Fri, Oct 10, 2008 (2:06 a.m.)

The Nevada System of Higher Education, which includes seven public colleges and universities, is overseen by the 13 members of the Board of Regents.

There is only one contested race in Clark County this year for the board, and that is in District 2, which represents downtown Las Vegas and parts of North Las Vegas.

Regent Bret Whipple, a practicing attorney, is running for reelection after a term marked by battles with Chancellor Jim Rogers and an allegiance to Gov. Jim Gibbons.

We have been disappointed and baffled as Whipple has chosen the politically expedient position rather than the passionate stance of a strong advocate of public education. He talks a good game, but he has supported a governor who has no qualms about slashing the education budget.

The board needs regents who are willing to fight and find ways to create top-notch colleges and universities.

Nonetheless, Whipple is running against an opponent who entered the race only because he thought Whipple wasn’t going to run, and Whipple is the better of the two candidates. We hope that as he matures as a regent, he becomes the advocate the higher education system needs. The Sun endorses Bret Whipple.