Regents drop Rogers appointment

Friday, April 15, 2005 | 10:52 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- The movement to cancel the national search process and appoint Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers as the university system's permanent CEO evaporated quickly Thursday afternoon after Rogers asked the Board of Regents to move forward with the search process.

Rogers, addressing Regent Doug Hill who spearheaded the effort to call off the search last week, said he appreciated what Hill and other regents were trying to do but said everyone would be "better served if the search process would be allowed to continue."

There was too much discomfort among other regents, the media and the general public about canceling the search process, Rogers said.

"It would make my life easier if they just saw fit to appoint me now," Rogers said during a break in the day-long meeting at Western Nevada Community College in Carson City. "But once anyone raises a question like that, the only way to handle it is to change your course. Otherwise you always have a cloud out there."

Hill and four other regents who had asked for an agenda item to appoint Rogers acquiesced to Rogers' request to withdraw the item without discussion.

"He wanted it withdrawn, it's about him," Hill said during a break. "If he wants to go through the process, we'll go through the process."

As a member of the search committee, Hill said he's "still going to look for the person that is best able to lead the system."

Both Hill and Rogers said it is important that regents select the next chancellor before the end of the legislative session, scheduled to end June 6. The millionaire media mogul owner of Sunbelt Communications said he hoped to have someone official in place by May 10 so that lawmakers "know who they are leaving the money with."

If that's him, great, Rogers said. But if its someone else he at least wants to be able to "introduce them around" to lawmakers.

At least six other candidates in addition to Rogers are vying for the position, search consultant Jan Greenwood said. The diverse pool of both men and women includes two medical doctors, system chiefs, former lawmakers and at least one other business executive with higher education experience.

Greenwood is scheduled to bring the resumes for all seven candidates before the search committee of regents and institutional presidents April 25.

Regents on both sides of the debate about whether to go forward with the search process have called Rogers a front-runner in the race, which is why Hill suggested that the board should just go ahead and appoint Rogers.

In his letter to regents, Hill theorized that regents were in a lose-lose situation where no matter what action they took, it would appear that Rogers was a shoo-in for the position.

Most regents, however, argued that it was important for the integrity of the Board of Regents and the chancellor position to complete the search.

"It's very important that the public has confidence in the ultimate board decision," said Regent Mark Alden, who had leaned toward just appointing Rogers.

Regent Jack Lund Schofield, another supporter of appointing Rogers, said it wasn't worth splitting the Board of Regents or hurting Rogers' credibility by pushing to appoint him right now.

"My goal is to try to get as much consensus as we can get so we don't look like a goofy board with half of us going on direction and the other half of us going the other," Schofield said.

Still, Schofield said, it will be "difficult to change my mind" that Rogers is the best man for the job.

Regent Howard Rosenberg, the only regent who has outwardly opposed Rogers appointment as the permanent chancellor, said that now, at least, regents will be sure there is no other candidates out there.

"Now it will be as level a playing field as it can possibly be," Rosenberg said.