As Election Day nears, Nevada residents will be called upon to vote on a number of candidates for office and ballot measures. Question 1 addresses the important issue of higher education governance and seeks to have the Board of Regents removed from the state constitution, thus making it subject to the same oversight and regulation as all other state agencies. This is a rather obscure topic to many, but supporters of Q1 have demonstrated an overwhelming case to vote “yes” on it.
I am a third-year honors student at UNLV, where I have learned so much about the value of hard work. I take great pride in my school and its accomplishments, but I recognize that these achievements are the result of the students, faculty and staff. The same can be said about the successes of Nevada’s seven other institutions of higher learning. They are not the achievements of regents who have historically alienated legislators, university donors and other constituencies of higher education.
It disheartens me that opponents of Question 1, including some of the regents, pretend that the successes of students, faculty and staff are “NSHE” accomplishments. This is not a mark of public service, and it raises concerns about the credibility of our elected leaders.
In recent years, Nevada’s higher education institutions have seen improved graduation rates, including for underrepresented groups. This is an important achievement worthy of celebration, but we must be mindful and intentional while considering who deserves our praise. Proponents of the Nevada System of Higher Education’s status quo claim our current system is working well, but it is dangerous to tie the improved graduation rateto our governance. This accomplishment is made possible through the tireless work of students, the faculty who teach them and the advising centers that guide them along the way.
In the midst of a global pandemic, we have also seen local elected officials champion the establishment and development of the UNLV School of Medicine. We are grateful for this important addition to our university and our state, but getting to this point has not always been seamless or student-centered.
When it was time for the Board of Regents to make decisions on budget cuts, one of the first things it removed was state funding for the development of UNLV’s medical school. Times are tough and everybody had to take a cut, but it’s ironic that the development of a medical school in a large metropolitan area was scrapped in the midst of a pandemic — especially when a significant portion of the budget goes toward administrative costs and salaries that do not directly aid students. In defending this cut to lawmakers, an NSHE official described UNLV as “unlucky” to have lost this support.
It is phenomenal that both UNLV and UNR have climbed the ranks of the U.S. News & World Report’s college rankings and achieved Carnegie R1 status. The regents may rush to claim credit but the impetus, vision, and energy came from UNLV and UNR faculty and administrators. This is despite the fact that some regents once claimed it would take UNLV an additional 10-15 years to reach that status.
As a student researcher at Brookings Mountain West and the Lincy Institute, I have been able to research so many important public policy topics connected to the Las Vegas metropolitan area, the state and the Mountain West region. I have become a better learner and a better person because of my research. However, my growth and accomplishments are due to the tireless work and support of my mentors and colleagues — not the governance structure that oversees UNLV.
With all of these ideas in mind, it pains me to consistently see regents and NSHE staff exchange praise with each other that students, faculty and institution-level employees deserve. Nothing about this is student-centered. This would be the equivalent of the Legislature taking credit for the successes of individual businesses throughout the state.
The recent scientific breakthrough in the long sought-after quest for a room-temperature superconductor was in part due to the contributions of UNLV physics professor Ashkan Salamat, not NSHE or the regents. The growing number of community members assisted with DACA renewal forms is due to the work of the Immigration Clinic at the Boyd School of Law, not NSHE or the regents. The UNLV women’s tennis squad earning the designation as an Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team is due to the work of the players and coaches, not NSHE or the regents.
As we move forward with considering the future of Nevada’s higher education governance and administration, it is important to remember that the Nevada System of Higher Education’s offices do not grant degrees, have athletic teams, teach classes, achieve breakthroughs in the classroom and the laboratory, or serve as an accredited institution of higher education. Everything that makes higher education in our state great is the result of our colleges and universities. It is time for the focus to go back where it belongs, and for student-centered sentiments and practices to become tomorrow’s reality.
Olivia Cheche is a third-year political science and Brookings Public Policy student in the UNLV Honors College. She is a student researcher for Brookings Mountain West and the Lincy Institute, as well as the Senate president for CSUN Student Government.