UNLV president could be chosen as soon as Tuesday

The next president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas could be chosen as soon as Tuesday.

Following a week of interviews, campus tours, meetings and forums, all three finalists Monday will have an opportunity to address the Nevada System of Higher Education presidential search committee at an 8 a.m. public meeting at the Marietta Tiberti Grand Hall in the Richard Tam Alumni Center.

The three finalists include a medical doctor, a business school administrator and the UNLV provost.

Ricardo Azziz, a medical doctor, led Georgia Regents University for the past five years and is the CEO of the Georgia Regents Health System, which oversees a budget of more than $1 billion.

UNLV Provost John White came to Las Vegas via Louisiana State University, where he taught for 15 years. White, who holds a juris doctorate, was the second dean of Boyd Law School before becoming UNLV’s provost.

Len Jessup is the dean of the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. Before leading that university’s business school, Jessup held several administrative roles at Washington State University, including dean of the college of business and vice president of university development.

Nevada Board of Regents chairman Kevin Page, who is on the search committee, said the weeklong interview process has gone well. “They all have been vetted on campus. It’s been an open process and good for all the campus to meet them.”

During the vetting process, each of the candidates was found to have issues in their past. Azziz has been scrutinized for questionable expenditures at Georgia Regents University. Jessup has been questioned about embarrassing emails that surfaced regarding a close relationship with a female employee under his supervision at Washington State University. And White’s role in Interim President Don Snyder’s decision to call for an academic review of a controversial report about the voter-rejected margins tax has made some question his support of academic freedom — which he says he strongly backs.

“That’s part of the process, finding out the good and the bad,” Page said. “It’s good to vet it out and get explanations for what was found out.”

The search committee could vote to recommend one of the three candidates or ask to see more candidates.

Page has called for a special meeting of the Board of Regents on Tuesday, when a new president could be chosen.

Each of the candidates seems to offer something unique.

Azziz’s career has revolved around medical school and university administration, useful experience as UNLV pushes to build a public medical school.

Jessup’s history as a fundraiser is a needed commodity at UNLV, which hasn’t had a fundraising campaign in about five years.

White’s positions at UNLV give him insider knowledge of the political landscape as the university goes to the Legislature seeking $27 million in funding for a medical school.

Gov. Brian Sandoval appears committed to a medical school.

“I do think Las Vegas needs a medical school. And what we’re trying to sort out are the expenses that are associated with that, ” Sandoval said, adding that his understanding is that Las Vegas is the largest metropolitan area in the country without a medical school.

“Given the need for doctors, particularly in specialty areas, the addition of a medical school could be helpful for that,” Sandoval said. “But I don’t think there has ever been a question as to a need for a medical school; it is the costs associated with that that need to be explored.”

Sandoval said he is evaluating the request by the Nevada System of Higher Education for the nearly $30 million for the school.

It has to be balanced with needs in education, prisons, mental health and all other budget priorities.

All three candidates also have been quizzed on their ability to help UNLV as it strives to earn a Tier 1 ranking as a research university, a prestigious designation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Review-Journal writer Sean Whaley contributed to this story. Contact Francis McCabe at fmccabe@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5512. Find him on Twitter: @fjmccabe