Thursday, July 1, 1999 | 11:39 a.m.
Embattled higher education Chancellor Richard Jarvis shocked Nevada's academic world today, announcing his resignation effective Aug. 31 -- a year before his contract is due to end.
Jarvis will become the founding chancellor of the United States Open University in Washington D.C., an extension of The Open University, an online institution based in the United Kingdom and said to have the largest enrollment of any institution in that country.
"This comes as a surprise to me," Southern Nevada Regent Steve Sisolak said when he heard the news.
Sisolak was among Jarvis' harshest critics, but he said the criticism was meant to be constructive.
"We had identified some areas of concern regarding his communication with presidents and regents, but he was attempting to correct those problems," Sisolak said.
The regents were to hold a special meeting July 12-13 in Las Vegas to evaluate Jarvis' performance.
Regent Mark Alden, at a heated regents' meeting in February, called for Jarvis' resignation.
"I felt he was not paying attention to the needs of Southern Nevada," Alden said.
He called his resignation demand a "shot across the bow" to gain the chancellor's attention.
"He got the wake-up call. Overall, I think he did a terrific job. Where he lacked was his communication skills," Alden said.
In a terse, four-paragraph press release, Jarvis did not mention the controversies that have plagued him and the higher education system in recent months -- controversies spawned by the issue of differences in funding between the northern and southern colleges and universities.
"It has been an extraordinary privilege to serve the University and Community College System of Nevada and the state of Nevada for the past five years," Jarvis said. "I am deeply grateful for the support of higher education by Gov. (Kenny) Guinn, Gov. (Bob) Miller, Sen. (Bill) Raggio and Speaker (Joe) Dini, along with many other legislators and community leaders."
Jarvis, who earns $208,000 a year, was unavailable for comment after his press release was sent to the media. Jarvis, who was born and raised in England, came to Nevada in 1994 from the New York university system, where he was vice chancellor and acting provost. His wife, Marilou, is vice president for finance and administration at the Desert Research Institute in Las Vegas.
Former Regent Madison Graves said he was "shocked" and deeply disappointed that Jarvis is leaving.
"This is a tremendous loss to Nevada," said Graves, who was replaced by Sisolak. "Richard Jarvis brought so much to the University and Community College System of Nevada. He is truly one of the visionaries in higher education."
Graves lauded Jarvis for "leading the charge" to bring a law school to UNLV. He said Jarvis' critics were unfair.
"Some of the regents are at fault for this," Graves said. "It's been a mean-spirited type of environment."
Graves said Jarvis fought for funding equity for the state's southern schools.
"He's been a big proponent of Southern Nevada," Graves said. "He knew the growth was here."
Another former regent, Rep. Shelley Berkley, praised Jarvis for accomplishing a lot but said he never "accurately gauged the increasing anger among Southern Nevadans."
"This has been a festering wound for a long time," Berkley said. "Ever since I was a student at UNLV (1968), there has been a discrepancy in funding with Southern Nevada getting less than its fair share."
Berkley said the chancellor's office should be moved to Las Vegas.
"We need a chancellor with a Southern Nevada focus," Berkley said.
Community College of Southern Nevada president Richard Moore said he was not exactly surprised by the announcement. Within the last month, he said, he has talked privately with Jarvis about taking the job with U.S. Open University.
"I think this was a good opportunity for him," Moore said. "He's a very talented guy, and he has always had an interest in distance education."
Moore said Jarvis had been a strong supporter of distance learning in his five years in Nevada. The community college now offers 40 types of courses through videotapes and the Internet.
"You can complete your classes without ever coming on campus," said Moore, who says distance learning is a big part of the future of education. "This is where Bill Gates is taking us and where junior high school kids already are."
Moore declined to elaborate on the debate over whether Jarvis had been a champion of equitable funding.
"There has been a perception, that in some ways has been borne out, that the southern institutions have not fared as well," Moore said. "I don't want to criticize the chancellor. I want to celebrate his good news."
Dorothy Gallagher of Elko, the senior regent, said Jarvis did an "outstanding job."
"But I can certainly understand his decision with the board in disarray," Gallagher said. She said it would be tough to get a new high-caliber chancellor. "Richard Jarvis enjoys a national reputation. This will be known, and it will deter some very good applicants."
Gallagher said she thought the evaluation process of the chancellor was "very demeaning to him (Jarvis) and to the board."
Board Chairwoman Jill Derby of Gardnerville said it was "an entire surprise" to her, but she knew he was looking for a new job. "He made a tremendous contribution. We wish him well. He's brought good leadership and vision, and we've advanced considerably in the five years he's been here."
Derby said she did not think there would be a problem in replacing Jarvis. The job is a good one in a growing system. But she said the regents "are going to take some time" before choosing a new leader. There will be an interim appointment.
Regent Tom Kirkpatrick of Las Vegas learned of the resignation when contacted by a Sun reporter.
Asked if he was surprised, Kirkpatrick said, "Yes and no. He knew he had some rough times ahead. He's very intelligent and I'm sad to see him go. He will be hard to replace."
He said he did not think there will be a lack of candidates. "Lots of people want the challenge. But it will take some time."
Kirkpatrick said Jarvis had a "better than 50-50 chance" of surviving the evaluation. He said he had differences with Jarvis but at the same time felt that he was highly qualified. "I don't think enough attention was paid (by Jarvis) to Southern Nevada. That deficit tripled," during Jarvis' tenure, he said.
Senate Majority Leader Bill Raggio, R-Reno, called the resignation a "loss for the university system." Jarvis, according to Raggio, did a "credible job and he was a strong chancellor. It will be very difficult to replace a man of his stature.
"He (Jarvis) was a strong voice for the university system in the Legislature," Raggio said.
Guinn, who went to bat for Jarvis with some of the regents, said he was "disappointed" to see the chancellor leave. He said the state was losing a good person but wished him well in his future job.
Guinn called Jarvis "an outstanding leader and one of the finest individuals I have ever worked with.
He said the university system will "definitely suffer because of his absence."
UNLV president Carol Harter issued this quote through her press office: "I wish Dr. Jarvis well in his new endeavor and wish him the best of luck."
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