College’s backers make plea for support

Fearful that Nevada State College could be marked out of the state budget altogether, a powerful group of backers sang the school's praises during Tuesday's Henderson City Council meeting.

The presentation was billed as an update on the master plan for the 7-year-old college, but it served as a plea for the city's support as state lawmakers prepare to convene in Carson City to plug a budget gap of almost $900 million.

Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., former Mayor Jim Gibson and several members of the Nevada Board of Regents were on hand to show their support for the college at the southwestern edge of Henderson.

While there has been no widespread call to close the school, "several misguided individuals" have suggested the idea, said Glenn Christenson, chairman of the college's foundation.

"It's been the topic of conversation," he said. "To abandon the school makes no sense."

That's why college officials and supporters requested a last-minute addition to Tuesday's City Council agenda.

Gibson, who now serves on the foundation board for the college, said he hoped to see council members make a "formal pledge of support" to keeping the school open.

After all, he said, the city played such a large role in establishing the college in the first place.

It was Henderson that secured the college's 509-acre site from the Bureau of Land Management in 2002.

Since then, the city has contributed more than $3 million to the school's development, including $750,000 for long-range planning and $1.3 million in infrastructure improvements for its new liberal arts and sciences building.

Nevada State College opened in 2002 with 177 students. Enrollment now exceeds 2,500, most of them nursing and teaching students. The school offers 25 different four-year degrees.

"When you think that half of these kids are the first in their families to go to college, that's stunning to me," Christenson said.

In 2007, the City Council signed off on a conceptual plan for the college and transferred control of the property to the state Board of Regents.

The detailed master plan for the site, slated for completion this spring, will direct the development of the college and surrounding property for the next 30 years.

Christenson said it is "difficult to have that kind of vision in today's environment," but it's necessary for a college that continues to grow even while its budget shrinks.

In the past year alone, Nevada State College has seen a 20 percent increase in enrollment, even as it absorbed a 24 percent cut in funding, said Fred Maryanski, college president.

Despite all that, Maryanski said, "we believe we are fulfilling our mission."

Contact reporter Henry Brean at hbrean @reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0350.