February 5, 2024

  GOVERNANCE

Question 1 may lead to dramatic changes at Nevada's colleges & universities

All faculty urged to attend February 23 forum with Nevada lawmakers to learn about the ballot question 

The Nevada Faculty Alliance is hosting a statewide open forum where members of the Nevada Legislature will answer questions, address concerns, and field recommendations from NSHE faculty regarding Question 1, the ballot initiative that will remove the constitutional provisions governing the election and duties of the Board of Regents. Passage would authorize the state legislature to review and change the governing organization of the Nevada System of Higher Education. 

Although the language appears straightforward, the long-term ramifications could lead to significant changes. At a time when activist legislatures in states like Florida and Texas are trying to mold colleges and universities into ideological tools, faculty activism in the campaign, and engagement in the subsequent process are critical to ensure the same thing doesn't happen in Nevada. We hope to answer questions such as:

• How much autonomy will the Regents continue to have?

• What, if any, decision-making currently vested in the Regents will shift to the Legislature?
• Ultimately, will the Nevada System of Higher Education be dismantled or reconfigured? For example, will there be separate governing boards for community colleges vs. universities?
• Will the Legislature create a new committee for higher education, separating it from K12 in the education committee?
• Will the Nevada Department of Education assume any governing authority over parts of higher education?
• How will Question 1 impact our efforts to establish collective bargaining rights for higher education faculty in state law?

Assemblyman Howard Watts (D-AD15)

Assemblyman Howard Watts has already agreed to participate in the forum and other lawmakers are also expected to join the panel.

Proponents of Question 1 have already ramped up a campaign, and some prominent Nevadans with history in NSHE have voiced their support. The NFA has not taken a position on the question, yet. A decision for an endorsement will be based on what we learn from decision-makers at the forum.

Faculty engagement and activism will be crucial to help shape a new system into one that honors the fundamental tenets of higher education: faculty and student rights and responsibilities, academic freedom, shared governance, due process, and intellectual honesty.

The forum will be hybrid, with panelists meeting faculty face-to-face at UNLV in Southern Nevada, linked by video conferencing to TMCC in Northern Nevada, and via Zoom.

• Day and Time:
  Friday, February 23, 2023, 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
• Locations:
  Las Vegas - UNLV, Rogers Literature and Law Building, RLL 101 (live)
  Reno - TMCC Dandini Campus, Sierra Building, SIER 108 (video)
  Video conference via Zoom

  SHARED GOVERNANCE

NFA resolution urges Regents to start national searches for presidential vacancies

On February 5, the State Board of the Nevada Faculty Alliance sent a formal resolution to the Nevada System of Higher Education's Board of Regents and Chancellor, urging them to initiate national searches to fill upcoming presidential vacancies. The NFA State Board's action comes following a vote in favor of a resolution by TMCC-NFA members at their January 9 chapter meeting. 

Incremental changes to the NSHE code over the last decade have resulted in a policy that prioritizes appointments to fill executive vacancies over the well-established standard of national searches. NFA contends the appointments minimize the role of shared governance, and diminish the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The resolution asserts that the standard practice of requiring national searches to fill faculty vacancies at all NSHE institutions should be the minimum standard for filling executive vacancies, especially presidents.

The resolution strongly urges the Regents to revise the code to restore national searches as the preferred method for filling executive vacancies, and to take the initial steps to conduct a national search for the next TMCC president no later than May 2024, culminating in a final selection early in Spring Semester 2025. Similarly, NFA asks the Regents to start national searches as soon as is practical to fill the permanent presidential positions at GBC and CSN.

Read More >>
NFA resolution calls for national searches to fill presidential vacancies

  ADVOCACY

Campus safety takes center-stage in the aftermath of 12/6

National leaders turned their attention to UNLV and campus security following the deadly shootings of December 6th on the Las Vegas campus that left three faculty of color dead, and another fighting for his life.

UNLV-NFA President Doug Unger has taken a leadership role in the campaign to improve safety on Nevada's college and university campuses. He was among the UNLV officials invited to meet President Joe Biden (video from CBS) during his visit on December 8. Unger also hosted an open forum for all faculty in Nevada with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten on January 9.

Unger is also a participant in the Chancellor's ad hoc Committee on Public Safety, which is charged with developing recommendations for improvements. This week, he will be among the individuals urging the Interim Finance Committee of the State Legislature to approve $5 million in emergency funds for NSHE to address the most immediate needs, while long-term strategies and budgets are developed.

President Joe Biden shakes hands with
UNLV-NFA President Doug Unger,
while University Police Chief, and long-time NFA associate, Adam Garcia looks on.

AFT President Randi Weingarten meets with Southern Nevada NSHE Faculty

2023-25 NFA State Officers

Jim New - President

Shantal Marshall - Vice President

Joey Ray - Secretary

Cheryl Cardoza - Treasurer

Kent Ervin - Past President

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