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Published Tuesday, April 1, 2008 | 11:50 a.m.
Updated Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008 | 2:14 p.m.
The College of Southern Nevada's interim president could become a candidate for the school's permanent presidency.
Michael Richards has led the college since summer, when his predecessor took a job in Texas. His contract for the interim presidency specifies that he does not intend to be a candidate for the permanent position.
That appears to have changed.
Richards is not available for comment today. But later this week, the Board of Regents that governs higher education will consider allowing Richards to be included in CSN's search for a permanent president.
Final candidates for the position are expected to be announced this month. Regent Steve Sisolak, who is chairing the regents' search committee, said he wanted to let Richards apply because the only internal applicant vying to lead CSN dropped out of the running recently.
Having an internal candidate will give the CSN community the option of having "stability and continuity" as the college undergoes painful budget cuts, Sisolak said. He credited Richards with encouraging students and
faculty members to work together to address budget problems.
"I've been approached by several of my colleagues who have been very impressed by the way he's handled the interim job," Sisolak said of Richards.
"He's very calm, he's relaxed. The highs aren't too high and the lows aren't too low."
Sisolak noted that including Richards in the search "doesn't assure that he gets anywhere, just that he be looked at."
Regents initially did not want Richards to apply for the permanent job. That's because they did not want him to be able to use his power to curry favor with members of a committee advising regents in the search process, Sisolak said. Several people who sit on that committee are CSN administrators and faculty members whom Richards supervises.
But with only weeks left before final candidates are announced, Sisolak believes that concern is no longer compelling. Later this week, we'll find out if his fellow regents agree.
This reversal is hard to believe. Now is the time the pressure is mounting for those who sit on the selection committee and who work for Mike Richards directly or indirectly. Can you imagine them raising their hands in public to vote against Mike Richards? Sisolak has it backwards. But then again this is Vegas where integrity and sticking to promises and public trust are not a concern. What good was this agreement to begin with; and then what good are the other agreements the Board of Regents enter into. Did anybody stop to think that the reason Mike Richards hasn't seen highs and lows is because he has avoided decisions that would put him up high or down low. Ask the faculty what they think - now that would be a novel idea!
Sisolak is not at our campuses to know if Mike Richards is “... very calm, he’s relaxed. The highs aren’t too high and the lows aren’t too low.” Ask the faculty and you'll get a different picture. Richards has made NO MAJOR DECISIONS in 10 months; he is a placeholder and his purpose is to avoid upsetting the applecart. The faculty knows Mike Richards from several years of his history as a VP. The faculty knows, give them a forum.