Board approves minorities’ recruitment proposal

Jennifer Knight

Friday, April 19, 2002 | 9:20 a.m.

The state Board of Regents voted unanimously Thursday to support recommendations by minority advocates to improve retention and recruitment to offset the negative effects of increased admissions standards.

Although the regents supported a 24-item list of proposals, the package came with an undisclosed price tag that regents delayed signing off on until more is known about where the money would come from.

One of the more expensive requests was to set aside 0.5 percent of the University and Community College System of Nevada's more than $1 billion annual budget for the creation of recruitment and retention programs.

Another item requests that $5 million be set aside each year for need-based scholarships to minority and low-income students and that budgets for support services increase by 3 percent at each institution starting in 2004.

Regents voted to increase admissions standards at the state's two universities in December. Starting in 2006 students will be required to have a 2.75 grade point average in 13 core courses. Honors classes will be given extra weighting.

Originally, minority groups from around Las Vegas balked at early proposals to increase standards, arguing that it dealt an unfair blow to minority and low-income students who often work their way through high school.

Eventually, regents struck an agreement with the minority coalition to offer a weighted average to students coupled with several measures to offset the negative effects of the new policy.