Columnist Jeff German: Regents have gone way too far

Friday, Dec. 19, 2003 | 11:09 a.m.

Regent Steve Sisolak has never been shy about voicing his opinion.

So when I asked him how he felt these days about being a member of the Board of Regents, the misguided, misdirected public body that's supposed to oversee higher education in Nevada, he responded with his usual candor.

"Somebody ought to take us behind the woodshed and give us a good licking," he said.

That would be a good start.

This group of 13 elected officials seems drunk with power, incapable of conducting business in the open, unable to play by the rules of fairness and unwilling to take the time to make thoughtful decisions.

Last year's scandal on the board centered around the efforts of one regent to gain access to private student records as part of a personal agenda. This year the board, as a whole, has been accused of surreptitiously removing a college president and his lobbyist from their jobs without just cause.

All through it, the university system's reputation has been marred by the board's petty politics, foolish actions and continued missteps.

Three months ago UNLV President Carol Harter announced that she was embarking on an ambitious campaign to turn the university, known most for its athletic programs and hotel administration school, into one of the nation's top research institutions.

Her performance so far has been praised, but how successful can she be with the way the board has turned higher education into a sideshow?

How is she going to obtain the millions of dollars in funds to accomplish that goal when potential donors see how ineffective the people watching over the university system have become? What incentive will these donors have to spend their money here?

The board's conduct is getting worse, not better. Changes have to be made.

You can recall them from office or not re-elect them. Or you can change the way we select them in the first place so that we attract quality people who are interested in bettering the university system rather than their own egos or political futures.

I don't have all of the answers, but it seems to me we should at least build on a resolution passed by the Legislature this year that calls for a constitutional amendment to reduce the size of the board to nine regents and make six of those positions appointed by the governor and only three elected.

Because it is seeking to change the constitution, Assembly Joint Resolution 11 must pass the 2005 Legislature and then be approved by the voters at the next general election in 2006.

This approach won't give us immediate relief from the embarrassment the board is causing us, but it could figure in the long-term solution to taking politics out of the board so that it can focus solely on the best interests of the university system.

Nevada, in many ways, is still living in the past when it comes to keeping an eye on higher education. It is one of a handful of states that still elects its regents. Most states give their governors the authority to make those appointments under the assumption the governors will put their own reputations on the line in the selection process and choose quality people.

In the meantime, as Steve Sisolak aptly stated, someone should take the regents to the woodshed and make them see how irresponsible they are acting.

Attorney General Brian Sandoval might be the one to do it.

Sandoval is investigating a series of alleged open meeting law violations over the board's disciplinary proceedings involving Community College of Southern Nevada President Ron Remington and college lobbyist John Cummings.

One of those complaints has been filed by Las Vegas Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, a CCSN employee who sponsored the resolution to change the process of selecting regents.

Ironically, Giunchigliani alleges that there was an illegal discussion behind closed doors about her role in that legislation, apparently in an attempt at retribution.

The regents then voted, and failed, to cancel Giunchigliani's contract with CCSN.

If Sandoval finds all of this to be true, it will not only justify a trip to the woodshed for the regents, but maybe their own ouster, as well.