Study: Costs justify planned college

Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2001 | 11:25 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Educating a student at the proposed state college in Henderson will cost 35 percent less than at UNLV, a legislative study says.

The new school also could have an estimated 1,000 students in its first year of operation, according to the study, which was conducted for a legislative advisory committee set up to examine the proposed Henderson school.

The study also says the Henderson college is justified because there is a need for a third tier of educational opportunity in Nevada to supplement the community college system and UNLV and UNR, the study said.

The study is significant because it gives ammunition to Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, to convince lawmakers that financing the start of the college is a sound idea. Gov. Kenny Guinn has not included any money for the program in his $3.74 billion budget.

Perkins, who headed the advisory committee, said this report enhances the chances of the Legislature allocating money for the college. "This provides the information for everybody to make a decision."

Perkins noted that Guinn has said he would keep an "open door" to discuss the college, even though there is no money in his budget. "This (the report) is the best thing that could have happened," he said.

There have been fears expressed by some that starting the new school would dilute money available to the rest of the campuses in the university and community college system.

The report,which was released Tuesday, estimates that by 2007 the annual cost of educating a full-time student at UNLV will be $10,839. The cost to educate a similar student at the proposed Henderson college would be $7,051, or 65 percent of the cost at UNLV. In 2007 the Henderson school would have an estimated 4,000 students.

Most other Western states, the report said, have more higher education choices than Nevada. "Nevada is one of the most underserved states in the West for access to higher education," said the study.

"Establishing a four-year state college would add a third tier institution in the state that would provide additional educational choices for Nevada students," said the advisory committee, which was created by the 1999 Legislature to study the feasibility of a four-year college in Henderson.

Student enrollment is expected to continue to grow at UNLV and the Community College of Southern Nevada, even with the advent of the state college, according to the study.

"Student demand for higher education will surpass current projected capacity of Nevada's higher education system, both public and private."

Many students in Henderson now attend UNLV or the community college. "The population base in Henderson is large enough to support a college," said the report. Henderson has become Nevada's second largest city.

The first priority of the new campus would be training students to become school teachers. "A second priority for the college would be to develop a special partnership with community colleges to create degree programs that ensure a successful transition for community college students in their pursuit of baccalaureate degrees," said the report.

The advisory committee found that starting a state college "can help support economic development in Henderson if designed to do so."

There were initial concerns that the soils at the proposed site in Henderson might be contaminated since it was previously used by Basic Management Inc. The advisory committee said that some 300 acres within an adjacent development called Provenance need to be cleaned up.

"Soil samples were collected in over 260 locations, and hundreds of water samples were taken on the BMI site. From analyzing these samples, it was determined that approximately 300 acres of the 2,400 acres of the lower and upper ponds were used for waste disposal and would need to be remediated. However, none of the land designated for the site of the state college campus requires remediation efforts."

To demonstrate the need for the college, the advisory committee said the population of Southern Nevada is expected to increase by 62 percent between 1998 and 2010.

Only 39 percent of Nevada high school students attend college, the lowest rate in the nation. But the board of regents of the University and Community College System has set a goal to raise that to 60 percent by 2010.

The report said the college age group of 15 to 24 years old in Southern Nevada is expected to grow 36 percent from 1999 to 2004. By 2010, there will be 24,200 students graduating from Nevada high schools.

The regents, in their proposed budget asked for $3 million for next fiscal year as start-up money to hire core faculty and support staff so the Henderson school could open in the fall of 2002. The budget then projects a need for $7.3 million, of which $5.4 million would come from the state at the start of classes.

The request also calls for a $36 million classroom-student services building. Of that amount, $10 million would come from private donations. And the school wants a $27.5 million library. Of that $10 million would come from private contributions.

The advisory committee said the Henderson school would draw most of its students from Southern Nevada. But there would be others from the rest of Nevada, Southern Utah, Northern Arizona and Southern California.

The committee considered starting a branch campus of UNLV in Henderson but rejected the idea. It said there would not be any cost savings. And a branch campus of UNLV would still result "in limited student choices because it would not be a distinctly new institution."

There also was the suggestion of a combined community college-UNLV school in Henderson. The community college would handle students the first two years, and UNLV would provide the final two years of instruction. That would reduce administrative costs, but the committee said coordination problems would increase.

Also considered was expanding the community college in Henderson to offer four-year degrees. "This option results in reduced administrative costs but lacks the four-year college environment because the first two years would be at the community college level."

The committee also looked at a private college. But it said tuition would be higher and the private college would be beyond the control of the state.

The regents have already hired Richard Moore as president of the Henderson school. And he has a small staff that has been planning the development.