TV exec expresses interest in full-time position

Wednesday, April 21, 2004 | 11:01 a.m.

Television station owner Jim Rogers said Tuesday he would consider a permanent appointment as chancellor of the University and Community College System of Nevada if the Board of Regents offers him the position.

Word of Rogers' interest in serving as chancellor -- replacing Jane Nichols, who is retiring because of health concerns -- came to light earlier this week. Rogers, owner of Sunbelt Communications Co. which includes KVBC-TV Channel 3, said he would let the Board of Regents determine the length of his tenure and the job title attached to it.

"If they make me interim chancellor I'll be happy with that," Rogers said. "If after a period of time they thought I would be a good permanent chancellor I'd be happy with that, too."

Rogers said he would be willing to accept an appointment of up to four years and would collect a salary of no more than $1 annually.

"After four years you start to run out of energy and ideas," Rogers said.

Rogers said he has spoken with each regent individually to express his interest in the interim appointment. Board Chairman Stavros Anthony and Regents Steve Sisolak, Mark Alden and Douglas Seastrand have all expressed early support for Rogers' appointment as interim chancellor.

Anthony said Tuesday that Rogers offered to come in and serve as interim chancellor and stay as long as he was needed. In their discussions Rogers did not indicate he was interested in a permanent appointment, Anthony said.

"If we had him (Rogers) in as interim at least that would give us some breathing room to do a full-blown search," Anthony said. "If it turned out that he wanted the job permanently that would be something else for the full board to decide."

Regent Bret Whipple said he would refrain from disclosing whether he would support or oppose Rogers' appointment until the next open meeting of the board.

"I will say Jim Rogers is an individual who has a tremendous vision and who clearly desires to do much good," Whipple said. "We're fortunate to have someone of his caliber interested in the job."

It's irrelevant at this stage whether or not Rogers would consider a permanent appointment, Whipple said.

"Right now we're talking about the interim -- period," Whipple said. "It's important to our faculty, students and constituents that we follow the process, and that means a thorough, nationwide search. When that search takes place Jim Rogers will have the same opportunity as everyone else to put his name in the hat and be evaluated in a fair and objective manner."

Rogers declined to comment on whether or not the Board of Regents should conduct a nationwide search for a permanent replacement for Nichols.

"That's their business," Rogers said. "They might decide after 20 minutes with me they want to do a nationwide search, or they might decide after 20 months. That's up to them."

Nichols' resignation is the latest blow for the Board of Regents, which has come under fire for its demotions of former Community College of Southern Nevada President Ron Remington and lobbyist John Cummings. Rogers said as interim chancellor one of his first roles would be as a bridge builder.

"I would hope I could bring these people back together," Rogers said. "I really believe they are all acting in good faith. They don't get paid, they work a lot of hours and they're all interested in doing the right thing."

Rogers is one of UNLV's largest individual donors, having given $28.5 million to the Boyd College of Law and $500,000 for an athletic field, which is named after him. He has pledged an additional $25 million to UNLV provided the university raise matching funds from a select list of donors. Rogers has also donated $1 million to the University of Nevada, Reno and $100,000 to the Community College of Southern Nevada.

His philanthropic efforts would not pose a conflict of interest if he were appointed chancellor, Rogers said.

"Education is my passion," said Rogers, who earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Arizona and has pledged $100 million to his alma mater. "I have no bias in favor or against any one school."

In addition to his contributions to local higher education, Rogers has chaired successful capital campaigns for universities in other states. At Idaho State University, where Rogers has a television station, a capital campaign raised $153 million -- $51 million more than targeted. And, Rogers said, a five-year, $1 billion capital campaign for the University of Arizona is "substantially" over the goal with a year to go.

Boyd Gaming President Don Snyder said last week that he, Rogers and their wives expect to direct a capital campaign for UNLV aimed at raising more than $400 million.