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StumbleGibbons outlines six-step plan for higher education
Plan calls for increase in tuition, less reliance on state money
Governor Jim Gibbons speaks during a regents meeting at the College of Southern Nevada, Charleston campus Thursday, March 3, 2010. Standing at right is Regent Chairman James Dean Leavitt.
Published Thursday, March 4, 2010 | 11:14 a.m.
Updated Thursday, March 4, 2010 | 12:08 p.m.
Sun Coverage
Calling education “the intellectual infrastructure of Nevada’s future,” Gov. Jim Gibbons today proposed sweeping reforms of how the state’s public colleges and universities operate, including granting more control over finances to individual campuses and the Board of Regents.
The plan -- unveiled by the governor at the Regents meeting at College of Southern Nevada’s West Charleston campus -- is based on “flexibility, autonomy and modernization,” Gibbons said.
Gibbons’ proposal is to:
*Let individual campuses keep control of future increases in registration fees and out-of-state tuition.
*Integrate higher education employees in non-teaching positions into the higher ed’s system and out of the state’s classified personnel system.
*Exempt higher ed capital projects from the supervision and control of the State Public Works Board. The state would retain audit authority upon the project’s completion.
*Give the Regents greater flexibility in spending state dollars, provided additional accountability measures are met.
*Allow the higher ed system to keep 25 percent of its unspent general funds each year, instead of having those dollars revert to the state.
*Create a policy where the higher ed system is guaranteed a minimum appropriation, in order to bring greater stability to the long-range planning process.
All of the proposed changes would require approval by the 2011 Legislature.
If the state asks the Nevada System of Higher Education “to be more self-sufficient, it is right and reasonable that we give them the tools to effectively meet that challenge,” Gibbons said.
A student passes by a banner hung by students outside a regents meeting at the College of Southern Nevada, Charleston campus Thursday, March 3, 2010.
Most of the items on Gibbons’ list encapsulate suggestions that higher ed officials have been making for a number of years, said Regent James Dean Leavitt, the board’s chairman.
“We’re glad the governor has a listening ear,” Leavitt said. “This list is a good starting point for the discussion.”
During its recent special session, the Legislature cut education funding by 6.9 percent. The higher ed system’s presidents are preparing to eliminate certain programs, services and staff as a result.
Acknowledging the severity of the budget crisis, Gibbons said he would work with the Legislature to at least maintain funding levels for higher ed.
“I would like to stand before you today as governor and tell you that I can and will increase funding to higher education, which I believe is critical to our future and our economy,” Gibbons said. “Unfortunately, we simply do not have the revenue to allow me to make that promise.”
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Nothing in life is free get used to it. GAS,GRASS,OR ASS, KNOWBODY RIDES FOR FREE' HEY STUDENTS THATS WHAT YOUR LIBERAL PARENTS SAID BACK IN THE DAY!!! Yea what do I know I only pay taxes. Good job looking out for us "THE TAX PAYER" to Governor.
How is he looking out for you? Next year's deficit is projected to be 2-3 times that of this year. In the many years he's been in office, please name all of the new industries and revenues he's attracted to this state. Please identify all of the plans he's currently got IN MOTION to bring in more, and the level of progress we're at in that regard. Being a governor means more than just not raising taxes. What else is he actually DOING to stave off this mess in the future? Andn don't dump it all on Obama and say "where are the jobs" and then turn around and say "keep the Feds out of our business." You can't have it both ways. If you really want all of this independence and autonomy, then you need to hold your local and state leaders accountable for getting new revenues.
When everyone has something, it loses the value of exclusivity. Wherein a high school diploma used to have some value, now it doesn't - it's expected. The same is happening to college degrees - they're a dime a dozen.
A person who knows how to drive an earthmover or operate a welder will have a good-paying job for life. Someone who understands quantum physics only understands quantum physics.
Giving the universities free-rein is sure to further cripple the budget. No one knows how to blow money like higher ed. Good job, Jimbo.
"How is he looking out for you? Next year's deficit is projected to be 2-3 times that of this year."
Not only that, but in this morning's Nevada Appeal, Governor Gibbons said his first choice if presented with that option would be to simply halve the budget.
Never mind that to do so would either involve crippling or outright killing state government, or would violate about a half-dozen federal statutes that mandate certain programs be funded at a certain level. The governor's plan is to take the hatchet to an already chopped-up tree and hope it doesn't topple over.
This sounds like it was some "behind closed doors" trade-off between the Gov and education inorder to get the recent education cuts through.. This has got to be a step in the wrong direction.. Maybe the Gov will receive something in the future for the obivious payoff.
he can't run his own AFFAIRS,please don't let him abuse mine
thats right governor keep republican politics going and do your best to hand over the reins of our country to corporate America. We dont need higher education, we need more people to suggest "gas, grass, or ass". its easier to control dumb Americans aint that right? i wish i could be governor and do nothing but figure out how to help my corporate friends that feed me money and women.
One day people are going to look back on these times and they will see the truth. Our recession was planned and executed at the highest authoratative level. Americans have to many rights and the middle class even though being bogged down with so much work had prevailed, so what to do? I know. Stop lending money let some banks fail, we'll assume their assets for pennies on the dollar, companies will have no choice but to lay off middle class workers thus slowly eliminating them altogether. I wish Americans would wake up and realize that politics is corrupted and corporations control our government and we have no democracy, just the illusion of such. All the italian families the fbi has investigated for ties to the mob, or all the middle eastern people being investigated for terrorism yet not one of the members of the bilderberg group has even gained an eyebrow raise from those sworn to protect us. Why?
