Community college governance doesn’t need restructuring; let’s move forward

By Michael Richards

Sunday, March 13, 2016 | 3 a.m.

Community college governance seems to be cycling back into discussion. This topic has been reviewed multiple times in the Legislature. A legislative committee made recommendations that the Board of Regents has implemented, and they are working.

Let us set aside politics and put our energy where we need it most: our students. What can we do to improve the pipeline with our K-12 and business and industry partners and seamless transfer to Nevada State College, UNLV and UNR? I suggest we focus on data-supported policy changes that will improve Nevada’s future and that of our children. I urge this state to enhance the Nevada System of Higher Education with its eight collaborative colleges, universities and research institution for three reasons: students, money and time.

Students

Our partnerships are crucial to helping college students succeed. College of Southern Nevada students who graduate with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Business degree transfer seamlessly as juniors to NSC, UNLV and UNR. In terms of individual courses transferring, we are constantly working with our sister institutions to ensure the credits are acknowledged at all Nevada public institutions. Removing the community colleges from NSHE would add further complications.

Rather than rehash points that never gained traction, let’s discuss what resources we have and how we can better use them statewide. Let us continue our collaborations in the areas of finding better technological solutions, improving student services, affordability, college readiness, a prison education program (Nevada does not have one), accountability measures, the number of Free Application for Federal Student Aid applicants (Nevada left $19 million in Pell grants on the table last year, according to Department of Education data) and improving financial literacy for students. These are areas in which progressive public policy could make a difference for our students.

Money

It is no secret state resources for higher education are extremely limited. Any effort to pull the community colleges out of NSHE and into a separate system is costly. This is not a zero-sum proposal, in which one could simply remove the state funding spent on community colleges and place it into a new community college system. Our student registration and enrollment platform, along with our human resources and financing system, are shared with other NSHE institutions. This brings cost savings and efficiencies that would have to be duplicated with a separate system.

The Board of Regents is crafting its budget proposal for the governor and supports an increase in funding for community college career and technical education courses to include in its request. The regents support extending the workforce fund adopted in the recent special session to help us diversify our economy by training the workforce for companies such as Faraday Future. The board also is discussing including in its request an expansion of the Silver State Opportunity Grant, a scholarship targeting motivated and college-ready low-income students.

Time

Organizational restructuring rarely happens smoothly. Which class of recent high school graduates, dislocated workers or single parents trying to get college degrees and work full time would we want to experience this turmoil? There’s never a good time as far as our students are concerned. The NSHE system is not perfect, but it is constantly evolving for the betterment of our students.

One of those positive changes is the institutional advisory councils created out of the most recent legislative study. CSN’s council has created a strong link to our community for input and feedback. Our IACs work hard to advocate for us and ensure we are moving in tune with community and workforce needs. They are helping CSN study our alignment with the local job market and will help inform our 2017-27 strategic plan at our next meeting April 6. I encourage anyone curious about local input into our community colleges to attend.

Nevada is on the move, creating the New Nevada economy to which the governor so often refers. Our colleges are key players in that economic development and diversification. Let’s look forward to how we can help our students in this new world instead of rehashing the past.

Michael Richards is president of the College of Southern Nevada.