Friday, June 10, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Hours after the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents received a letter from business leaders asking it to postpone a vote to appoint an interim chancellor, the board proceeded with its action, voting 11-2 to place Dale Erquiaga in the post.
The Vegas Chamber, Latin Chamber of Commerce, Urban Chamber of Commerce in Las Vegas, Council for a Better Nevada, Clark County Education Association, the AFL-CIO, the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce and the Engelstad Foundation sent a letter ahead of the Thursday meeting asking that the board postpone the appointment and provide a full list of names of all the people who were considered.
The letter criticized the board for not having a transparent and “inclusive community” process.
Chairwoman Cathy McAdoo said she understood the concerns about the process, but said she followed the provisions.
“As imperfect as these provisions may be, I followed the criteria in the code and I bring to you today a candidate who I believe is best prepared to lead the system until a permanent chancellor is selected,” McAdoo said, and the board’s interim chief general counsel James Martines agreed. McAdoo said she sought input from other groups and considered other candidates as well.
Erquiaga, the executive director at the Kenny Guinn Center for Policy Priorities, previously served as Nevada’s superintendent of public instruction and as chief strategy officer for Gov. Brian Sandoval.
Erquiaga, who graduated from UNR, has a track record of policy development and is a unifier, McAdoo said. He will be able to address educational pipeline issues the state is facing, she said.
“No one has agonized over this recommendation more than I have,” McAdoo said.
The board voted 11-2, with regents John T. Moran and Lois Tarkanian voting no, more so because of the process. Regent Laura Perkins, who attended the meeting remotely, did not vote.
“I really feel that we have not in this case been as open as we should have been,” Tarkanian said, “and I’m not criticizing the people involved. … We are hurting people who wanted to speak on it who cannot.”
Moran said he voted no “based on form and not in substance,” and said he thinks Erquiaga will make a “fine chancellor.” Moran said he thinks the bylaws are not entirely clear and could be trimmed.
“We need to make certain that we are making decisions that are transparent, that are open, that have an opportunity to bring consensus to the items that we place on our agenda for consideration,” he said.
Regent Jason Geddes noted that this is the process the board has used in the past, having done it three times since he’s been on the board.
“Dale knows Nevada,” he said. “Dale knows how to get a budget through the governor’s office. Dale knows how to get a budget through the Legislature.”
Erquiaga spoke after the vote, saying it has been almost 41 years since he stepped foot on the UNR campus, where the meeting was, as a freshman. He promised to listen to students, faculty and staff during his tenure.
“I know there’s a lot of work to do, and I’m looking forward to that,” Erquiaga said.
Also during the meeting, McAdoo was reelected as the board’s chair, and regent Amy Carvalho as the vice chair.
Erquiaga replaces Melody Rose, who parted ways with the board in March to end a four-year contract after just 19 months on the job. Rose, the fifth chancellor in the system since 2016, accused McAdoo and board member Patrick Carter of gender discrimination, intimidation and retaliation.
But an investigation by the Kamer Zucker Abbott law firm found insufficient evidence to support Rose’s claims. But it concluded the board had engaged in unprofessional behavior, was factionalized politically and had possibly committed ethical violations.
