When a raise saves money but not credibility

By Jon Ralston (contact)

Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011 | 2 a.m.

This is the kind of blood-boiling story that should infuriate liberals and conservatives alike:

Man leaves job at UNLV to accept prestigious state panel appointment. Man resigns after only six months, tells governor it is personal. Three days after resignation is final, he starts newly created job at UNLV, with 50 percent salary increase over his appointive post and 28 percent over previous university employment.

There are those who will cynically say that Luis Valera, the occupant of these three high-level government jobs this year, is lucky to have friends in high places. There are those who will snidely say Valera is lucky to have a Hispanic surname. And there are those who will ruefully say this is why so few take higher education’s poor-mouthing seriously.

There also are those who will say: You must be joking.

I’m not.

Valera, a personable fellow, now makes $175,000 as the — wait for it — “interim vice president for diversity initiatives and government relations.” This is a melding of two jobs — some would argue at least one and perhaps both should not exist — and the university folks argue they actually are saving money ($100,000) by hiring Valera to do both.

The government relations job, which pays $137,000 and which Valera took after a stint with the Nevada Resort Association, is essentially the UNLV lobbying job. I won’t bore you with the inflated job description.

But I will regale you with the diversity initiatives vice presidency description, who “is the President’s chief advisor and representative in diversity matters and is charged with promoting and advancing excellence through equity, diversity and inclusion at the university… responsible for providing vision and advice to the campus planning process to ensure that UNLV’s commitment to diversity is adequately and appropriately integrated into the university’s mission; goals and objectives; campus-wide strategic planning processes; and, all university policies and procedures. The Vice President for Diversity Initiatives will provide leadership that nurtures and sustains a campus climate that is supportive and welcoming…”

I’m sorry, but I had to cut it off there, lest I vomit onto my keyboard. Really, UNLV?

“It’s not uncommon for universities of our size to have such a position,” UNLV President Neal Smatresk explained. And, guess what? On Friday, with gushing quotes from Valera, UNLV announced that it ranks in the top 10 most diverse places for undergrads. It must be that vice presidency for diversity!

Perhaps I am too harsh. Let’s go back in time to see how this came about.

The diversity position was created four years ago, but is now vacant. Valera was the university’s lobbyist until February, when Gov. Brian Sandoval announced with the requisite fanfare that he was appointing Valera to the Public Utilities Commission, a board charged with regulating some of the most complex issues in the state.

“Luis has the diverse background needed on the Public Utilities Commission,” Sandoval said. Diverse!

Valera didn’t last long in the $118,000 a year post. Smatresk kept after him, feeling he was left naked at the session. “They had asked me to come back a few times,” Valera told me.

Valera informed the governor this summer that he would need to leave the PUC for personal reasons. And on July 29, Sandoval announced Valera was departing as of Aug. 12. Valera’s new job at UNLV began Aug. 15.

I don’t want to cast doubt on Valera having personal issues, but while he said he couldn’t be a PUC member, he can perform what UNLV says is the equivalent of two jobs?

Smatresk says Valera is qualified to do the two-jobs-in-one, mentioning his stint with the Latin Chamber of Commerce. But he added that Valera is not familiar with “the specifics of faculty diversity, so we have some people helping him out.” I wonder if they get a cut of the $175K.

Smatresk said that a national search will be done and that Valera “gets to compete for it.” The president added that he is in no rush to do the search because he has many pressing issues: “It’s not on the top of my list.”

Both insist there was no wink and nod, although all national searches are local when a candidate has juice. And Smatresk indicated that Valera could still be the university’s lobbyist — what would his salary be then? — if he is not found by the search.

If Valera keeps both jobs, I’m sure he’ll earn every penny of that $175,000 come 2013, when he will nurture and sustain UNLV by securing more money from lawmakers and from a governor whose appointment he accepted and then abdicated, only to be gratefully welcomed back into the bosom of a university that couldn’t live without him and gave him a gigantic raise.

How’s your blood temperature now?