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Sam Morris
Jim Rogers, chancellor of public higher education in Nevada and a frequent and vocal critic of the governor, speaks at a Jan. 22 rally at UNLV.
Published Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2009 | 5:51 p.m.
Updated Friday, Feb. 27, 2009 | 5:10 p.m.
The ever-entertaining Jim Rogers-Jim Gibbons feud is “over,” says the Rogers half of that running skirmish. Funny how public letters of reprimand and a few million dollars of federal surplus money can mellow even the most irascible chancellor.
Issued today by Board of Regents Chair Michael B. Wixom and Vice Chair Jason Geddes was a letter wrist-slapping Chancellor Rogers for the Sunday op-ed piece he wrote – probably with his fists – for the Nevada Appeal of Carson City. (Link to the letter here, as it was sent earlier by Sun political columnist Jon Ralston). In his original column, Rogers said of Gibbons, “The man has absolutely no regard for the welfare of any other human being.” So how do you really feel, Jim? There was more, too. If you haven’t already, read the manifesto here.
Students Rally Against Budget Cuts
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diggAbout 2,000 college students and supporters rallied at UNLV's campus protesting a proposed 36 percent budget cut to higher education.
To use a term Rogers is familiar with from his work with classic cars, the column reads like a bottle-rattling ride in a 1925 Tin Lizzie. Some fallout had to be expected, and it arrived today as Wixom and Geddes essentially reminded Rogers that he is not authorized to speak for the Board of Regents when writing these types of opinion columns, and that his often-acidic rhetoric can reflect badly on the entire board.
“The regents were concerned that I was representing their opinion, which is not an unreasonable position to take,” Rogers said this afternoon during a phone interview from his Las Vegas home. When I asked if the reprimand would at all cause him to curtail his comments about the governor, whom he’s repeatedly labeled, “irrelevant,” Rogers said, “No. I mean, the issues with the governor are pretty much over as far as I’m concerned. They were limited to the budget issue, and that will be resolved in the Legislature.”
Wixom and Geddes also appointed Vice Chancellor Dan Klaich as liaison to Gibbons, taking that role from Rogers. That had to happen; on Monday, Gibbons told the Nevada Appeal he simply would not talk to Rogers after Rogers vented in the op-ed piece.
Gibbons’ budget proposal, which would have sliced deeply into the state’s higher education budget by up to 36 percent, was the reason for Rogers’ ire toward the governor. Rogers has a passion for education that can be measure in the many millions of dollars he has donated to such universities as UNLV, the University of Arizona, Idaho State University in Pocatello, and Carroll College in Montana. He also donates his $23,660 annual salary as chancellor back to the higher ed system. Rogers has a big heart, a big bank account and, at times, a temper to match both. But the stimulus funding has, indeed, made the Gibbons’ budget something other than relevant.
During our chat, I also asked Rogers if he’d seen President Obama’s speech to Congress last night. “I didn’t see it, at least not all of it,” he said. “I’ve caught parts of it here and there. Everybody I’ve talked to said it was amazing. (Obama) is brilliant beyond belief, practical, well-read. I mean, I voted for him, no question about that.” Rogers once introduced Bill Clinton at a fundraising event as “one of the smartest men in the world.” Does Obama measure up? “He really does, and I’ve talked to people who have worked for Clinton and know Obama, and Obama is pretty much intellectually equal, but not with the ego. I don’t see him having one. He’s 47, he’s mature, and this job kind of sobers up a lot of people.”
Bad temper or not, Rogers is a great advocate for education. We need more Nevadans like him. Thanks, Chancellor for your great work.
Chancellor Rogers has done a great job of being an advocate for education - and Gibbons is no longer relevant, so now is as good a time as any to move on and not waste anymore time or energy on the worst Governor in Nevada history!
Rogers' column in the Nevada Appeal is over the top.
Rogers' personal feud with Gibbons is harming our university system. It is only making the job more difficult for those well-meaning legislators who are struggling to get back funding that is so lacking in Gibbons' proposed budget.
Rogers goes out of his way to personally attack Gibbons as a greedy dunderhead. OK, it's funny but it is also a terrible legislative strategy when the university system is facing a major financial crisis.
Some say Gibbons "is no longer relevant," but as long as is governor, he runs Nevada's executive branch of government and has the juice that could end up cutting and stinging our university system.
