Editorial: CCSN president’s departure

Sunday, June 3, 2007 | 7:13 a.m.

Chancellor Jim Rogers and university system leaders went to considerable lengths to keep CCSN President Richard Carpenter.

Unfortunately, it came in response to Carpenter playing a job offer in Texas against his job here. That is a poor exit for Carpenter, who had been in the job only three years and leaves with a year left on his contract. It is also bad timing, as he leaves behind the start of a major fundraising campaign and the development of a campus in the northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley.

Rogers did his best to hold on to Carpenter. With the help of the Community College of Southern Nevada Foundation, Rogers put together a proposed contract extension with a $50,000 raise for Carpenter. Carpenter gave the impression that he was torn between Nevada and Texas, but he had no intent to stay.

The attempt to keep him shows the commitment university leaders have made to the community college, which is not always recognized by the public as being the valued institution that it is. The school is a vital piece of the education system, providing an affordable education for students who want to move on to a university or those who want to learn a skill or receive technical training.

We hope the next president will make a commitment to the college and the community - and keep it.