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Thursday, June 11, 2009 | 2 a.m.
Sun Archives
- With colleges’ budget cuts final, what now? (6-2-2009)
- Faculty, professional staff shielded from furloughs (5-21-2009)
- Budget picture to clear as academic year ends (4-20-2009)
- Students face fee increase but aren't protesting (4-12-2009)
- Action on cuts waiting until lawmakers say how much (4-6-2009)
Sun coverage
Beyond the Sun
The culture of academia, including at public universities, calls for a level of pomp.
Candidates for top higher education jobs often enjoy fine dining and other perks while interviewing. Prospective students judge universities not only by their academic merits, but by the quality of recreation centers and social offerings on and around campus.
One result of Nevada’s financial crisis, however, is that UNLV is curtailing spending on frills, university officials say.
The College of Engineering shelled out tens of thousands of dollars to subsidize a private Blue Man Group show in early 2008 for participants in a high school robotics competition UNLV hosts. Now, with budget cuts, “we could not sponsor such an event,” Engineering Dean Eric Sandgren said.
In 2007 the university spent $576 on a dinner for eight at the Four Seasons Hotel while hosting an applicant for the higher education system’s position of executive vice chancellor of health sciences. Also that year, the school paid $839.80 for a three-day stay at the Ritz-Carlton for job candidate Bill Boldt, now UNLV’s vice president for advancement.
But as an indication that times have changed, UNLV President David Ashley said, “we have been paring back recruitment costs dramatically over the last year plus. We remain quite concerned and are continuing to limit such expenditures.”
He doesn’t want spending to haunt administrators the next time they make the argument to legislators and the public that the school has always been underfunded and has now been cut to the bone.
UNLV covered the Blue Man Group performance and recruitment expenses with overhead money it received from agencies that sponsor research, such as the National Science Foundation. When faculty members secure funding for projects, a portion goes to schools to reimburse them for overhead costs such as utilities.
UNLV leverages this money to support more externally funded research, and much of it covers expenses such as laboratory renovations and conference registration fees.
But the reimbursements, which topped $11 million in fiscal 2008, are one of the university’s largest sources of unrestricted revenue — money administrators can spend however they want within the limits of the law.
Purchases such as the show tickets, dinners and hotel stays, though not unusual for a school the size of UNLV, are the type that give fiscal conservatives ammunition in their battles against big government.
The College Republicans, the governor and others raised questions, for instance, about a $15,736.20 desk and matching peninsula that UNLV bought in late 2007 for Ashley’s office using overhead reimbursements.
Expenses UNLV charged to overhead accounts in 2008 while recruiting high-level administrators included a $190 dinner for three at the Bellagio’s Sensi and a $380 dinner for four at Spago, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant.
That summer, with the governor asking state agencies to plan for 14 percent budget cuts, the university spent $1,975.48 in overhead money on an extra large white board for Executive Vice President and Provost Neal Smatresk’s office, which doubles as a conference room. The price covered the delivery, installation and cost of the wall-mounted board, which has doors that shut to prevent visitors from seeing information written on it.
In explaining the purchase, Smatresk said that when he started at UNLV in 2007, “I moved into the provost’s office ‘as is,’ accepting no modifications, and furnishings that are over 13 years old.”
Sandgren, the engineering dean, called the Blue Man Group performance targeted advertising. The robotics contest draws top students from across the country, and the show gave UNLV an opportunity to “get exposure to this national audience,” he said.
The College of Engineering spent $85,329 on 1,710 tickets, but recouped $34,121 from attendees, said Gerry Bomotti, UNLV’s senior vice president for finance and business.
$839.00 for three nights at the Four Seasons? It is probably best to avoid hotel-casinos when bringing in a candidate; but at more than $200 a night? A private showing of Blue Man Group for high school recruits? Actions like this make the public taxpayer take a dim view of higher education. How about a lot less pomp and whole lot more of humility?
Pomp and circumstance do not make a good university. Good faculty, staff, and students make a good university. And frankly, UNLV spends too much time spending money trying to impress, rather than spending their money and resources wisely trying to be impressive.
It is time for significant changes in the organizational culture (starting at the top!) for UNLV to help get its priorities in order.
$839 is nothing compared to his salary, which is supposed to be indicative of the value he brings to the university. We need these types of events to bring in top talent, because its not like UNLV has a rich academic pedigree to attract top talent. I understand that these expenditure look superfluous, but lets not be one dimensional and unrealistic about this.
If every student that attends UNLV costs taxpayers money to support their education, why are we trying so hard to attract them. If they have other options, let them go.
It is nice to see National Science grants go to items like hiring the Blue Man Group to entertain.
The biggest problem is these people think this makes sense. They are not ashamed of the expenditures, they are proud of them and have been on campus so long they don't understand why taxpayers are upset.
Of course UNLV's going to attract the best talent by making them stay in a Travelodge during their recruitment interview!
$85,000 for BlueMan group?! Shouldn't this discretionary money have been spent on scholarships, tutors, or a number of other things, BUT BlueMan group tickets? In my opinion, the Dean of Engineering needs to be held accountable for this excessive spending. Is Rogers supportive of this stunt?
Did faculty and guests pay for their own tickets to the BlueMan group?
""By neiman1: If every student that attends UNLV costs taxpayers money to support their education, why are we trying so hard to attract them. If they have other options, let them go.""
This is the typical thinking from someone who is probably a high school drop out...........keep them stupid, and they will have all the ambition of this neiman1 poster......which means a menial peon occupation with a pitiful wage af $10 per hour.
Perhaps some strive to become more than to be porters, valets, maids, dishwashers, dealers and other unskilled jobs that anyone with a 3rd grade education can perform.
Berstos:
Although I agree with you on the importance of higher education, there are people very close to me who have degrees who can not find a job over $10/ hour. But you're probably right, they're just stupid...take a look around at the economy and feel fortunate for what you have. Those ones close to me with degrees making $10/ hour feel lucky to have something right now.
Why can't they stay in one of the tents at the Circus Circus?
They way these fools spend money we will all be in tents soon.
To rebelrebel......I realise the economy is taking it's toll.......and many are working in jobs just to get by, but if you have an education, then, when things do get back to normal, you can toss your $10/hour job and get into a job that pays what you are worth.
I know engineers right now, who might jump on a $10/hr job.......but that $10/hr. job isn't their goal in life.