Committee sees need for new college

Valerie Miller

Monday, Oct. 4, 1999 | 11:43 a.m.

Southern Nevada is going to need another college, and it may be in Henderson.

That was the conclusion reached at a meeting Friday to consider whether to build a state-funded college in Henderson. The committee studying the proposed college will next look at the process of developing and accrediting the college.

The analysis is part of a $500,000 study approved by the 1999 state Legislature to assess the state university system and the need for another college.

The meeting, held at the Community College of Southern Nevada's Henderson campus, focused on information presented by university system Vice Chancellor Jane Nichols that supported the need for another college if Southern Nevada's explosive growth rate continues.

"Students' demands for higher education will surpass the current projected capacity of Nevada's higher education system," Nichols told the group.

Both UNLV and CCSN have projected that their current enrollments will double by 2010. Currently, UNLV has more than 22,000 students, while CCSN has close to 34,000. According to projections, UNLV's enrollment will rise to 40,000 over the next decade, while CCSN's will reach 80,000 by 2010.

Nichols spoke before a five-person panel that included vocal supporters of a state college in Henderson, Assemblyman Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, and Henderson Mayor Jim Gibson. Also serving on the panel were state Sen. Jon Porter, R-Boulder City, and university regents Howard Rosenberg and Mark Alden, who was not present at the meeting.

Nichols outlined the reasons another four-year college will be needed in Southern Nevada.

If Nevada is going to increase the percent of students going to college, it will need another institution that offers bachelor's degrees, Nichols said.

Nevada ranks last in the nation in the number of high school students who continue on to college, Nichols said.

The Millennium Scholarships, however, may change that. The program, which were approved by the Nevada State Legislature last spring, makes students who graduate with a "B" average or better eligible for scholarships to Nevada universities or community colleges. The scholarships are funded out of Nevada's share of the $1.2 billion tobacco settlement.

If Nevada is going to increase the number of college-bound students to the national average, it will need an additional 10,000 seats within the next decade, Nichols estimated.

University regents have argued recently, though, that if another college is necessary, there are areas of greater need in the valley than Henderson. But university system Interim Chancellor Tom Anders said after the meeting that he supports building a college in Henderson.

"I think that this discussion reflects that there is definitely a need in the area and Henderson fits the bill as far as meeting that need," Anders said.

Supporters of placing a new college in Henderson have said that Henderson is well-suited as the site for the new four-year college because it will soon be the state's second largest city, surpassing Reno. In addition, they say, inexpensive land is available and local businesses have pledged financial support.

"We feel that Henderson is the best site," Gibson said after the meeting. "Not only do we have a large number of students who attend college for one degree or another, but we are also able to obtain land cheaper than land obtained anywhere else."