"Rogers goes out of his way to personally attack Gibbons as a greedy dunderhead."
Gee, now I like Rogers even more. The role he's in requires a strong personality. He's got one. Good for him and us!
Rogers said that he wanted Democrats to win seats.
He is a pure one-sided Democrat.
I hope that Nevada State Republicans remember this when dealing with him.
Rogers has worked with Republicans like Bill Raggio to help higher education.
Jfnance32 apparently doesn't like that kind of bipartisanship. He wants republicans to hate Jim Rogers because Rogers wants more people who will help higher education?
Meanwhile, whining about bipartisanship is disingenuous and transparent coming from someone like jfnance32.
Rogers works very hard against Republicans.
Rogers is no friend of Republicans.
I hope Republican Senators realize that Rogers works against them.
Ah yes, the "Us vs. Them" approach from someone criticizing Rogers from being partisan.
Do as you say, not as you do, right jfnance32?
Raggio has praised Rogers in the past. "No friend of republicans?" Kenny Guinn had a great relationship with higher education. "No friend of Gibbons" is more like it.
What in the world ever gave the impression Jim Rogers is a Democrat????
Jim Rogers loves the State of Nevada, this is why Jim Rogers fights so hard, for every Nevadan, Gibbons on the other hand, does not care about this Great State or its people, our so called corrupt Governor only cares about himself, and what he can gain for himself when he leaves office.
Jim Rogers is a Great Man, who should have been our Governor. Nevadan's love Jim Rogers for standing up to, the devil Jim Gibbons...
The Regents should have accepted Rogers' resignation when they had the chance.
Rogers should be fired by the Regents right now. In the last week, he has done more to deny funding to higher education in Nevada than Gibbons ever did. I always think it's interesting when a millionaire like Rogers tells me to pay more in taxes. Rogers' ego is too big. The Regents should muster some courage and get rid of Rogers... he has made himself a liablity in the Legislature.
Rogers has been trying to f.over Republicans for awhile now. He help fund the Democratic takeover of the senate including the scumbag ads that they ran that was full of sewage.
I hope Senate Republicans and the governor remember this.
Rogers now knows he picked on the wrong guy (the governor) for the cuts the higher education system will undergo until the economy improves. The governor doesn't set the ways the state takes in revenues for operating the wheels of state government. The governor must decide how to spread that revenue to the various state agencies, including Rogers' bailiwick. Let's put the onus on the legislators and go on from there.
Thank you to Wixon and Geddes for starting to get this under control.
We all know that the budget cuts are here whether we like it or not. It is much better to be proactive and deal with the situation because pushing it off will not do any good. Immature insults will not magically increase the budget.
I hope that the cuts start soon because the sooner that cuts are made, the more money saved in the long run and that may save a few extra jobs than stretching things out would do.
AngryReader - I agree! My opinion is that there is a lot of pork in the UNLV budget. I haven't read much about UNLV trying to be more efficient to adjust to the budget problem. It seems to be just denial of the situation. They still employee full time lecturers when they could increase teaching loads of tenured faculty that aren't bringing in research money. I think that they have a lot of new programs that only attracted a handful of students yet they employee many professors for those programs that make six figures. COME ON, MAKE SOME GOOD WILL GESTURE that you are trying to cut costs.
I think that it would be good publicity for them to make some cuts this week to show that they are cooperating and have a PR person do an article. The article can not be fake though that they offered fewer classes this semester or anything like that because combining sections of a class or offering some small enrollment courses once, instead of twice a year is not a big sacrifice in my opinion.
Nevadaappleslices, they've been making cuts and finding efficiencies. For all your interest in UNLV and claiming their budget is so filled with "pork," you missed the widely publicized press release from awhile back:
http://www.unlv.edu/budget/costsaving/pd...
nevadaappleslices has an agenda against UNLV.
What is behind it?
nance; You sir have the unmitigated gall to bring up the democratic ads from this past election and NOT MENTION YOUR FRIENDS FROM THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, AND THEIR SLEAZY ADS???
You do have nerve, I'll give ya that.
The Democrats ran a sewer campaign. The Democrats claim that one senator wanted children dead and another was for cancer and made up an ethics investigation were none.
All that was funded by Rogers.
I think that they proved that a sewer campaign works.