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A screenshot from the governor’s video podcast released Wednesday, during which he criticizes the higher education system’s “decided lack of cooperation” regarding the state’s budget.
Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2009 | 6:10 p.m.
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In a podcast posted online today, Gov. Jim Gibbons blasts the higher education system's "outright refusal to deal with a severe economic downturn."
The nearly eight-minute-long segment, during which the governor criticizes the system's "decided lack of cooperation" regarding budget matters, is just the latest round in a yearlong battle of wills between Gibbons and higher education officials.
Last year, when the governor's office ordered state agencies to submit budgets reflecting a 14.12 percent reduction, the higher education system's Board of Regents instead filed a request for a 10.5 percent increase.
The system's chancellor, Jim Rogers, has lobbed public insults at the governor, at one point calling Gibbons and other Nevadans who would not consider raising taxes people “who care nothing about the state, its future, or anything other than their own pocketbook.”
Both sides have held views the other considers extreme. The governor wants to cut the higher education system's state funding by 36 percent, which many legislators have said is unacceptable. The chancellor has said he wants no reductions, despite the state's financial crisis.
In today's Internet address, Gibbons, on camera in suit and tie, points out that unlike other state agencies, the higher education system can raise money through non-state sources including federal grants, revenue from athletics and donations. He calls for student fee increases, calling them "tuition enhancements" and "tuition adjustments."
He also notes, as he did in January when he unveiled his budget proposal, that compared with other states, Nevada spends a larger than average share of its general fund revenue on higher education. That would be true, he says, even under his budget proposal, which slashes state funding for higher education by 36 percent.
"I am simply not willing to cut deeper into core government services like public safety, K-12 education and health and human services," Gibbons says. "That leaves higher education."
Gibbons called the higher education system's "historical reliance" on general funds "a concern."
"Using significant general fund dollars for higher education keeps the higher education system dependent on general tax dollars," he says. "This means system administrators are less likely to pursue other ways to make the system independent."
Higher education officials have said in recent weeks that the governor's characterization of the higher education system's financial situation is misleading. At a regents meeting last week, Dan Klaich, the system's executive vice chancellor, said Nevada falls in the bottom third of states in per-capita state spending on higher education.
He and other higher education officials argue that budget cuts of the magnitude the governor is recommending would devastate the higher education system. The recommended cut to UNLV's state funding, for example, is greater than the amount the school spends on faculty salaries and benefits.
Higher education officials say increasing tuition by large amounts would drive students to drop out of school, resulting in lost revenue.
A decline in state support for higher education would make raising money from private donors and other non-state sources more difficult.
A key example: The Harrah's Foundation has pledged $25 million toward a new hotel college academic building at UNLV, but most of that gift is contingent upon the university finding $25 million to match the donation.
University officials hoped the state would provide the matching funds, but Gibbons did not include the money in his capital improvement project budget for the next biennium.
Securing federal and other competitive research grants will also become more difficult with a decline in state support. With layoffs, buyouts and attrition shrinking UNLV's faculty roster, professors are teaching larger classes, leaving them less time for research. Some of UNLV's most productive researchers are already considering leaving the university in response to budget cuts.
Nice try Gibby. Its still not going to get you reelected. No one wants to work or cooperate with you because your a crook and a womanizer. Your policies caused our state defecit along side with your buddy GWB.
Gibbons, Ensign, Larry Craig next door, where DO they FIND these ol' boys?
Anyway, frankenstein, er gibbons, has brought the Higher Ed anvil down on his own head. He's been publicly fueding with Rogers since the git-go, and the NASTINESS of the guv in his completely unrealistic draconian proposal to gut higher ed was just plain stupid. The legislature was NEVER EVER going to pass such a budget, gibby knew it but proposed it to spite his nemesis.
GREAT LEADERSHIP, from your EDUCATION GOVERNOR.
It is easy to grumble about Gibbons for a lot of reasons.
But in this tug-of-war, it is hard to find sympathy for Higher Education when the Sun reported last August that UNLV President David Ashley has a desk layout in his office that cost nearly $16,000 and two lounge chairs that were $2 Grand each.
That is almost $20,000 for office furniture. In the debate between Gibbons and Higher Ed, Gibbons and his munchkins can always throw the Ashley furniture obscenity in the faces of the Higher Ed lobbyists.
The munchkins can argue that the waste doesn't stop there.
Our highly-intelligent Board of Regents just approved a new contract for the UNLV football coach that gives him a base salary of $150,000. And this guy is the Jim Gibbons of football: He bumbled away his only chance to go to a bowl game, has never had a winning record and gets bitch-slapped every season by our in-state rivals up north.
