The distance between some rural Nevada high schools and the University of Nevada, Reno is farther than the actual miles.
"I consider us a modest-sized university in a medium-sized city," said President Milton Glick. "But for some of these kids, the university is bigger than the towns they're from. It can be a hard transition."
Glick is working with Lyon County School District officials to ease that transition.
All Lyon County high school students and parents are invited to attend a forum with Glick and the vice president for student services Shannon Ellis at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Fernley High School.
Buses will be available at the other four high schools to transport all interested students.
"We want to give every single high school student in Lyon County access to hear President Glick," said Lyon County School District Superintendent Caroline McIntosh. "They'll learn the steps they need to take to be successful."
Glick said he is excited about having a "real conversation" to help students understand that college is possible.
"I really do believe we have a huge problem. In the state of Nevada, the likelihood that a
19-year-old will go to college is the lowest in the nation," he said. "How can we afford to be at the bottom of that list?"
He said enrolling in college is just the first step, however.
"We don't want them just to go to college," he said. "We want them to graduate."
The forum is part of the school district's initiative to ensure all students are career or college ready by graduation.
During a student summit in January, students offered suggestions to the school board as to how they thought the school district could improve.
One of the goals that came out of the summit was to increase the rigor of the curriculum and better prepare students for higher learning.
"We want to help bridge that gap," McIntosh said.
All high school students interested in riding a bus to the forum should sign up in the principal's office at their schools.