Harter’s contract extended

Valerie Miller

Wednesday, May 10, 2000 | 11:04 a.m.

UNLV President Carol Harter's contract was extended three years by the university Board of Regents on Tuesday, but the decision was not without opposition.

Harter, whose current $186,924-a-year contract expires in June 2001, came under heavy fire from Regent Mark Alden as the board considered extending the contract until June 2004.

Alden related an incident he said happened in February 1997, when "Dr. Harter launched a verbal attack on me for statements I had made (in the media) ... Dr Harter asked me when I was going to stop criticizing her administration and told me to 'get on board or else.' "

Several times during Alden's comments, Harter's numerous supporters on the board tried to silence him, but Alden defiantly continued, warning the board, "If I'm stopped, I'll filibuster."

Alden finished and gained one vote against Harter from Regent Tom Kirkpatrick, who said he could not vote for such a long contract extension. The extension was approved 9-2.

"If her (Harter's) contract is extended until 2004, then that means she will not have another review until 2003, which is too long to wait, especially with a new chancellor coming," Kirkpatrick said after the meeting.

Harter, who appeared visibly shaken after Alden's outburst, declined to comment on his remarks, but later said, "These are rough sessions, but it's fine. That's the way they do things in Nevada."

Harter also had gone through a closed-door evaluation before the regents' vote.

Harter noted the things she was most proud of during her tenure at UNLV.

"We are doing great things here," Harter said. "We are on the road to being a major research institution. We are hiring the best faculty and staff. We are not just a basketball school with a university attached."

Regents who defended Harter said that they were proud to support her and to send family members to UNLV.

"I'm a product of this system, and I have a son who is a student here," Regent Dave Phillips said. "I wouldn't send my children here if I didn't approve of what Dr. Harter was doing. If we could extend her contract for 10 or 20 years, she'd have my support."

Harter came to UNLV in 1995 from the State University of New York at Geneseo.

Her husband, Mike Harter, recently took two positions in the system. Starting July 10 he will serve as both an associate dean for the University of Nevada School of Medicine and as a health education coordinator for the system.

Valerie Miller is a reporter for the Sun. She can be reached by e-mail at valerie@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-2319.