Rogers to repeat funding request

University system Chancellor Jim Rogers will again trumpet the call today for more funding for higher education, including warning university students to expect a proposal "that they must pay considerably more for that education."

Rogers' State of the System address at The Orleans this morning will reiterate the chancellor's goals over the last few years: more private and legislative support for colleges and universities, funding for the Health Sciences System and rescuing Nevada from the doldrums of national rankings.

"We are horribly and fatally uneducated," the draft of Rogers' speech, which he gave in Reno and Elko Tuesday, states.

According to Rogers, Nevada ranks 49th in:

• The chance a 9th grader will graduate from college with a bachelor's degree.

• The percentage of the population enrolled in college.

• The number of people who have an associate's or bachelor's degree.

"I am sickened with the constant barrage of statistics that say that Nevada is last, and I intend to change them with your help," the speech states.

With the state's colleges and universities budgeting for funding cuts in the next few years, Rogers said the 2009 session of the Legislature will be pivotal and "could lead directly to success or failure."

Students also should expect to pay more.

University system leaders have said that students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and the University of Nevada, Reno, will likely see drastic fee hikes in the next few years to make up for funding shortfalls.

But the increases would be accompanied by considerable boosts in financial aid. Details have not been provided.

Rogers will also urge businesses to create more internships for students and offer paid time for employees to take college courses.

Students, of which nearly half in Nevada attend part-time, will also be encouraged to go to school full-time and obtain a degree.