There isn't any thing wrong with proposing that any government, local, city, county or state ought to be pared down budget-wise, except for basic public safety services. The less-government proponents are right. The too-much government proponents are wrong.
I would just like to remind everyone that our State government is comprised of a majority of Democrats, Speaker Barbara Buckley has previously been elected most proficient Assembly Person. When you look at the democrat controlled areas of not only our state but of the nation on a local and state level why are the jobless rates among the worst, low median incomes, and high crime rates? You decide I am just posing a question.
And Rory Reid is proposing what? Like him or not, Gibbons is putting ideas out there while the rest of the governor wannabes are silent.
This is one more step...towards being a 3rd world country...Just keep voting in idiots like Gibbons,Ensign and the Reid clan
The Nevada economy is like a drunk that needs to hit bottom before he/she can turn their life around and Jimbo and the bureaucrats are driving it straight to the bottom. In a way they are helping us misguided tax payers. As soon as public and higher education are completely destroyed we will start to recover - we will have hit bottom. The only caveat is none of us may have jobs to pay any taxes, mortgages, or put food on our tables. But if we just keep the faith our fine government leaders and bureaucrats will do what is best for us I'm sure.
At least this Governor is proffering plans now. He proffered a plan to balance the state budget and had wisdom to work with the Democrats to get it done, granted it was ugly, but it got done. Now he is amalgamating many ideas from educators and trying to provide a structure where education may be able to do much more with less. I'm not going to knock the guy for trying.
Is it genius or continued stupidity to act like a disinterested moron for 3 years and then suddenly turn into an engaged centerist 6 months before the election? I for one won't forget come election day.
So typical of comment pages in the interwebs, this one quickly degenerates into people blaming democrats for all their personal failures. Too fat? blame Sen. Reid, didn't finish h.s. so you don't value education? blame President Obama....bla, bla, bla. Are self-centered, looking out for me libertarians and republicans the ONLY people who ever comment here? (after all, the Sun is the liberal alternative to the right wing rag in town).
The REAL news here is that Gibbons has either gotten the message that a lot of people in NV really DO value higher education, or he's willing to PRETEND that he does up until the election. Given his history on these issues, the smart money is on the latter. Even if he really believes what he is saying (almost all of which, shockingly, is correct and is what higher ed professionals everywhere agree is needed) the chances of HIS doing any of these are zero, nada, zilch, because by the time of the next session, he'll be out of office.
Hey, you last two guys, elect Rory! He and Horseford will make everything better with a state income tax.
Put Gibbons back in for four more. He's been a lot better than the liberal spending Marxists before him.
Pierre
What liberal spending Marxists are you talking about? The last governor was GOP,too, for 8 years. How far back are you thinking?
The GOP has become the party of big spenders. Check your facts.
This is nonsense. These things have been proposed for years and he paid no attention. Now that the session is over and he won't see another one, he can promise anything without consequences.
@ tslennon, you're right in that the economy will have to hit rock bottom before they do the right thing, but you're wrong in that it will be the complete erradication of revenue due to insane taxation and spending that causes it.
Also it is dissapointing to see all of this rhetoric (even from the governor) about how UNLV and education is "Nevada's Future" - no, Nevada is a wasteland nuclear testing facility with legalized gaming and to a small degree, legalized prostitution. Were it not for gaming and hookers, there would be nothing differentiating Las Vegas from Barstow, Kingman, or Needles.
Someone who understands quantum physics only understands quantum physics...and an earth mover driver can only drive an earth mover. So really what's your point plebian?
I am by no means a supporter of Govenor Gibbons. However I think in the four years I've been here that this is actually one of his only interesting ideas. I would have to read up more on this, but my gut reaction is that I agree that the universities should take more responsibility for their own finances. Since its inception higher education in this state presumably has been directly tied to the ups and downs of Nevada's economy.
The current structure where the state is in the business of education obviously doesn't work. I think both sides of the aisle can see this.
I know my agreeing with the governor flies in the fast of my liberal ideals and I'll have to take a long shower after I finish posting this- but I'm actually inclined to agree with the governor on this one.
It's time higher education takes the reins of its own course- and I believe with some of our current leadership at our universities, it just might work.
NOWHERE IN THIS 'PLAN' IS AN
AUDIT
THAT'S RIGHT,
AUDIT.
GET A LOAD OF THIS LIL' QUOTE FROM KLAICH IN THE SUN IN OCTOBER OF '09:
"...Since April, nearly $205 million in federal stimulus money has poured into Nevada's public colleges and universities, supporting about 2,100 jobs, according to a report by Chancellor Dan Klaich...."
THAT WORKS OUT TO:
$97,619 PER JOB...??
AUDIT AUDIT AUDIT AUDIT AUDIT AUDIT AUDIT....
Here's the link, read it for yourself buried at the bottom of the page:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/oct...
Axiom:
I hope that shower was in a super-strong, biohazard decontamination chamber! ;P
NewSense:
"Giving the universities free-rein is sure to further cripple the budget. No one knows how to blow money like higher ed. Good job, Jimbo. "
Yeah, they blow money-like a whale at a high-limit table! The ones who do all that research and development in sciences like medicine and physics end up with nothing to show for it than a few international patents, some shiny awards and the advancement of all mankind.
About 90 days until the Republican primary. THATS why Jim finally drives south and throws something against the wall to see if the Republicans like what it looks like enough to vote for him. This idea is stillborn.
Let's not forget the $500,000 that UNLV President gave in raises and promotions a few months ago:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2009/nov...
Hard to feel pity for UNLV when they seem to always be able to dig up money for stuff.