Finalists being selected for new college’s president

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, July 30, 2002 | 9:11 a.m.

A Nevada State College at Henderson search committee was expected to select a short list of one to three finalists for the position of college president today.

The 21-member search committee interviewed the five candidates for president Monday and this morning.

The committee -- made up of the Board of Regents and community leaders -- is conducting the interviews at the Las Vegas offices of the University and Community College System of Nevada.

The final round of interviews to fill the post vacated by former president Richard Moore is scheduled for August 12.

The Board of Regents will then make a final selection in mid-August, said Regent Mark Alden, the committee chair.

No favorite had emerged after nine hours of interviews on Monday, Alden said.

"It's one of the most difficult decisions any search committee has ever made," Alden said. "All of them would make a great candidate anywhere in our system."

The Nevada State College is scheduled to open on Sept. 3. Although a president isn't expected to be in place that soon, system officials hope to have a permanent president by the beginning of next year.

The candidates are:

Each of the presidential hopefuls described the job as a plum position in the world of higher education because it offers a chance to build an institution from scratch.

Two candidates said Monday that they were even willing to make personal financial sacrifices to do the job.

Stauffer said that if he were chosen, he would write a "large check" to the college before asking the community for money.

"A president can't be a low-class beggar," Stauffer said. "The selling goes easier after you've done it yourself."

Stauffer, former president and chancellor of the University of Houston Clear-Lake, stressed his experience as an administrator who has weathered several storms in his career. Many of his challenges involved fixing financially troubled institutions, he said.

Like Stauffer, Romesburg said he would make personal sacrifices for the job. If he were chosen to lead the fledgling institution, he would take a pay cut, Romesburg said.

"I will lose money if I come," he said. "I don't care. It's an exciting opportunity."

Romesburg described himself as a "numbers guy" who began as a math teacher and ended up teaching ethics for 13 years.

Romesburg said if he is chosen he plans to work with Ron Remington, president of the Community College of Southern Nevada and a longtime friend, to create a partnership between the institutions.

Hall and Wong stressed another factor committee members were looking for -- making the campus a diverse one.

Hall, the only black candidate for the job, said that reaching out to under-served communities has been a large part of his career.

"I would see (diversity) as job No. 1 and it is my particular interest in pursuing this position," Hall said.

Hall said the similarities between Arizona and Nevada are striking, noting the teacher shortages and large high school dropout rates.

Wong, an Asian-American, began his career as a psychology professor helping Vietnam vets re-acclimate to society. In recent years he has formed outreach programs for North Dakota's American Indian and Asian communities.

"I think that being creative means increasing your tolerance for people when they make mistakes," Wong said. "I think if you preserve their dignity and help them, the next time they will take risks and be comfortable with it."

Gray was scheduled to be interviewed today.