Regent Doug Hill resigns his post

Christina Littlefield

Wednesday, June 14, 2006 | 7:11 a.m.

University system Regent Doug Hill , never bashful about criticizing fellow regents, has resigned for unspecified reasons.

"The distant drums of time's passing calls us all to new duties and obligations, and so the time has come for me to move on," he wrote in his resignation letter to Gov. Kenny Guinn. Hill declined to elaborate when reached Tuesday.

Hill is leaving the board with 4 1/2 years remaining on his second six-year term. Guinn will have the responsibility of appointing someone from the same Washoe County district to replace him.

The 13-member board is responsible for governing and setting policy for the Nevada System of Higher Education, including UNLV, the Community College of Southern Nevada and Nevada State College at Henderson.

Hill, a Reno lawyer and CPA, had unsuccessfully offered his name for a Washoe County judgeship this spring .

He submitted resignation letters to Guinn and Chancellor Jim Rogers on Monday without offering a heads-up to fellow regents during their two-day meeting last week. Several people he had worked with were clued in that he was leaving by thank-you letters mailed Friday.

The announcement surprised many in the system, including Rogers. But some said they understood how the time commitment for the board could wear on a person.

Hill had been on the board for 7 1/2 years. He headed the university system's audit committee for the last three.

He was known as a regent who would call people to task - including fellow regents - when he thought they were out of line. Just Friday, he lectured Regent Bret Whipple on how to do the job better before voting to re-elect him as chairman.

Hill helped push through efforts to give the chancellor's position more power. He told Rogers in his departing letter that the "system could not be in more capable hands."

Rogers said Hill was "a bit of a curmudgeon, a real intellect and a fine lawyer," who was astute in handling financial matters before the regents. His main fault, Rogers said, was a tendency "to have a long memory of people he thought were adversarial to him."

Hill was also known for interloping philosophical tidbits and poetry into his comments during regents meetings.

"I won't miss the poetry," Rogers said.