Nevada System of Higher Education faculty on Friday issued a statement about the process for selecting an interim NSHE chancellor. 

“We are deeply troubled by the secrecy with which the selection of the interim chancellor is being conducted,” said Jim New with the Nevada Faculty Alliance. “We have learned that members of Board [of Regents] leadership have met with the Faculty Senate chairs as a group, but only to solicit input on what the chairs consider to be desirable characteristics for the interim Chancellor. 

“Apparently, similar meetings have occurred with other constituency groups, such as classified employees and student government representatives.”

This Is Reno reached out to the Board of Regents Chair, Byron Brooks, for comment but did not receive a response.

The regents last week appointed an “officer in charge” after a failed search for a permanent chancellor. Former Acting Chancellor Dale Erquiaga retired after serving in the position since last year.

He replaced Melody Rose, who left NSHE last year in a cloud of controversy after just two years. She received $610,000 in a severance agreement.

The full NFA statement

Advocating for, promoting, and protecting shared governance are prime objectives of the Nevada Faculty Alliance. This responsibility touches virtually all aspects of the operation of a system of higher education including critical areas such as curriculum development, policy implementation, dispute resolution, and selection of administrators, just to name a few. 

Shared governance depends on transparency and communication. We are concerned, however, that both are sorely lacking in the process which is apparently underway for the selection of an interim Chancellor. While the process for conducting a national search for any NSHE executive is clearly understood, no rules exist for selecting an executive in an interim capacity. By its very nature, where an interim position may be converted to a permanent post, the selection process should be as rigorous and transparent as a traditional national search. It does not appear to us that this is the case.

In conversations with our Faculty Senate colleagues, we have learned that members of Board leadership have met with the Faculty Senate chairs as a group, but only to solicit input on what the chairs consider to be desirable characteristics for the interim Chancellor. Apparently, similar meetings have occurred with other constituency groups, such as classified employees, and student government representatives. While this input is essential, it will not meet the standards of shared governance if it is the limit of their involvement in the final selection.

Our concerns are heightened by the rumors that are emerging across the system. While rumors are inevitable in any complex organization, campus chatter will only get worse in the absence of real communication, especially as a new academic year gets underway. Rumors persist that there is a short list of individuals already under consideration and the names that are mentioned are remarkably consistent from one institution’s grapevine to the next.

Please know that the Nevada Faculty Alliance is always available for consultation, and we request clear communications and consultation in the future about these important policy and personnel decisions. Success for our colleges and universities relies on faculty participation and more transparency. Inclusivity is required to earn our support.

We respectfully request full disclosure of the finalists for this position as well as a description of the process and criteria used for the selection. We also request that this information be made publicly available at least two weeks prior to the Board of Regents taking a vote to appoint the interim chancellor. Lack of disclosure will not only lead rank and file employees to assume the appointment is a back-room deal, but it also robs the appointee of the legitimacy that is necessary to restore stability in the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Respectfully,

The State Board of the Nevada Faculty Alliance

Jim New, President and TMCC Chapter President

Shantal Marshall, Vice President

Joey Ray, Secretary

Cheryl Cardoza, Treasurer

Kent Ervin, Past President

Ted Chodock, CSN Chapter President

Pete Martini, NSU Chapter President

Doug Unger, UNLVChapter President
Todd Ruecker, UNR Chapter President
Heather Reardon, WNC Chapter President