was up 500 students for the entire 2007 - 2008 year. In addition to hosting mock interviews and providing career development resources, the center’s staff also coordinated 225 classroom visits by industry pr<strong>of</strong>essionals, instructed 57 classroom presentations on a variety <strong>of</strong> topics (from resume writing to pr<strong>of</strong>essional attire to networking) and hosted 35 employer information marketing tables and 20 employer information sessions. As you can tell, Boughner’s dedication to both his education and pr<strong>of</strong>ession helped him advance through the ranks over the years. Now, as the president <strong>of</strong> Echelon Resorts, a subsidiary <strong>of</strong> Boyd Gaming, and as a director <strong>of</strong> Boyd Gaming Corporation, Boughner is inspiring tomorrow’s hoteliers and gaming executives. What does he suggest to those who wish to emulate his success? “Stay in school! Listen attentively and ask a lot <strong>of</strong> questions. Take your education seriously but have some fun along the way.” Robyn Campbell-Ouchida, ’00 M A 9 SPRING 2009 ≤ PREMIER