State college to fall far short of enrollment goal

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2002 | 11:06 a.m.

Nevada State College at Henderson officials plan to ask the state for a large increase for their next two years of operation, despite being expected to fall far short of enrolling 500 full-time students in the college's first year.

An equivalent of 116 full-time students enrolled in classes during the state college's inaugural semester this September. Although the state paid $3.75 million for 500 students, state college President Kerry Romesburg said last week that final enrollment figures due in March will still fall about 40 percent short of that goal.

"There is no way we are going to reach the 500 (full-time equivalent) for which we were funded," Romesburg said last week.

As state college and university system officials prepare to make their pitch to the Legislature in February for another $17 million, some state lawmakers say the college's low enrollment isn't likely to inspire them to open their pocketbooks.

"I just can't even see how the Legislature would even consider funding that," said Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, chair of the education committee.

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, suggested funding for the state college be used to save K-12 programs in danger of being cut.

"I do think you'll find my colleagues and I are anxious to pinch every penny, " Beers said, who sits on the Assembly Ways and Means Committee. "If it were up to me and it came down to funding extracurricular activities or running this college another year, I would fund extracurricular activities."

Assembly Speaker Richard Perkins, D-Henderson, who backed the project did not return phone calls Monday.

University system officials are asking for $7.9 million for 2003-04 to fund 750 full-time students at the college and $9.1 million for 2004-05 to fund 1,000 full-time students. If those enrollment figures are met, it will mean an 860 percent increase over two years.

Nichols said she has confidence that the college will make those gains.

"I would be very surprised and very disappointed if we did not see an increase in enrollment in 2003," Nichols said. "My theme has always been that this is an investment in the future. We are paying more now, but in two to three years we are seeing a cost savings in Nevada."

The costly part came this year where $3.75 million meant for 500 students went to one-fifth that amount, yet there is no extra money left over Nichols said.

Lower enrollment means that the college won't actually generate extra revenue from student fees. Any money that was allocated went mostly toward hiring a president and staff.

Regent Steve Sisolak said with lawmakers in a mood to be prudent and taxpayers expecting to pay more, making the case to spend extra money on the college will be hard to justify.

"You expect me to tell my constituents that when they spend 75 cents extra to see a movie, that money is going to go into a college that we might need in five years?" Sisolak said.

The university system's budget director Larry Eardley said that the $17 million figure for two years could likely change.

"Assuming the student population stays the same, they are going to have to come up with a revised revenue projection and come up with the rationale behind it," Eardley said. "Whatever they decide, they will have to sell it to the Legislature."