Commission says regent can take UNLV post

Jennifer Knight

Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 | 8:41 a.m.

The state Ethics Commission, in a 3-2 vote Thursday, decided that Regent Linda Howard is free to take a paid position at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, despite earlier concerns regarding a potential conflict of interest.

Howard sought the ethics commission's opinion on the matter after concern arose over the potential conflict involving her position as a member of Nevada's higher education board and a potential job within the system.

Howard, who has been offered the position, said she would not be alone, as Regent Howard Rosenberg held a position as an art professor at the University of Nevada, Reno before he was appointed to the board in 1996.

"I'm very pleased with the opinion that was rendered by the ethics commission," Howard said Thursday. "They were very meticulous in their work and in the reaching of a decision. I feel like I did the right thing by seeking an opinion first."

Howard applied last month for a paid position as a part-time intern for the Center for Academic Enrichment and Outreach at UNLV.

Howard's position is funded by the federal government, she said, and, should a decision involving the enrichment center come before the board, she would seek legal counsel before voting.

Howard, a UNLV student, is working toward bachelor's degrees in education and business.