Editorial: Regents should have say on major changes

Wednesday, March 19, 2003 | 9:05 a.m.

Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-North Las Vegas, is out of sequence in sponsoring a bill that would enable the Community College of Southern Nevada to offer four-year degrees in nursing and teaching. Nevertheless, his bill has some good arguments behind it. Williams points out that Nevada State College in Henderson, which opened last fall and specializes in four-year degrees in nursing and teaching, is a long haul for the people of his district. Also, it's a trend nationally for community colleges to offer four-year degrees. Great Basin Community College in Elko, for example, began four-year programs in 1999, but only after the Board of Regents had researched and approved the idea.

We would not like to see the Legislature initiate major program changes in higher education on its own. The Board of Regents should first have the opportunity to research proposed changes and make recommendations. Without input from the board, it's hard to see how the Legislature could make a fully informed decision.

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