The pugnacious chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, James E. Rogers, has for months waged a public campaign attacking the state’s governor for his proposed budget cuts of up to 16 percent for the system. Last week Gov. James Gibbons fired back with an angry letter of his own, in which he singled out university salaries for criticism.

“The system of higher education currently employs 1,328 people who are paid $100,000 or more annually,” Mr. Gibbons, a Republican, wrote, according to the Las Vegas Sun. “I cannot help but wonder how many Nevadans would support an income tax, or any increased taxes for that matter, to sustain those salary levels in the face of significant government spending reductions in other areas.”

Mr. Rogers is hardly backing down. In a terse reply, he said that the governor’s letter “confirmed every one of my fears and concerns” and that it was clear that Mr. Gibbons had “no problem in sacrificing education.”

And today Mr. Rogers released a public memorandum, under the heading “Hope, hope. There is hope,” in which he says the state’s Legislature will find a financial solution that “at least will prevent the dismantling of the Nevada System of Higher Education.” —Paul Fain