Daniels recommended for CCSN chief

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, May 17, 2001 | 11:04 a.m.

After a day of interviews and two hours of tense discussions, a Board of Regents' search committee recommended Jack E. Daniels of Houston as the next man to lead the Community College of Southern Nevada.

The recommendation goes to the full board for approval on June 14 before the system enters into contract negotiations with Daniels.

"This has been a rocky road for the presidential search committee," said Regent Doug Seastrand, who chairs the committee.

Daniels said today he will give the Board of Regents his answer next week. Daniels beat out three other candidates despite doubts about a controversial incident during his presidency at Central College in Houston.

The search committee's faculty advisory board had preferred two other candidates: Mary Spangler of Los Angeles City College received 11 votes in an informal vote and Ronald Remington of Great Basin Community College in Elko received eight, to Daniels' five. Shirley Reed of South Texas Community College got no faculty advisory panel votes.

However, the search committee, composed of six regents, decided to support Daniels after deliberating in closed session for 2 1/2 hours. The vote for Daniels was 4-2, with Regents Tom Wiesner and Steve Sisolak dissenting.

"I just thought (Daniels) was the best candidate," Regent Jill Derby said. "I thought he was a visionary and a strong, dynamic leader."

"He was not my choice," Sisolak said Wednesday after the vote. "I had a lunch meeting with him earlier, and I was very, very disappointed at the lunch meeting."

During the meeting, Daniels became annoyed after Sisolak brought up a concern over the use of college resources at a Texas church, Sisolak said.

According to Daniels, the local Methodist Hospital had donated computers to a Methodist church in his district, and community college employees went to the church to provide training.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, you're using state resources in churches.' He said it was part of the community, but I thought, 'Oh no, computers? You've got to be kidding me,' " Sisolak said.

Former CCSN president Richard Moore had questions raised over his donation of the college's computers to local nonprofit organizations.

Moore stepped down as president in January 2000 to head the Nevada State College at Henderson. His post has remained vacant for 1 1/2 years. In the meantime, the institution has endured a host of audits related to Moore's administration, including an attorney general's investigation.

"I just wanted to ensure them of my integrity, fairness, equity and truth," Daniels said this morning. "I would do nothing that would embarrass the institution or the chancellor or the Board of Regents."

Daniels did well in his presentation to students and faculty at a public forum on Monday at CCSN's Cheyenne campus, where many described him as an energetic orator.

"All I can say is I bring a vision," Daniels said in his interview. "I believe you can have a local prominence, a statewide prominence and an international prominence. You are, so far, on the way to getting there."

Touted as a "rising star" in Texas, Daniels was awarded Houston's "Man of Style." As president of his 12,000-student institution for three years, he says he brought the college into a student-centered learning environment. He set up a training center for underserved students and bridged the gap between secondary and higher education.

Daniels' relatively few years of experience as a president had some faculty members concerned about how long he would stay at CCSN before going onto the next challenge.

"We just had such a hard time deciding because all four candidates were so well qualified," Chancellor Jane Nichols said.

The search committee agreed what the community college needs is a president who will heal the institution.

"I just feel (Daniels) has what it takes to lead this institution to where it needs to go and with that we can start the healing process with a fragmented institution," said Regent Linda Howard.