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July 16, 2009, 10:00 AM ET
Personnel Matters Private for University Leaders? Not in Nevada
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas—unless you’re the president of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas. In a daylong meeting broadcast online last week, David B. Ashley, the president, was repeatedly grilled, and then publicly demoted, during a contentious gathering of the university system’s Board of Regents.
The shakedown followed months of public disputes over the conduct of Mr. Ashley’s wife and heated exchanges between him and the university system’s former chancellor, James E. Rogers. Left in its wake were an ousted president with a tarnished reputation and a state that could have a tough time attracting new leaders.
Last Friday’s meeting opened with a pledge of allegiance and closed six hours later with the banging of the gavel, finalizing Mr. Ashley’s demotion. Not surprisingly, the president described the public process as one he would “not recommend to anyone, anywhere.”
About 645 other “unique visitors” watched the Webcast, according to the server log. And now anyone can view the archived footage on the Web site of the College of Southern Nevada, which is part of the university system.
In 2005, Nevada’s State Legislature amended its Open Meeting Law to require personnel sessions regarding university presidents to be held publicly. Last week marked the first time regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education voted not to renew a president’s contract in an open meeting. --Ashley Killough
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