College donations contingent on state funding

Friday, Feb. 18, 2005 | 10:57 a.m.

More private money is rolling into Nevada State College in Henderson, but all of the recent pledges are contingent on the state paying for the college's first liberal arts building.

Interim Chancellor Jim Rogers announced the most recent donation -- a $2 million pledge from the Fertitta family in Las Vegas -- at a Legislative soiree for about 40 lawmakers Wednesday night.

Station Casino owners Frank Fertitta Jr., Frank Fertitta III, and Lorenzo Fertitta will match the $2 million pledges already made to the college by Rogers and the Greenspun family, owners of the Sun.

According to their pledge letter, the Fertitta family will donate $1 million after the Legislature funds the building and $1 million five years after it is built.

The Fertitta family believes the state college is an "important and integral part of the future of the entire University and Community College System of Nevada," Lorenzo writes in the letter, but they also believe the state needs to fund the initial building.

"It seems to us that if the state recognizes the great value of the college system that the private sector will do the same and we will be able to develop sources of funds none of us ever guessed were there," Fertitta writes.

Rogers said the donation is a "double whammy" for the college because Nevada State College has received the money and the backing of the Fertitta reputation.

KB Home also recently announced a $250,000 donation to the Henderson college under the same conditions, college President Fred Maryanski said. Bill Martin, chairman of the Nevada State College Foundation and president of Nevada State Bank, tennis pro Andre Agassi, Billy Walters of the Walters Group, Bill Wortman of Millennium Management and Erik Sletten of Sletten Cos. have also pledged $100,000 each.

Along with a $1 million pledge from attorney Robert Martin, the college has raised $7.75 million in pledges over the last few months.

The money is not earmarked for anything specific, Maryanski said, and may go to future construction or equipment needs, scholarships or the development of new programs.

Rogers said the system will likely use part of the $29 million in estate tax money Gov. Kenny Guinn has designated for the system to cover the remaining $9 million needed for the liberal arts building.

The Legislature had mandated that the college raise $10 million in private money to receive $13 million from the state.

Demand for space at the start-up college is high, Maryanski said, as the current student headcount is about 1,350 students with 909 of those attending full time. The college is looking at renting classroom space in downtown Henderson and purchasing a third portable for its main site to meet the student demand.