The Nevada State Board of Regents approved Chancellor of Nevada System of Higher Education Melody Rose’s resignation. Then, erstwhile and current regents, students, and other people criticized the board.
Rose’s resignation follows a probe into a recent complaint from her against the vice-chair and chairperson of the board. In the complaint, Rose accused the then vice-chair and chairperson of intimidation, gender discrimination, and retaliation to lead her away from her job. Government investigators did not discover enough evidence to back the claims of Rose. However, as for those investigators, the Nevada State Board of Regents had indulged in the kind of behavior that was not professional, was politically factionalized, and had perhaps made ethical violations.
Rose’s resignation occurred only around two years into her contract with the Nevada System of Higher Education. In a recent vote, regents approved the idea of parting ways with the chancellor and paying her up to $610,000 as severance. The severance payment is not as much as Rose’s base salary per year as the chancellor. The agreement keeps the regents and Rose from making any comments that disparage one another’s integrity, ethics, honesty, or professional reputation and competence. It also keeps the existing regents from making any more accusations against the Nevada State Board of Regents.
Students who spoke in the recent public comment time that preceded the vote stated that they felt disappointed and heartbroken about Rose’s resignation. As for the event, Caren Royce Yap of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, stated that she felt as though it is the departure of the truest champion for students.
Board Member John T. Moran praised Rose and blamed the state board for having to seek a chancellor on a full-time or temporary basis to head the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Moran stated that is an extremely sad event for several people in Nevada, whether or not they are part of higher education. Moran added that all regents have failed the US state, the system, and everybody associated with the system. Describing regents as workforce development drivers, Moran stated that they have failed considerably.
As for Moran, the board should stop micromanaging and meddling with the Nevada System of Higher Education. Moran recommended hiring the best chancellor and then allowing that person to do the job.
Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Mary Sewald described the recent vote of the board as an embarrassment. Sewald stated that she could attest to the notion that Rose was a well-qualified candidate and that the actions of the regents damage Nevada’s reputation.
Lisa Levine, an erstwhile regent, stated that the board is not reliable and that it is a broken system. Levine called on AG Aaron Ford of Nevada to fully look into the board while describing it as the epitome of governmental waste.
The regents who voted for accepting the chancellor’s resignations include Jason Geddes, Laura Perkins, Patrick Boylan, Joseph Arrascada, Mark Doubrava, Moran, and Patrick Carter. Moran confirmed that he voted for the move as Rose wished to resign from her employment position. On the other hand, while Boylan favored the move, he did not wish to grant her the above-mentioned amount as severance. Boylan stated that if the Nevada System of Higher Education was a usual business, it would have terminated Rose immediately after her action.
Regents Amy Carvalho, Donald Sylvantee McMichael Sr., Lois Tarkanian, and Carol Del Carlo voted against Rose’s resignation. Rose was not part of the recent board meeting, but she had a few days to take back her resignation.
Crystal Abba, the Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs at NSHE, will assume leadership as Regent Cathy McAdoo interviews faculty, senate chairs, and presidents for suggestions about a temporary chancellor.
In February 2022, the board also voted to approve the outcome of the probe into Rose’s accusations as well as reinstate Carter and McAdoo to their former officer positions. Carter and McAdoo stepped down from those positions after the start of the investigation. Legal counsel told the two to not vote so that they could avoid the filing of an ethics grievance. Despite that, Carter, McAdoo, and many other regents whom Rose had named in her complaint voted to just end that investigation.
The chancellor had drawn flak from a few regents, including criticism for how she implemented coronavirus ordinances on Nevada college campuses. Some regents stated that the decision of implementing the mandates was made without properly talking to them about it.
The CFO of NSHE, Andrew Clinger, stated that the severance amount would arrive from more sources than one in the budget related to system administration. Clinger was unable to tell for certain whether the severance payment would affect student fees.
Governor Steve Sisolak of Nevada expressed his disappointment over Rose’s resignation. For the uninitiated, Sisolak was also a regent once.
Describing himself as a supporter of the chancellor, Sisolak stated that he feels that she has done an amazing job. Sisolak added that public school superintendents handle elected board of education members and locations that occasionally do not understand the effect of the chancellor’s decisions. As for Sisolak, it is among the issues in the state’s education system.
Sisolak expressed concern over the severance payment option as well, stating that Nevada lacks what it takes to fund higher education. Sisolak underlined the importance of doing what is best for students after putting personalities aside. As for Sisolak, regents sometimes fail to consider doing so.
When he was a regent around 20 years before, Sisolak recommended that the Nevada State Board of Regents bring down its size. Sisolak wished to reduce it to up to nine board members. He thought that thirteen was unwieldy and too many individuals to serve on the board.