higher education:

CSN: Budget cuts could force class cancellations

Fewer offerings would come with increasing enrollment

Mona Shield Payne/Special to the Home News

As Dr. Thill Raghu, professor of philosophy, listens from his seat as CSN President Michael Richards urges faculty and staff to concentrate their time and energy on finding a solution to the budget problems versus long-term employment concerns during the town hall meeting at the CSN Charleston campus Wednesday.

By Jeff Pope (contact)

Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009 | 9:18 p.m.

CSN budget cuts

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The College of Southern Nevada will be looking past the governor to the state Legislature to ease the bleeding caused by cuts to the budgets of the state's higher education system, college President Michael Richards said.

Gov. Jim Gibbons is expected to ask the Nevada System of Higher Education during his State of the State address, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, to prepare budgets for the next biennium perhaps with a 14 percent reduction in expenses without a tax increase to offset the loss in funding the colleges and universities have already experienced.

For CSN, which plans to close six satellite campuses, that could mean canceling fall classes while expecting the largest enrollment in school history this spring.

Richards spoke to more than 100 teachers and staff members at the Charleston campus on Wednesday in the second of three town hall meetings.

During the next few months, the Legislature will have to craft a budget to fund the eight institutions in the system for the next two years, leaving a lot of questions and uncertainty about the staffing levels and courses offered at CSN, Richards said.

"We're looking beyond to the Legislature to have a number of things more fully considered," he said. "I don't know how deep this is going to go."

Richards' message to his faculty was one of caution and patience during the legislative process, which he compared to a roller coaster ride.

"We're going to have a lot of uphill rides and a lot of downhill rides," he said. "Don't get too anxious about this. It's a very deliberate process."

CSN stands to lose the most in comparison to other schools. It also has the largest student body.

Cutting the budget means reducing the number of classes offered, which in turn generates less tuition revenue, Richards said.

"That cut understates the impact of cuts to NSHE institutions because there is revenue we would not realize," he said. "For our institution, a 14 percent cut is closer to about an 18 or 19 percent expenditure cut."

CSN receives about 75 percent of its operating funds from the state and already cut $10.4 million for the current fiscal year, said Patty Charlton-Dayar, vice president of finance and facilities.

To meet the projected 14 percent cut, CSN would need to trim an additional $18 million from its current $122 million budget.

The college covered most of the loss, partly through a $2.75 per credit surcharge, but further cuts would harm a student body that has grown 12 percent from last spring semester. A total of 30,642 students so far have signed up for the spring semester.

"We've seen this before. When the economy goes bad people return to classes," Charlton-Dayar said. "Students are filling the seats and they're coming in record numbers. We know we have more sections (classes) that are filled at this time than there was last year."

Richards is counting on the Legislature to be more responsive and find solutions to ease the effect of cuts. The Legislature crafts the budget so the schools won't know the final tally until June. Students usually start signing up for fall classes a month earlier though, Richards said.

That means many classes at CSN would be scheduled but blocked out until the college knows which classes it can afford to offer.

As many as half of the 4,000 classes offered could be blocked initially but the true number of canceled courses would be much lower, said Darren Divine, interim vice president of academic affairs.

"Our general principle here has been to build in as much flexibility as we possibly can based on what we know and the timing of some of these things that are going to come to pass," Richards said.

Jeff Pope can be reached at 990-2688 or jeff.pope@hbcpub.com.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By Evergreen

1/14/09 at 11:43 p.m.

Suggest removal

Mike Richards is an illegitimate CSN president who is a liar and a thief. He is making $280K in this economy as a reward from Jim Rogers, the rogue Chancellor of Nevada Systems of Higher Education for being a yes-man. Richards is completely paralyzed at fund raising because absolutely nobody likes him.

If you don't get him saying things in recording, don't count on him to keep his promises. Even then, don't be surprised to hear, "It was then. This is now. You should not worry what's said and what's not in the past. You should only focus on where we will go from here." Sounds great, doesn't it? He always uses it to back paddle. This is from someone who heard it way too many times.

CSN actively prosecutes good teachers and retains dead wood who are Mike Richards' cronies. Since the disgraced ex-President Richard Carpenter took CSN to the moral sewers, Mike Richards has been making sure that CSN stays there. To Mike Richards, ignorance breeds fortune for him. Mike Richards has no intention to truly inform the public. All he knows is threaten, lie, and coerce to get what he wants the CSN employees to do.
By OG

1/15/09 at 12:33 a.m.

Suggest removal

As a lifetime education in higher education, CSN is one of the most corrupt institutions of higher education I have ever witnessed.

The faculty is below average, the administration is on the take, and folks motivated by the well-being of the student body are few and far between.

I'd encourage those who can afford it to consider Dixie State College in St. George, or, alternatively Barstow Community College. The quality of education at those institutions is worth driving the extra mile. If you can't afford those options, you'd be better off at a private junior college such as Phoenix, Devry, etc.

If you want a four year education but want to stay in Nevada, you should consider UNR rather than UNLV -- it is more highly ranked, and while still immersed in a culture of corruption, offers a better student-faculty ratio and a more comperhensive undergraduate experience.

I know some good folks at CSN in higher-up positions trying to turn the situation around. But they might as well be charging windmills - they will not be successful.

Steer clear of CSN.
By LasVegan

1/15/09 at 8:02 a.m.

Suggest removal

Can Mike Richards save money from paying 3 people with the same job title, including the indicted VP Bob Gilbert, 6-digit salary, each? He can, but he is not doing it. He let repeated and redundant positions run rampant at CSN.

Can Mike Richards go out to raise fund for CSN? He can try. But no businesses like to deal with somoeone who double talk, is ignorant, and is outrageously over paid. Why would they want their money wasted like that?

As Mike Richards gave his own yes-men such as the disgraced ex faculty senate chair and whose wife, an underserved sabbatical leave, in such a budget crisis, for an estimated over $100k cost, Mike Richards does not hesitate to chase valuable employees away, from reputable senior administrators, to highly regarded teachers, to hard-working computer technicians. Together with Richard Carpenter, these two created history high record of EEOC complaints from CSN employees against CSN.

The best suggestion, and I can't take credit for saying it because it's being suggested over and over again, is that Mike Richards step down, as CSN desparately needs true and savvy leadership, way better than Mike Richards can ever offer. Ignorance and nastiness just don't amount to useful leadership, no matter how you slice it.
By Farah

1/15/09 at 10:01 a.m.

Suggest removal

Nowadays Las Vegas people are bombarded by CSN's TV ads, which are just a few less than those of RC Willey's. I thought so we were really working on getting more students now with the economy bad and people coming back to school. If CSN will cancel half of the 4000 classes it offers after it advertises so hard for even after students have signed up, then please answer the question: Why are there so very many ads on Las Vegas TV? What is CSN advertising for? Money to burn?

I have heard comments about people are sick of the CSN ads, and didn't understand why a community college can advertise that much. CSN administrators, in their infinite wisdom, decide to advertise to no end, then cancel classes. It's not like the public has not had any "trust" issue with CSN! On the contrary, the public are rightfully wary with so many scandals at CSN.

Even if the public try hard to learn to trust again, CSN will no doubt disappoint them, again! It's just not funny anymore how CSN administration could have conducted business this way. 6% cut from Mike Richards down, and stop at the Department Chairs will be a good indication for the poor performances of the CSN administrators!