Confusion over law stalls search for UNR president

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006 | 8:12 a.m.

University regents' attempts to uphold the spirit and the letter of Nevada's open meeting law hinder their ability to get things done, said Jim Richardson, UNR professor and longtime representative of the Nevada Faculty Alliance.

The Board of Regents agreed to follow a strict interpretation of the open meeting law last year, under an agreement with the state attorney general's office.

"You have tied your hands unnecessarily," Richardson said. "In the future, you may want to revisit the agreement that you made with the attorney general's office and see if it needs some modifications so you can function."

The Board of Regents met to discuss possible changes to the UNR presidential search process. Several regents had raised questions about membership of the search committee.

But Friday's meeting was marred by confusion and squabbling over open meetings law requirements imposed on the search process by Dan Klaich, vice chancellor for legal affairs.

In the past, regents who did not sit on the search committee had been allowed to participate in the process but not vote on the finalists. But Klaich said that after discussing the issue with Neil Rombardo, senior deputy attorney general, he feared that such broad participation would effectively bring a majority of the board into the deliberations. Under the open meeting law, the issue is supposed to be dealt with in committee.

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Chancellor Jim Rogers and University of Nevada School of Medicine Dean John McDonald have hired a Minneapolis-based consultant to develop a plan for the medical school and the long-discussed Academic Medical Center.

Greg Hart of the firm Larson Allen will recommend ways to get the medical training, research and treatment facility off the ground, as well as develop a 10- to 20-year plan for expansion of the school, Rogers and McDonald said.

Hart will meet with hospitals, doctors and political bodies to assess how the medical school can meet the state's health care needs, McDonald said. He will work with Innova, a Tucson consultant group that developed the intial concept for the proposed health science research center in 2002.

McDonald estimates that Hart will be paid $150,000 to $200,000, mostly covering his costs. The 2005 Legislature set aside $1.5 million to plan the center.

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UNLV is teaming with the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators to offer emergency response training at its Shadow Lane Campus.

UNLV is one of only two sites nationwide to offer the Incident Command System training, which teaches public safety personnel how to dispatch and coordinate resources to help agencies work together during a major catastrophe or terrorist incident, said Chris Blake, associate director of the association. The classes, paid for by a homeland security grant, are open to both campus and local police.

The three-day, free course includes classroom training and hands-on experience using a tabletop simulator of a university campus and the surrounding city, UNLV Police Chief Jose A. Elique said.

Participants have a "bird's-eye view" of the city and are able to move model police cars and fire engines around as they practice responding to an incident in real-time, Elique said.

"It really tests your skills."

As the Western Regional Site, UNLV will offer 48 sessions of the course over the next year, Elique said. The University of Maryland is hosting courses on the East Coast.

Christina Littlefield can be reached at 259-8813 or at clittle@ lasvegassun.com.