CCSN chief poised for new job in Oregon

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, Feb. 15, 2001 | 11:26 a.m.

A final hurdle in Robert Silverman's bid for president at a community college in Oregon was cleared Wednesday night.

The interim president of the Community College of Southern Nevada will enter into salary negotiations with the Oregon school, clearing the way for his departure as early as March 1.

"I'm excited about the potential of this and the way this is turning out," Silverman said after hearing the board's decision.

The six-member board at Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, Ore., unanimously approved plans to enter into contract negotiations with Silverman. No final decision will be given until the two parties come to an agreement.

"We need to have a contract first before anything is final," said Bob Morris, a board member for the Oregon-based college and one of the members on the search committee. "He's serious about the job and we're serious about him coming here."

Silverman interviewed with 25 key staff, personnel and faculty members at the college two weeks ago.

At a board meeting last week, most interviewed with him agreed that he was the right man for the job. But some expressed concern that the Community College of Southern Nevada is being investigated by the attorney general's office for exaggerated enrollment numbers to get more state aid. The alleged number doctoring occurred during Silverman's five years as senior vice president of academic affairs.

Silverman assured the school that he was not part of the investigation and told a local Oregon newspaper that he had worked to fix the "practices of his predecessor after becoming interim president."

While the previous president at Mount Hood Community College made $115,000 a year, Silverman's as interim president at CCSN makes $140,000 annually. The two parties are expected to come to an agreement on compensation, however, since both are "in the same ball park," Morris said.

Silverman took over as interim president after Richard Moore stepped down in January 2000 to become the founding president of the Nevada State College at Henderson.

Silverman was a candidate for the permanent position, but an advisory committee squeezed him out of contention for the job. Silverman's name was restored to the list of finalists after a public outcry, but he later withdrew his name.

The board was in the process of interviewing five finalists for the position in closed session when the process was stalled by a lawsuit filed to open the interview process. One of the candidates has since dropped out.

The four remaining candidates for the CCSN job are awaiting the court's decision. Arguments were heard on Feb. 8 and the court has agreed to expedite the decision. If the court rules in favor of the plaintiff, the interview process could start all over again, according to university and community college system lawyers.