Moore’s remarks prompt regents session

Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2000 | 11:23 a.m.

Richard Moore, founding president of the planned Nevada State College in Henderson, will be called before a closed session of the university Board of Regents Thursday to explain public comments he made about a regent last week.

Sources close to the regents, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Moore will have to answer why he said at a Feb. 1 forum at UNLV that Regent Steve Sisolak is "an enemy of this project," referring to the proposed four-year state college.

On Monday the University and Community College System of Nevada issued a revised agenda for Thursday's regents meeting, listing as the new first item a 9 a.m. closed session "for the purpose of discussion of the character, alleged misconduct, professional competence or physical or mental health of persons."

The agenda did not say who those persons are, but sources say the matter stems from Moore's recent comments at the forum -- the first of several ongoing meetings designed to gather the public's input on the state college.

Moore extolled the virtues of such a school before a small crowd that included current and past UNLV faculty members who are worried that a new college will cut into the university's budget and duplicate its services.

Sisolak, as he has done since the inception of the project, questioned where the funds will come from to build the facility.

"I am not an enemy of the project or of Dr. Moore," Sisolak said when contacted at his office Monday. He declined to say who the subject of the closed-door session will be but said he had no problem talking about Moore's remarks about him last week.

"As I was heading for the door, I heard him (Moore) say to the audience I was an enemy of the project," Sisolak said. "I told him he was out of line. He publicly misstated my position."

Regent Mark Alden, who also declined to say who will appear before the closed session of the board, was present at the UNLV forum when Moore spoke.

"We have two fine people who are equally fervent in their different beliefs," Alden said. "Dr. Moore made an unfortunate comment, but I believe that in time a common ground can be reached (between Moore and Sisolak)."

Alden confirmed Monday that Moore has not attended other recent public forums on the state college.

Sisolak said Moore later called him and apologized. However, immediately after the incident, Sisolak had called board officials and asked what should be done. He declined to elaborate on what that decision was.

One of the people Sisolak called after the incident was Assembly Majority Leader Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, a state college committee member and key supporter of the project.

Perkins said Monday he believes the incident won't hurt the project.

"I think shoulder-to-shoulder the board will stand for Dr. Moore," Perkins said. Perkins noted that he has known Sisolak for many years and has regular conversations with him, but, "he (Sisolak) and I are on opposite sides of this issue. I have confidence in Dr. Moore."

Attempts to reach Moore were not successful. On Monday, he led a group of Nevadans interested in a local state college to Claremont College in Southern California to gather ideas for the proposed Henderson school.

Because university and college presidents are hired and fired by the Board of Regents, public comments like the one Moore made could result in disciplinary action.

The regents, although required to hold their meetings in public like all government agencies, are allowed to have closed door sessions when discussing personnel matters. However, if any disciplinary action is to be taken, it must be done in public.

But the board also has the option to reopen the session with no comments and take no action regarding what was discussed behind closed doors.