Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2004 | 9:19 a.m.
In his latest memo, Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers advised the Board of Regents to tour the private University of Southern Nevada School of Pharmacy as they go forward with plans for a joint pharmacy program between the state's two universities.
Rogers told the Sun that the memo stems from his belief that the board needs to be "in sync" with what the private sector is doing.
Rogers said he recently toured the private pharmacy school and came away with a much better impression of the private venture than he had previously held.
"I was under the impression that the program at the University of Southern Nevada was not as sophisticated as I found it to be," Rogers said.
Officials at the pharmacy school have questioned the need for a second pharmacy school in the state, Regent Bret Whipple said, and have invited all of the regents to tour the private school.
Whipple, who accepted the invitation, said he believed it is the duty of the regents to weigh all possible options before spending taxpayer money on something as large as another graduate program. It may be possible to work with the private school to provide opportunities for Nevada students interested in pharmacy rather than starting at "ground zero" with a public program, Whipple said.
Regents in August endorsed asking the 2005 Legislature for $4.7 million to develop the school that would have its first graduating class in 2011. The school would be a joint venture involving the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno.
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