Facebook
Fark
Digg
Reddit
StumbleThe Regents’ president problem
Given that UNLV’s past two chiefs left the post under difficult circumstances, the board could have a tough time filling the job. But some are optimistic.
Thursday, July 16, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- For his lobbying, Ashley demoted (7-11-2009)
- UNLV president demoted to university faculty spot (7-10-2009)
- UNLV president garners praise, catches a break (7-8-2009)
- Bonnie Ashley will not be part of the regents’ discussion (7-8-2009)
- Ashley says he's ready to respond to state's concerns (6-27-2009)
- Regents to discuss future of UNLV president at July meeting (6-22-2009)
- Rogers calls for Ashley’s ouster (6-17-2009)
- Rogers: UNLV President Ashley should be fired (6-16-09)
- Decision on Ashley wanted soon (6-9-2009)
Sun Coverage
Beyond the Sun
After ousting its second UNLV president in three years, Nevada’s higher education system is bound to have a hard time recruiting the kind of high-caliber replacement it wants and needs.
The chancellor and the regents want a prolific fundraiser, a top-notch schmoozer and an outstanding manager with a solid academic background whom faculty can rally behind.
But the bar is even higher than that. The college also needs someone who can lead it out of its low rankings in a time of unprecedented fiscal hardship while boosting community support.
If the system decides to do a national search, recruitment is likely to be messier than the one that brought David Ashley to Las Vegas, as then-Chancellor Jim Rogers’ second choice, in 2006, experts said this week.
If what happened in Vegas wasn’t the talk among college administrators across the country, it will be by the end of this week because the industry’s main periodical, The Chronicle of Higher Education, just published a lengthy story detailing Ashley’s hearing and predicting his treatment will hinder the university’s ability to recruit a replacement.
A leading recruiter told the paper that only the most naive college administrator would be willing to gamble on a job that could end with such a public tribunal, noting that a similar evaluation process in Florida in the 1980s was scrapped because it stymied recruitment.
The Chronicle used Ashley’s situation to question whether the Nevada higher education system would be able to get another university president to conduct an evaluation of a peer in Nevada. The reason: Regents publicly grilled Cal State Fresno President John Welty for more than an hour about his evaluation of Ashley, and some accused Welty of whitewashing his findings.
The industry periodical said the system might face lawsuits over tarnishing the reputations of Welty and Ashley.
Still, several experts told the Sun that though Ashley’s demotion will be a major issue, it is not an insurmountable one.
“Nevada, and particularly Las Vegas, has long been regarded as a somewhat politicized place with a lot of tensions and turmoil and conflict,” said Peter Magrath, an education consultant who has served as president and interim president of universities. “This is not something that just happened yesterday. But I don’t think it’s a disaster case that is irreparable. These situations happen pretty often in American higher education.”
Nevada’s new chancellor, Dan Klaich, in fact, contends that Ashley’s evaluation was handled as well as possible, given the requirements of public meeting laws in the state, and could work to the system’s advantage.
“I would hope people would look at the professionalism with which they (the regents) handled that and say, ‘That’s a board I’d like to work for,’ ” he said. “I think the way the board handled it will strengthen its recruiting hand.”
The UNLV presidency will appeal to ambitious academic administrators. The university, after all, is “a prominent institution in a state with a growing population. That makes it a desirable position,” said Terry Hartle, senior vice president of the Washington, D.C.-based American Council on Education.
But the turnover at the top and the widely publicized controversy that surrounded it will raise huge red flags for potential applicants. The interviewers — the regents and the new chancellor — will be turned into interviewees, facing tough questions about the stability of the job and the autonomy of the president, Hartle and others said.
“I think anybody who looks at the position will be acutely aware of the recent developments at the school and will want some assurances that the position will come with the necessary autonomy to continue to advance the institution,” Hartle said.
Klaich argues that UNLV’s tribulations are actually good for the process — it will thin the herd and lead to a better pool of stronger, more qualified applicants.
