Provost recommended as acting president of Nevada State College

Lesley Di Mare, the provost at Nevada State College, is expected to be named acting president this week by the Board of Regents.

"She is absolutely the right choice right now for the college," said James Dean Leavitt, the board chairman. "She's clearly the right person to lead it for the remainder of this year through the legislative session next year."

Next year's legislative session is expected to be difficult, with lawmakers facing a budget shortfall of potentially more than 40 percent.

Higher education officials will vote Friday on a budget that asks for an increase in state funding despite the drop in state revenue.

Di Mare, who joined the college in 2007 from Arizona State University, was traveling Wednesday and unavailable for comment. She would replace President Fred Maryanski, who died last month after a long illness.

Higher education Chancellor Dan Klaich said he was recommending Di Mare for a one-year appointment as acting president. The regents will vote on the recommendation Friday.

Leavitt said he will launch a national search for a permanent president in January. Such searches typically take several months to complete.

Leavitt said he would encourage Di Mare to apply for the permanent position.

Di Mare's base annual salary as provost is $206,800. With the state-mandated 4.6 percent pay cut last year, that comes out to about $197,000. Higher education officials said it was still uncertain Wednesday what salary she would be offered as acting president.

Di Mare has been acting as the college's de facto president since Maryanski's death. She is preparing for a semester in which college officials expect enrollment to grow again.

The school, which opened in 2002 with fewer than 200 students, topped 2,500 for the first time last fall. Its annual budget of roughly $16 million is dwarfed by those of UNLV and the College of Southern Nevada, which serve 28,000 and 43,000 students, respectively.

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