‘Interim’ could be removed from CSN president’s title

By Charlotte Hsu

Monday, April 7, 2008 | 2 a.m.

College of Southern Nevada’s interim president will be a candidate for the permanent post.

The Board of Regents voted 11-1 Thursday to allow Michael Richards to apply for the top job even though his interim contract specified he did not intend to be a contender.

Regents initially left Richards out of the applicant pool in part because they did not want him to use his power to curry favor with members of a committee advising regents in the search, Regent Steve Sisolak said. With finalists to be announced this month, that concern is no longer compelling, he said.

Still, the decision raises questions.

Three advisory committee members — Patty Charlton Dayar, vice president of finance and budget; Arthur Byrd, vice president of student affairs; and Thomas Brown, chief administrator of CSN’s Cheyenne campus — report directly to Richards. Positive evaluations could lead to a 2.5 percent salary boost, although the chancellor has to approve any increases.

The perceived conflict of interest is a valid concern, Regents Chairman Michael Wixom said. But the advisory committee’s size — about 25 members — dilutes the influence of each member and should alleviate those concerns, he said.

In addition, the advisory committee is just that — advisory. Sisolak heads the committee of regents that will choose the finalist to recommend to the full board of regents.

Richards dismissed the notion that he would try to unfairly influence the search, and he noted that the evaluations likely won’t be completed until after a presidential finalist emerges.

Having Richards in the pool will give the CSN community the option of choosing “stability and continuity,” Sisolak said.

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Jason Geddes, the only regent to vote against Richards’ inclusion, said he worried that bringing in the interim president would prompt other contenders to drop out.

Other higher education officials shared that concern when the search began.

“I would say that there would be people from the outside who would prefer not to be part of a pool that includes an insider,” said Dan Klaich, executive vice chancellor of the higher education system.

But he added that he thought alienating other applicants was less likely now that the search is so far along.

“The pool is closed,” he said, “so I think the people who are in are in, and they’ve made their decision whether they want to be in or not.”

Regents emphasized that their consideration of Richards is not a guarantee they will pick him to lead the college.

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UNLV is starting a new doctoral program in political science with strong focus on international issues.

Regents OK’d the program on Friday and expect six students in its first year this fall.

Many political science departments in the West admit fewer than one in three doctoral applicants, turning away qualified scholars, according to UNLV’s program proposal.

It won’t duplicate UNR’s program, which focuses on public administration and public policy. In a three-year-old letter of support, Stacy Gordon, then chairman of UNR’s political science department, wrote, “These areas of the discipline are not currently central to the graduate curriculum of any department in the state and, yet, educating students in these fields is critical in an era where globalization/internationalization is becoming increasingly important.”

Several regents expressed reservations about starting new programs at a time when colleges are undergoing budget cuts. UNLV is trying to end a program for every one it starts. Officials plan to ask regents’ permission in June to dismantle degree programs in health sciences and fitness management.

“It makes sense to prune away programs that are no longer relevant,” said Neal Smatresk, UNLV’s executive vice president and provost.

The savings from cutting the two degrees will be minimal.

No students have been enrolled in the health sciences bachelor’s program for about five years, and the fitness management program will continue as a concentration under a bachelor’s program UNLV offers in kinesiology. That should allow streamlined administration, advising and program review.