“I think there will be people out there that see the opportunity to shape the future of this state and there will be great people who will accept that challenge,” he said.
Plenty of rising administrators in the U.S. are looking for challenging positions in up-and-coming states — but plenty of universities are looking for presidents too. The competition right now includes Kansas Wesleyan University, New Mexico State University, Regent University in Virginia, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Virginia State University, Delaware State University, Montana State University, Central College in Iowa and Washington College in Maryland.
In some ways UNLV stacks up well against other universities. Barring total economic collapse, the budget appears resolved in Nevada until 2011. Meanwhile California is issuing IOUs, its research university system is slashing hundreds of millions of dollars from its budget this week and its state colleges have warned of significant admissions cuts for 2010. California and other states with full-time legislatures are expecting more budget cuts within a year.
“Higher ed is suffering everywhere,” Hartle said. “Nevada, on the other hand, is pretty stable. You don’t have to look hard to find states that have more funding per student than UNLV today but which won’t in a short period of time.”
And when it comes to pay, sure, base salaries for Nevada university presidents are well below average for peer universities in the West, and Nevada’s universities lack the on-campus housing provided for presidents in other states. But the total salary and benefits package offered to Ashley included a six-figure salary boost from the UNLV Foundation, putting the total compensation solidly in the middle of the pack.
How much talent from elsewhere that money can buy under these circumstances remains to be seen. UNLV might be better served by waiting before settling on a new president, some experts said.
“The situation must be stabilized and calmed down, but the right person and personality must be brought in,” Magrath, the education consultant, said. “If the interim president has the confidence of the faculty and staff as well as community support, and if that person can have a really good professional working relationship with the chancellor and regents, I absolutely believe the system and UNLV can eventually attract a great president.”
Discussion: comments so far…
Comments are moderated by Las Vegas Sun editors. Our goal is not to limit the discussion, but rather to elevate it. Comments should be relevant and contain no abusive language. Comments that are off-topic, vulgar, profane or include personal attacks will be removed. Full comments policy. Additionally, we now display comments from trusted commenters by default. Those wishing to become a trusted commenter need to verify their identity or sign in with Facebook Connect to tie their Facebook account to their Las Vegas Sun account. For more on this change, read our story about how it works and why we did it.
Only trusted comments are displayed on this page. Untrusted comments have expired from this story.
No trusted comments have been posted.
Post a comment
Most Popular
- Viewed
- Discussed
- E-mailed
Everything Under the Sun
Blogs
The Kats Report
Clint Holmes is a big deal at Cabaret Jazz and 'The Carlyle!'; Playboy's furry-ous closing; Elvis is a 'Legend'
Joe Pesci remembers his own honeymoon in Vegas -- meeting the Rat Pack (1 Comment)
Las Vegas Philharmonic says search for new music director to begin 'immediately' (1 Comment)
With Shenandoah project stalled, Wayne Newton hits back legally (7 Comments)
Where does a Playmate play when she turns 21? Vegas! (3 Comments)
Ice Ice Billy
The road to six-toed cats and Mayor Bubba
The Kats Report
David Itkin tells L.V. Philharmonic officials he's on his way out (14 Comments)
- Locally owned and independent since 1950; Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service, best news website in the nation & DuPont Award for broadcast journalism
Jim Rogers has given UNLV the one finger salute with his recent actions against presidents of our local university. His actions, harassment tactics and ongoing criticisms make the job of finding a honorable replacement for the school president a seriously difficult one.
Who in their world would want to come into a situation where the chancellor thinks he is a 'know it all god of education' and everyone else is a bone head. This man is a jerk and an idiot because he thinks he is infallible...the only thing he has going for himself is that he has wealth and that bought him the power position of chancellor.
Jim Rogers isn't the Chancellor anymore.
There are so many crooks, swindlers, and con men in Nevada, the Board of Regents projects its own proclivities on other office holders. It is impossible for them to understand that academics who serve as presidents or evaluate presidents could be doing an honest job.
O dear sunvisitor...and you think that makes a difference in his ongoing influence with the current Regents!?
