Tuesday, July 2, 2002 | 8:32 a.m.
After two years of facing financial challenges, the Nevada State College at Henderson reached a milestone Monday by officially becoming a state institution.
State funding for the college kicked in, making available $3.75 million and signifying a green light for the college to hire necessary staff and faculty members for its Sept. 3 opening.
"This is a real accomplishment," Chris Chairsell, state college interim president, said. "We are truly a state institution now. It's time to go shopping."
The college needs five teachers, two more administrators and dozens of part-time teachers to fill the schedule of more than 100 classes, according to university system officials.
The legislative allocation supports 750 students. So far, 300 have applied and 133 have been accepted.
Funding will also pay for Chairsell's position, six newly hired administrators and renovation costs at the new site at 1125 Dawson Ave. in Henderson.
While state funding isn't usually greeted with such fanfare, Regent Jill Derby said this project was especially difficult.
"There were a number of setbacks along the way, but we always knew that there would be a state college," Derby said.
Since plans for the college began in 2000, it has lost its permanent land site, first-year state operating money and its founding president.
The college has been dependent on private funding until now. More than $700,000 in private donations have carried the start-up institution through to this point, Bill Martin, chairman of the Nevada State College Foundation, said.
"We had to do that to get through all of these hurdles," Martin said. "Our principal objective should be to raise money to build buildings. That was the original objective and that will become the primary objective once again."
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