New regents question theory of smaller is better

Jennifer Knight

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002 | 11:15 a.m.

A proposal to reduce rather than expand the size of the state Board of Regents is not sitting well with two newly elected members.

The board, which oversees the University and Community College System of Nevada, is scheduled to expand from 11 to 13 members next year, but a bill expected to be considered by the 2003 Legislature would shrink the board to seven members.

Under the bill, all regents -- new and old -- would have to run for re-election as early as next year. That could mean the two newest members of the board could be out of a job just a year into their scheduled four-year terms.

Stavros Anthony and Jack Schofield won spots on the expanded board in the November elections.

"I think we need to at least be given a chance to make some good decisions," said Anthony, a Las Vegas police captain. "To tell you the truth, I was looking forward to working on education the next four years, not work on another campaign."

Schofield said reducing the number of regents won't necessarily solve the board's problems. The regents have drawn criticism in recent months for a series of incidents linked to infighting on the board.

Schofield suggested that personality conflicts might become even more visible on a smaller board.

"There are still going to be the same (types of) problems," said Schofield, a longtime teacher. "You'll have more problems because fewer people are going to be in there making the decisions."

Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, is behind the push to reduce the number of regents to seven.

She said the idea behind her proposal is that fewer personalities would make the board more manageable and improve efficiency.

"It would give the board a chance to act as a smaller unit," Giunchigliani said. "This will at least allow the board members to focus on policy and serve the students that they are here to serve."

The Legislature is scheduled to convene in Carson City in February for a four-month session.

Giunchigliani said she found a little-known rule that gives the Legislature the power to set the size of the Board of Regents -- a rule that is separate from its mandate to draw new boundaries every 10 years to account for the state's growth.

Lawyers for the Legislative Counsel Bureau confirm the proposal is legal, but Carl Steinhoff, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas professor who specializes in organizational behavior, said it's not the size of the board so much as the quality of leadership that's important.

"Foot-in-mouth disease is endemic to all political groups," Steinhoff said. "The size won't have anything to do with whether people make inappropriate comments or (engage in) inappropriate behavior."com