Let's not forget the car allowance and country club golf membership the Regents also threw in for the guy.
A Gettysburg-level battle will be fought in the Legislature over Higher Ed funding.
So it is sad for those who understand the importance of higher education to realize that Gibbons holds the high ground in certain areas.
He can point to these two examples (or others that would probably be easy to find) and justly accuse the Higher Ed system of being wasteful during a time when so many people are struggling financially.
What happened to the mock turtleneck?
ol66, I believe the money for Ashley's office came from private funds. You may not think he should have that stuff in his office. I may not. But public funding and private funding are two different things. Also, you are conflating the issue. Let's suppose it WAS public money and we tossed aside all that you suggest (some of which I could easily go along with). How much would that save? Would it matter to Jim Gibbons? The answers are, not much and no. Gibbons wants to destroy higher education because he doesn't like Jim Rogers in particular and he doesn't like higher education in general. Look at it this way: the smarter you are, the better educated you are, the more you know, the less likely you are to think that Jim Gibbons is qualified to operate a meat grinder, much less be governor of Nevada or be in any position of authority that gives him the opportunity to influence public policy in any way. Considering that he also is an admitted plagiarist, he also would have been thrown out of any of the institutions he now is trying to destroy.
Governor Jim Gibbons is a crafty, veteran politician who honed his craft in Washington DC. He is right on some issues, but he is wrong about the future of Nevada if he believes underfunding primary, secondary and higher education is the right way to CONTINUE to go in Nevada. It's getting to be a bigger state now, Jim, you've added people over the last fifteen years. You need education. You need doctors, RNs, LVNS, and all the other things that the hospitality business does not provide.
He vould have an enormous schwanzstucker.
So, who, other than Gibbons staff and last few friends would even watch a pod-cast from him? Some one should slip the guy a note gently trying to explain to Gibbons that he has already become irrelevant and hardly anyone is listening to him and wasting their time!
Again, Governor Gibbons may be the only adult in Carson City. The kids continue to whine and throw tantrums when told we dont have the money to do that! How many, as parents, have faced the same situation when breaking the bad news to our kids. Jimmy Rogers and Barbie Buckley its time to grow up!
"Crafty, veteran politican?" Puh-LEESE. Easily the worst congressman we ever had, and now the worst governor. The sooner the recall begins, the better.
It is shameful what is happening in Carson City.
It seems that Democratic leadership in the legislature are hiding.
Where is the political courage to tell us what is on their minds?
To prevent the Gibbons cuts, without help from DC, would require over a billion in new taxes.
How come they never talk about that?
"Historical reliance on general funds." WHAT! Mr. Gibbons, the way higher education funding works in the sate of Nevada, unlike whatever alternate plain of existence you current reside, is that each higher ed institution in the state sends its tuition revenues to Carson City, which then skims 2/3's off the top ands sends the rest back. UNLV for example, is a model institution when comes to producing revenue, but due to Nevada's policy of fleecing higher ed in order to pay for other items (like cell phone bills) it is struggling to just buy new books for its libraries. Perhaps you would have known this if you would bother to listen to any number of people around you.
ol66: You hit the nail on the head. The Nevada System of Higher Education Professionals received a pay raise on 1/1/09. While I believe the cuts proposed by the governor are too high I think our illustrious chancellor needs to come clean and explain the pay increases. They are short of money but they can still give raises. Go figure that one!
I agree with Gibbons that he has to give priority to basics such as police, health care, and K-12 education. Higher ed is a privilege and no one will die if he cuts their budget. Why not encourage more Nevadan students to Arizona, California, or Utah during this recession and let those pick up the tab on higher ed? Our students can move back home to Las Vegas after college. Cutting higher ed is more reasonable than taking funds away from K-12 students that have to live in Las Vegas! It's also better than being short on police as well!
It is not fair if the higher ed administrators are trashing Gibbons instead of looking into any way to help out. Look at the surrounding states, as unhappy as they are, they are cooperating with their governors. I'd have more sympathy for UNLV if they made SOME ATTEMPT to adapt to the bad economy. Sell off some golf carts, cars, cut lecturers and increase teaching loads of professors ..... COME ON GUYS, MAKE SMALL EFFORT
In my opinion many salaries are too high above the national average: http://hrfs.nevada.edu/hrweb/
The raises are also unheard of at other universities because UNLV faculty receive a 2 and 4% cost of living raise (alternated every other year) PLUS a merit raise of between $1000 - $4500 each year. http://sysapps.unlv.edu/positionlist/Mer...