Hey all. Today on "Face to Face with Jon Ralston", ousted UNLV President David Ashley breaks his silence. Hear from Ashley himself about why he thinks he was demoted. That's at 5:30pm, 6:30pm and 8:00pm on Las Vegas ONE, Cox Cable Channel 19.
And, don't forget yesterday's show with University Regents James Dean Leavitt, Cedric Crear and Kevin Page re-broadcasts today at 11am and 3pm.
why would anyone come on board with the unhinged Jim Rogers around.
The word is out.
Finding a new, qualified president might be difficult, but not impossible. What the regents must not do is take the easy way out - save money, skip the national search, and hire from within. That would mean the end of growth for UNLV. The Chronicle of Higher Education would have a field day with that scenario - and they are watching.
new name? University of Nevada, Lost Vagaries? I think it was in bad shape before - mind you it is still a valuable resource - but it is not in danger of being competitive with other nearby public in Arizoned out or Utah you know! Even California with its multi-billion dollar deficits will see that its university system has enough funds to be a good place. God save us all!
I don't see the UNLV president's position as one with real power. The real power exists in the regent's inner circle which is the university's real CEO/President/Chairman of the Board/Head Mucky Muck. Academia is a lot different than the real world where the goings-on are often decided by the business owner. UNLV doesn't need a high profile chief, they just need a caretaker and straw boss.
who is anyone kidding, the job title and presidential salary alone guarantee that there will be a lot of applications and they will have the option to fill the job.
The President has a lot of power locally. Like any CEO, he can create an environment through his interaction with faculty, staff, etc. that encourages cooperation; he can establish a culture of cronyism and divisiveness, rewarding his friends and ignoring others; or he can be disengaged, as Ashley was accused of being. Do not underestimate the power of a university president. The president, in addition to his administrative tasks, sets the tone and thus the morale of the whole campus. With a good president, UNLV can once again be on an upward path.
For G-d's sake, we need better Regents. None of current ones know how are University works, and they are not willing to or not able to better understand what a University is. They don't come to meetings prepared because they are too busy trying to claw their way to a higher political office.
Well, let's sweeten the pot then. Offer a quarter million annual salary, bonus, car and housing allowances, cushy health and retirement plans, an entertainment account. Oops, we've tried that stuff before, haven't we ... twice, as I recall? Actually, three times, if you count Bob Maxon. You Tark fans may remember the tremendous turmoil Maxon stirred up at UNLV.
How about trying something revolutionary this time? I'll bet if the "search committee" beats the sagebrush at UNLV they can find an up-and-coming faculty member, or administrator, who can handle the job for a lot less salary and perks than one of these high-priced, national recruits.
If not, fire him or her after a year and save lots of money on separation pay.
Failures of David Ashley:
His college was not raided by the Nevada Attorney General (CSN, not so lucky)
He does not employ four indicted people who still receive their full salaries at taxpayer's expense
He failed to destroy the lives of countless UNLV employees and students
He failed to kiss the butt's of VIP's whose egos couldn't tolerate the fact that Ashley is an accomplished engineer; the green-eyed monster lives in Vegas!
He failed to employ his scumbag racist buddies
He failed to kiss Lord Rogers and the BOR's feet and butt
He failed to lie and steal UNLV funds
He failed to betray the oath of his office
David Ashley failed at all of those things. Apparently the recently departed Richard Carpenter is more of the liking of the BOR; they were silent when Richard Carpenter committed mayhem on CSN. Why didn't they speak up then? Chickensh**s! No decent self-respecting educator would dare step foot on the grounds of UNLV as long as the current band of despicable losers runs it.
The regents hired Welty to evaluate Ashley. The report that he gave them, however, was not to their liking.
Rather than accept the folly of their selection of evaluator, they used whatever flimsy justification they could to fire Ashley.
Had they been ethical and honorable people, they would have been looking around for swords to fall upon.
Given the economic situation and the mediocrity of the state universities in Nevada, you will probably have to live with promotion from within for a few years.