Where I Stand — Mike O’Callaghan: Punished for successes

Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 | 10:52 a.m.

Mike O'Callaghan is the Las Vegas Sun executive editor.

Remember when Dr. Richard Moore came to head up the Community College of Southern Nevada? That was six years ago, and he came aboard with new ideas and accepted the mission to reach out and find potential students. He did just exactly that and brought in and educated thousands more students than he was given money to accommodate in the classrooms. Yes, he did this and at a lower cost than our other Nevada community colleges spent per student.

Our Board of Regents and the people of Nevada want our schools for higher education to reach out into our diverse and growing population. Here is Moore's record from 1994 to 2000:

Grew from 16,718 to 34,675 students.

An increase of 17,957 students.

An increase of 108 percent in six years.

Grew from 1,527 to 3,736 students.

An increase of 2,209 students.

An increase of 145 percent in six years.

Grew from 1,727 to 5,107 students.

An increase of 3,380 students.

An increase of 195 percent in six years.

Grew from 1,132 to 2,867 students.

An increase of 1,735 students.

An increase of 153 percent in six years.

Grew from 154 to 368 students.

An increase of 214 students.

An increase of 141 percent in six years.

The Board of Regents Handbook states, "Each institution is encouraged to devote significant resources to support the recruitment and retention of students from these groups. Each institution should prepare and implement a plan of action to provide outreach to potential students, or organizations which can find such potential students, for their admission to the University and Community College System of Nevada."

This is exactly what Moore did and worked with groups that helped him succeed. So why is he receiving so much heat from some people? Not only does success draw envy, but he has been made a target by those who don't want him or the proposed state college in Henderson to come into being and also succeed.

Moore has to understand that anybody who makes greater progress than past administrators becomes the enemy of those who were happy with mediocrity. From the first day I met Moore, it was obvious to me that he was going to move too fast and be too successful for more than a few of our local education critics.

He wouldn't have drawn any fire if he had quietly got in step and walked behind the UNLV and UNR administrators and some egotistical regents. This isn't Moore's style; he came to improve CCSN and did exactly what he believed the regents wanted. Actually he was right on target with the expectations given in the Board of Regents' Handbook. Even today a majority of the regents know that he has produced for them, the school and the community. A few have found it easier to criticize him than to praise him when some of the media began to nitpick his work.

I'd suggest that the regents and other educators give Moore a standing ovation for his accomplishments. If they take a close look at what they claim to desire in our educational system, they will then give him an encore.