Thursday, May 25, 2017 | 7:16 p.m.
CARSON CITY — By an 18-2 vote, the Nevada Senate Thursday approved a proposed constitutional amendment to trim the power of the university’s Board of Regents.
The measure, Assembly Joint Resolution 5, would eliminate the constitutional protection of the elective Board of Regents. It says the university regents at times have “hindered, thwarted or undermined the Legislature’s investigation, review and scrutiny of the institutions, programs and operations of the Nevada System of Higher Education.”
The creation of the university system and its regents is in the Nevada Constitution and this amendment would remove that protection.
The measure would have to be approved by the 2019 Legislature and then by the voters in 2020.
The Legislature now controls the budget of the university system. But the elective member board of regents can set other policies.
The resolution says the university should be subject to the laws and control by the Legislature as other state agencies.
The proposed constitutional says, “The Board of Regents has, at various times relied on its constitutional status and its authority to control and manage the affairs of the State University as a defensive shield and cloak against the people’s legislative check of accountability.”
It says the Legislature, if the constitutional amendment is passed, must provide for the governance, control and management of the university system and provide for the protection of individual academic freedom for students, employees and contractors.
And the Legislature would be required to promote “intellectual, literary, scientific, mining, mechanical, agricultural, ethical and other educational improvements.”
Voting against the resolution were Republican Sens. Heidi Gansert of Reno and Don Gustavson of Sparks.
Gansert, a university executive, said she does not benefit more than any other senator and is not in a conflict of interest violation.
AJR-5 was approved 38-4 previously in the Assembly.
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