Nichols sits in on regents’ meeting

Jennifer Knight

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2003 | 10:47 a.m.

University system Chancellor Jane Nichols was the only one of 10 people named in a Board of Regents investigation who was granted special permission to sit in Monday's closed meeting regarding the investigation.

Work from a nine-hour meeting was not completed Monday and regents agreed to resume their closed session at noon on Thursday. Regents began reviewing more than 1,000 pages from private investigator Jeffrey Cohen on the hiring practices at the Community College of Southern Nevada.

Nichols, along with CCSN administrators were named in the document, but she was the only one not relegated to a separate chamber until called.

"I don't think it's fair that any one person because of their title gets special consideration," Mitzi Ware, CCSN faculty senate chairwoman, said. Either all of the people named in the investigation should have been allowed to sit in the meeting or none should have been granted the privilege, Ware said.

The investigation revolves around allegations that CCSN secretary Topazia "Briget" Jones was first hired and promoted because of her relationship with Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-North Las Vegas, and then fired because she did not follow Cummings' orders to help with a bill that aimed to make the college a four-year, degree-granting institution.

Before Jones' termination was finalized, however, she and Williams met with Nichols to complain.

Nichols then intervened on Jones' behalf, reversing the termination and launching an investigation into the matter. Cohen's findings could result in disciplinary action of any of the university system employees named in the investigation including CCSN President Ron Remington, Cummings and Tafoya.

Any such disciplinary action will likely be taken in an open session today.