Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Chancellor’s memo outlines scenarios involving closures, consolidations

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Chancellor Dan Klaich

In a sweeping memorandum on budget cuts dated Feb. 19, the chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education asked college presidents to plan for enormous budget cuts assuming, for example, that Nevada State College in Henderson was merged into UNLV “and/or” the College of Southern Nevada.

Daniel Klaich said he did not recommend the consolidations. He said the planning involved “various scenarios” and nothing more.

The moves resemble a plan circulated at UNLV last week by Bryan Spangelo, a UNLV chemistry professor. It would consolidate nine campuses into four.

Ten of 13 regents strongly oppose or are leaning against the Spangelo proposal. The remaining three take no position.

The scenarios, Klaich wrote, are designed to provide information to the Board of Regents, who meet March 10, on possible consequences of $162 million in budget cuts proposed by Gov. Brian Sandoval.

The Legislature must approve a budget by June.

“To be absolutely clear, we are not recommending any of the options that are referred to in this memorandum, and we do not construe your questions as an expression by the Board to that effect,” Klaich wrote in a short memorandum.

The six scenarios are:

• Consolidation of Desert Research Institute into UNR and UNLV.

• Consolidation of “all northern community colleges.”

• Consolidation of Western Nevada College and Truckee Meadows Community College.

• Consolidation of Nevada State College into UNLV and/or College of Southern Nevada.

• “Closing of all satellite campuses, branch campuses, centers, and the like.”

• “Consolidation of similar programs at like institutions.”

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