. >> reporter: jacob thompson says professors are taking phil take -- are taking full advantage of this opportunity. >> we're offering a series of courses. i'm teaching a class in presidential debates and students are really take to it. we haven't even got be to the debate yet. >> reporter: len jessup says from an aggressive building campaign to a newly-announced football training stadium, the future is brighter than ever for this campus. >> and to go with it, maybe a stadium. [laughter] >> we had a good day today. >> reporter: a proposed new stadium for the raiders football team would be home base for the rebels. the next step he says, moving unlv into such as the pac 12. what he's asking for now is the community's continued support. >> we are different. we are daring. we are diverse. we are unlv. >> reporter: and unlv is also moving forward with plans to become a top-tier research facility. there is a lot going on here. a lot of changes for a university that is only reporting live at unlv, i'm denise rosch for news 3. back to you. >> success we can all rally around. thank you. >>> an

here with more is jacob thompson, the associate sanford debate forum. good morning. >> good morning. >> 6:00 o'clock tonight's from hofstra university. lester holt is going to be moderating. why are debates so important to this process? >> well, it's an important moment in america's democratic process. it's a condensation point in the campaign. it's the only chance that we have to see the two candidates standing side by side contesting one another and so it's really a chance for the electorate to compare both candidates on important issues. >> over the years, these debates have kind of morphed in importance, 46 years to the day, 1960 you had john f. kennedy. you had richard nixon. people that heard over the radio thought nixon might have won by a hair. people that saw on television thought kennedy slam dunked it. >> wow. >> it's more than just the words. it's really that the theatrics of it all. and image played a huge role in the 1960 debate. i've read polls that indicate 6% of voters, 4 million american, made a decision who to vote for on solely watch

jacob's body. wetterling's case is not unlike the case aurora girl aaron a. thompson. her father was convicted of her death, but her body was never found. the case is also similar to the famed ways of jonbenet ramsey. the boulder police department released a video about it last week. >> we have not and will not investigation in finding justice for jonbenet. >> reporter: then dylan. his remains were found 7 months after he disappeared. to this day still unsolved. even years after the deaths of these colorado children, perhaps like wetterling someday there will be answers. >> 9news tried contacting trevor wetterling on saturday with no luck. the wetterling family issued a statement saying that their hearts were broken. >> up seeing this large animal at the denver zoo. this morning we are sorry to say dolly, the elephant, has died. dolly lived a long life. the tenth oldest elephant in the north american zoo. the average life expectancy for elephants in zoos is 46. the zoo said she will be remembered as one of the sweetest and most trusted at heart. >> a lot of comments on

thompson of hainesville, minnesota. that is the community on a farm there where jacobs remains were discovered.s is something, for many people in are community, your childrens age, their entire lives this has been something hanging over their heads. how is your community handling this? >> first of all, there is a deep sense of sadness and a sense of relief that jacob's remains have been found and there can be not necessarily closure but some bit of that for the wetterling family and those involved. >> for all those years, people kept their porch lights on in case jacob came home so he could see his way home. this is something that permeated your town and towns around you. >> we are all neighbors here. small town america, we need to get along and live with each other and we share each other's happinesses or burdens and losses. this has affected many of us. >> major thompson, patty wetterling has reacted to this news. she tells cnn, our hearts are broken. there are no words. as a parent, what's your reaction to this most recent news? >> well, my reaction is that as sad a story as this has become,