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CCSN-Regis deal sparks more talkBY VALERIE MILLER BUSINESS PRESS A new agreement allowing the Community College of Southern Nevada to funnel students into Regis University needs some reworking, particularly a provision that would see the Denver-based Jesuit university use publicly funded community college classrooms to educate students, said Allen Lichtenstein, general counsel for the Nevada chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
The deal signed by higher education chancellor Jim Rogers and others would see the community college steer its graduates into bachelor's degree programs offered by Regis. As a part of the agreement, Regis' former community college students would be required to take six credits of religious studies classes to receive a degree. The program is scheduled to begin this fall. Community college President Richard Carpenter has defended the program saying that his ex-students who attend Regis would not have been likely candidates to attend the state's two major universities -- the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno. Carpenter and Rogers have also said the program does not violate any constitutional prohibitions against the separation of church and state. The plan to funnel community college graduates into Regis bachelor's programs drew support from Assemblyman Joe Hardy, R-Boulder City, a member of the assembly's education committee. Hardy said the deal will save taxpayers money by sending students to the privately operated non-profit university rather than to the state's publicly funded four-year schools. "I think the chancellor has been proactive on this [deal]," Hardy says. But Senate Minority Leader Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas criticized the agreement after learning of it from a Business Press reporter. Rogers and Carpenter did not contact any state legislators nor all 12 members of the state Board of Regents about the deal. The community college's lawyer said the deal does not require the approval of either body. "It reminds me of some of the entrepreneurial things that [former CCSN President] Richard Moore had done, and I don't want to see them headed down that same path. Ron Remington got fired over the exact same thing, at least in principle," says Titus, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight of the state higher education system. Titus is also a political science professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Moore lobbied to make CCSN a four-year college in the late 1990s. He was later given the job of founding president of the newly opened Nevada State College in Henderson. Remington, his successor, secretly lobbied lawmakers to turn the two-year community college into a four-year school. Remington was later ousted from his position by a vote of the Board of Regents amid controversy evolving from the lobbying efforts over his four-year plan. Remington was officially reinstated to his position by a judge's ruling. Current CCSN president Richard Carpenter has said he has no desire to make CCSN a four-year college. Meantime, Hardy applauded the lack of legislative involvement in the Regis agreement. "If you can keep the Legislature out of things, (the process) can sometimes be more effective," Hardy says. According to the CCSN-Regis deal, the community college will offer as much as three years of course work and Regis will offer the remaining one or two years toward the bachelor's degree. "I'm not aware of any other institutions that are doing this. It's uncommon," says Michael Baer, senior vice president of the American Council on Education. The 87-year-old membership organization for higher education institutions has about 1,600 members, including Regis, CCSN, UNLV and UNR. The community college-Regis deal evolved, in part, from a longtime academic relationship between Carpenter and Joe May, associate vice president for institutional partnerships at Regis. The pair previously headed two-year systems in Wisconsin and Colorado. "That also brings up some of the criticism of Moore," says Titus, pointing to widespread allegations of nepotism during the former CCSN president's days at the college. "It would have been subject to less criticism if it had been vented in public. It's something the regents should have heard." The Las Vegas-based Democrat, who is also a leading contender for her party's nomination in next year's race to replace retiring Gov. Kenny Guinn, said she also worries about Regis gaining a competitive advantage over the still-struggling Nevada State College in Henderson. But the four-year school's president, Fred Maryanski, said he's accustomed to competition in a region that includes UNLV and several privately run institutions. vmiller@lvpress.com | 702-871-6780 x331 Nevada Public Radio's State of Nevada will focus on the CCSN-Regis agreement Friday, May 27, at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on KNPR 88.9 FM. HIGHER EDUCATION KEY FIGURES: Community College of Southern Nevada President Richard Carpenter, Regis University Associate Vice President for Institutional Partnerships Joe May and university system chancellor Jim Rogers NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA: 35,000 NUMBER OF STUDENTS ENROLLED IN REGIS UNIVERSITY: 16,335 (nationally); 400 (locally) SCHEDULED START: Fall 2005 |
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