Budget panel endorses law school plan

Friday, June 6, 1997 | 5:48 a.m.

Nevada and Alaska are the only two states without a law school. The issue was first discussed in this state in 1973 and there have been several studies.

The school would open with about 70 full-time students and 40 part-timers and eventually grow to an enrollment of 500.

The budget approved by the subcommittee envisions a $7,000 yearly tuition cost for Nevada students - high among Western states.

A comparison shows it's more than the University of Washington at $5,050; Montana, $5,854; Arizona $4,010; Arizona State, $4,009; and Utah, $4,525. But it's below UCLA at $10,800 and Oregon at $9,053.

Gov. Bob Miller had budgeted $3.6 million in state funds plus $941,000 in student fees and tuitions for the start-up and operational costs.

He challenged UNLV to raise $900,000 from private sources to finance the total budget.

The subcommittee agreed, however, to a recommendation by the university to use $700,000 from an unexpected $20 million in estate tax revenue available to the university to cover Miller's challenge grant.

The subcommittee's recommendation still must be approved by the full Senate Finance Committee and the Assembly Ways and Means Committee.

The law school budget is part of a $754.8 million spending program endorsed by the subcommittee for the university system for the next two years, a more than 27 percent increase over the current two-year budget.

"I'm delighted," Chancellor Richard Jarvis said. "This is an outstanding budget."

Salary increases for faculty and staff aren't included in the budget approved by the subcommittee. Miller has recommended a 3 percent increase per year for faculty and staff.