Private school could help with teacher shortage

Regis University, a Jesuit school that received conditional authorization Feb. 10 to operate in Las Vegas, would be Nevada's first college with a religious affiliation. It also would be the only private college in the state to help students complete baccalaureate degrees in education and become first-time teachers.

Other private schools in Las Vegas offer master's-level programs in education, but those programs cater to teachers hoping to move up the pay scale or into administrative posts.

Regis University has been working on a cooperative arrangement with the Community College of Southern Nevada, a publicly funded school, that would send some of its students to the private college after they finished lower-division education classes and other general education requirements.

"Your need for teachers in Las Vegas is staggering," said Bill Husson, dean of Regis University's School for Professional Studies. "We are very excited about helping out with that area of need."

Husson said the school would target working adults and offer classes in the evenings and on weekends. Fifty students are expected for enrollment in undergraduate education classes this fall, with that number expected to double in two years, he said.

Before graduating and becoming candidates for initial teacher licensure, students would need to complete about 60 credits at the community college and 40 to 60 upper-division credits from Regis at a cost of about $200 per credit, compared with $69 per credit at UNLV.

The Clark County School District expects to hire 1,500 to 1,800 new teachers a year for the next several years.

Richard Jarvis, chancellor for the University and Community College System of Nevada, said he welcomes Regis University to Nevada because "the more players we have to help with this teacher shortage, the better."

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