Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Gibbons delivers good news, bad news

CARSON CITY - Gov. Jim Gibbons brought good news and bad news to the state's higher-education board Thursday.

His four-minute speech before the Board of Regents earned two standing ovations, led by Chairman - and fellow Republican - Bret Whipple, even if Gibbons' brevity bewildered many listeners.

Moving quickly beyond the introductory, "I think you guys and girls are doing a great job educating the people of this state," Gibbons jumped directly to the meat and potatoes of why he was there.

First came the bad news.

Gibbons warned regents that early reports from the state Economic Forum, which forecasts tax revenues, showed the state taking in $50 million less than expected for this biennium. That loss could cut into spending for higher education, Gibbons said.

"At the federal level, you wouldn't even notice it," Gibbons said. "It is a significant part of the budget at the state level."

The good news for higher-education officials was that Gibbons endorsed an idea floated by Chancellor Jim Rogers to allow the state's universities and colleges to keep every penny they collect from future tuition increases. Currently, nearly two-thirds of tuition goes to the state to offset what the state pays out for higher education.

By keeping future increases in tuition, colleges and universities will have greater ability to plan.

Gibbons said he thought it was a good idea to give the campuses greater control and responsibility for where tuition dollars go. As state funding dwindles, campuses will need to rely more on dollars contributed on their own campuses.

"The state's share of higher-education funding is going to have to go through an adjustment period," said Gibbons, who left without allowing for any questions from regents.

The notion has found both support and resistance among state lawmakers, and is unlikely to win approval in the 2007 Legislature.

Rogers, system presidents and student government leaders have pushed for the change. Students have told regents they are willing to pay higher tuition if they can see immediate impact on their education.

When the tuition dollars go to the state, campus administrators are uncertain how much will come back, which hinders their ability to meet local needs, UNLV President David Ashley said.

"It would make it much more efficient for us to operate our campuses" to keep future increases, Ashley said.

The proposal is part of Rogers' overall plan to improve the quality of higher education and make it more affordable. Part of each tuition increase goes directly to financial aid. Those who can afford to pay do so, Rogers said, but the new arrangement would leave more money for students in need.

"If the state is not going to give us the money, they shouldn't keep us from getting it somewhere else" by raising tuition, Rogers said.

Gibbons' speech was followed up later in the afternoon by a presentation from Assemblywoman Bonnie Parnell, D-Carson City, chairwoman of the education committee.

Parnell gave a detailed overview of bills before the Assembly affecting technical education, dual credit programs, the Millennium Scholarship program and reform efforts to improve higher education.

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