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The Board of Regents appointed Michael Richards this morning as the College of Southern Nevada's new president.
Richards, who had led the college as interim president since August 2007, will draw an annual salary of $210,000. He will also get a yearly car allowance of $8,000 and a yearly housing allowance of $12,000, the standard perks Nevada's community college chiefs receive.
Various happenings in the Las Vegas Valley, from the Sun's news staff.
The Pearl at the Palms | 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
CityCenter-Crystals | 5 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.
Stirling Club | 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Treasure Island Theatre
Stoney's Rockin' Country
Ilori Sunglass Boutique | 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Locally owned and independent for more than 50 years.
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Thanks to Professor Stan VerNooy for speaking up for us.
I have always admired Professor Mike Green, but I don't think he understands the scope of damage that Mike Richards has inflicted upon the college. As to comparatively, Mike Richards was contacting the CSN faculty more - he was the VPAA and he had to come to those department and division meetings. Have you been to one of those meetings? Mike Richards demeans, threatens, lies to appeace faculty, but then denies what he said previously, in those meetings. The recent news announcement of births and deaths to the entire college is to find something to do for KC Howard, the new Helen Clougherty, another waste of taxpayers' money, even if it's from the office of the interim president but is no credit to Mike Richards.
Let's call it like it is. Mike Richards has no more contact with faculty than Richard Carpenter. Even when Professor Rosenthal asked him about faculty interaction, he could only scramble to brag that he interacted with "faculty leaders". Those "faculty leaders" turn out to be huge disasters for the faculty they are supposed to represent. They are Mike Richards' henchmen. Mike Richards has no contact of faculty beyond those "faculty leaders". Please read what Professor VerNooy wrote about that other college presidents were able to tell student stories. Mike Richards doesn't know our faculty. He pretends he does, he called someone wrong first name, repeatedly, until that person had to correct him. What got me was, how Mike Richards acted like that person's best friend for a good minute, to all of us, until that person said, "Uh...Sorry...my name is not..." Richards would have got away if he didn't pretend so hard!
I am disappointed that anyone should open his mouth and say, "I don't know if this person is bad...I personally haven't seen that...I see him being not as bad as the other person..." That, is diluting the intensity of a very serious subject that requires huge scrutiny, not warm and fuzzy small talks. Mike Richards' qualification should not have been small talks. There is no room for taking up the precious newspaper real estate to say if you don't know he is bad or not.
Sorry for my blunt opinion, but if you know he is bad, say it. If you know he is good, say it. Do not bother with, "don't know if he is bad as some people said he was..." It is very hurtful to those who have first hand experience being persecuted by this lunatic Mike Richards.
Thank you Regent Mark Alden. That's an honest opinion. It is a waste of taxpayer's money.
Thank you Sue Smuskiewicz, president of CSN’s council for classified employees, to have the courage to express your dissatisfaction.
As Chair of the Faculty Senate at CSN, I received many faculty comments supporting the recommendation of Dr. Michael Richards; he received broad faculty support in his previous positions at the college. A focus on students and quality academic offerings are high priorities for faculty. The appointment this morning of a permanent President positions the college to move forward in a positive and productive way.
The faculty of CSN are proud of what they bring to their classrooms, and of the institution they have worked very hard to strengthen and support.
I can be reached at judy.stewart@csn.edu
I am a CSN faculty member and Judy Stewart does not speak for me. In fact, she speaks against me and all faculty members I know at CSN. Mike Richards does not enjoy a wide support at CSN.
Judy Stewart fails to provide evidence on her so called "many faculty comments" supporting Richards and "broad faculty support" for Richards. This type of statements should not have been made lightheartedly, especially should not have been made disingenuously. Simple logic tells me that since the fix was in, there is no need for faculty to pour their support to Richards. If faculty does nothing, Richards would get the position. I found it difficult to believe those "many" comments would come to her when they were not even needed.
Mike Richards thrives on the failure of CSN faculty representation. He rewards those who lick his boots with state budget. This is a long-rooted problem at CSN and people no longer trust their faculty representation.
I found my solace in the blog (http://richard-carpenter-watch.blogspot....) which Mike Richards shut down last year per Richard Carpenter's instruction to silence the faculty's real voice. I consider Professor Sherry Rosenthal and Professor Stan VerNooy my real faculty representatives, who are not given relief time, free travels, perks, prestige, 1-year sabbatical leave during state budge crisis, etc.
I want to thank Professor Rosenthal and Professor VerNooy. I also would like to thank Regent Mark Alden and Sue Smuskiewicz, president of CSN’s council for classified employees, for pointing out the waste and the non-transparency.
I, too, want to set the record straight that Judy Stewart does not speak for me when she claimed that Mike Richards receives broad support. I know a lot of people at CSN, faculty and staff, I have not found one person that supports Mike Richards. Not one person agreed with the fast one the Regents have pulled. Our faculty representation has drifted further and further away from their mission.
Next time when there is Faculty Senate Chair election, I will write in "Mike Richards" to help solve his problem of having to continue courting the Faculty Senate Chairs with travels, banquets, promotions, and costly husband-wife sabbaticals in our state financial crisis. Instead of the high cost of unifying the administrators with the faculty representatives, I am proposing to combine the CEO administrator and the faculty senate chair into ONE, to relieve the financial burden on our state budget.
Madam Chair:
It is my opinion that you Judy Stewart have disgraced CSN faculty and the office to which we elected you.
Sherry Rosenthal
CSN Professor of English
(Cheyenne Campus)
Tazzie's opinion above is shared by me and everyone I know at CSN. There is no denial that the overwhelming majority of CSN employees find it despicable how the Regents defrauded the good-faith applicants and Nevada taxpayers at a cost of nearly $100,000.
I would also like to advise Judy Stewart against her pursuing any administrator's position as the rampant rumor has it that Richards would reward her with one. Judy, we did not elevate you to the Faculty Senate Chair position for your selfish administrative position aspiration. We had the hope that you would speak on the faculty's behalf. Please do your job.
Judy Stewart is hardly even a qualified FACULTY MEMBER so god forbid she do what Darren Divine did and double her salary by becoming an joining the administration after serving as faculty senate chair. Even the PENTAGON has better rules against this sort of crap......