Fire UNLV president, Rogers urges

Jim Rogers promised that he would not go away quietly, and he proved it Tuesday. In one of his last acts before retiring as the state's higher education chancellor, Rogers declared that UNLV's president, David Ashley, should be fired.

"I recommend that Dr. Ashley's contract not be renewed and that you consider immediate termination of the contract as president," he wrote in a letter sent Tuesday afternoon to the 13-member Board of Regents, which governs the higher education system.

The recommendation came after several meetings in which he and others tried to persuade Ashley to quit.

Ashley, 58, who took over the university three years ago, vowed to fight the chancellor's recommendation.

"I believe I've done a great job as president, and I'd like to see it through," he said.

Rogers and Ashley have been at each other for weeks, in public and in private, since news broke that Ashley's job might be on the line.

Rogers and several regents have said they have problems with Ashley's management style, which they describe as lax. They say that he does not respond to complaints and that he has let his wife, Bonnie, treat university employees harshly.

On top of that, the chancellor and some regents have said they have questions about the evaluation process under way. Ashley is undergoing a routine performance evaluation, typical for a university president entering the final year of his contract.

Ashley signed on for four years in 2006. He was expected to sign a three-year extension, through 2013.

But then problems began to surface, including those surrounding Bonnie Ashley. Rogers said some high-level university employees have complained to him about her. He said the complainers called her "vicious."

Bonnie Ashley has apologized, blaming the problem on her "zest and zeal" in performing hostessing duties for the university. She vowed to "work on making this right."

Regent Mark Alden said he has had problems with David Ashley for going on two years. Alden said he forwarded to the system's lawyer copies of seven memos he has sent Ashley over the years.

"He never answered one of them," Alden said.

Ashley countered much of the criticism by saying that the parts of the evaluation he has seen -- it is not yet finished and is not yet public -- are positive.

He said he thinks the public isn't getting the whole story through what has been portrayed in the media. Ashley has been at times reluctant to comment, as have most of the regents.

"I'm relying on the public process to bring forward the complete record, which I think is pretty strong," Ashley said.

The debate of whether to renew Ashley's contract had been scheduled for a meeting this week. But board Chairman Michael Wixom postponed it until August, citing a robust June meeting agenda.

Rogers said he expects that a special meeting will be scheduled some time in July to deal with Ashley's contract. Wixom, whose term as chairman ends at the end of this month, said such a hearing has not yet been scheduled.

Rogers stressed the hearing will be public. He emphasized this in an interview Tuesday, and he said he emphasized it in private with Ashley when he was trying to talk him into quitting before things got ugly.

"We started talking about how we might resolve the issues," he said.

He told Ashley he wanted him to quit. They seemed to have worked out a deal, Rogers said. He gave Ashley a deadline of Friday to accept the deal, the details of which Rogers did not reveal.

But by Tuesday, it was clear there would be no deal.

"He decided he simply did not want to leave," Rogers said.

Ashley disputed that the two sides were close to a deal.

"We had several discussions, and we were not close to an agreement," he said.

He said he welcomed the public hearing. He said that he already has been roundly criticized in the media, and that there is little threat his reputation will be further damaged.

Ashley, an engineer, makes $416,424 annually: $170,000 privately funded by the UNLV Foundation and a salary of $246,424. He is allotted an $18,000 annual housing allowance, an $8,000 car allowance and a $5,000 hosting account for a total of $447,424 in annual compensation.

He was hired three years ago after serving as the No. 2 administrator at the University of California, Merced. He had never led a university before.

His contract stipulates that he was hired with tenure, meaning he could become an engineering professor if he leaves the presidency.

Rogers said he is confident that the board will not renew Ashley's contract.

"And they will immediately terminate him and send him to the faculty," he said.

Rogers has not polled the board, which would be illegal.

Wixom said he had not yet made up his mind. Several other regents said it was too early to make that call, including Vice Chairman Jason Geddes and Ron Knecht, an early Ashley supporter.

"I'm disappointed it's come to this," Knecht said. "But I'm going to keep an open mind and make the decision that's best for UNLV."

Alden was more certain.

"It's the height of insanity to pay him beyond June 30," he said. "It's insanity. He deserves to be terminated."

Alden, who has been on the board for nearly 15 years, said he thinks most of the board will be on his side.

"I can tell you, he's got no votes," he said. "I haven't polled the board, but if anybody knows the board, I do. And he hasn't got the votes."

Ashley acknowledged that the fight has moved beyond Rogers, who has no say in whether to keep the president.

He said he has had the chance to chat with several regents but didn't want to say who they were.

"I don't want to speculate on their vote," he said. "But I made my case."

Contact reporter Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.