Bridging Funding for WNC and GBC Should Be a Top Priority

— by Rich Dunn

With agency budgets currently being wrapped up in committee, one budget, for the Nevada System of Higher Education, is of special concern to residents of the rural counties. Chancellor Klaich requested bridge funding for Great Basin and Western Nevada Colleges to facilitate their smooth transition to the more austere funding model approved by the Legislature in 2013. The current leadership at these colleges have taken a can-do, entrepreneurial approach to the task, pulling out all the stops to grow their institutions into sustainable long term viability within the new budget constraints.

Since GBC President Mark Curtis came on board three years ago, he has had to cope with the defunding of 58 full time positions, representing a 27% cut, with the college’s share of state operating funds plummeting 25%, from $16 million to $12 million. At the same time, graduations rose by 60% between 2010 and 2014, a minor miracle made possible by Dr. Curtis’ adept reallocation of resources and tireless efforts to seek out gifts and grants to fill in the gaps.

Now GBC faces the prospect of an imminent $1.45 million budget cut, necessitating a further staff reduction of of 25 full time positions, leaving state-funded headcount 38% below pre-recession levels. Even a miracle worker like Dr. Curtis can only do so much with so few resources in such a limited amount of time. It can’t be done.

WNC President Chet Burton is also working to better serve the needs of students in the five counties the college serves, most notably the highly successful and rapidly expanding “Jump Start” program that allows high-achieving juniors and seniors at 14 high schools to earn resident college credit in core courses prior to graduation.

Chet Burton has put his business experience to good use in coping with the ongoing budget squeeze without resorting to further faculty or curriculum cuts, and none are in his plans going forward. His decision to defund the baseball and softball teams hasn’t been popular, but when you put the interests of students first, something has to give. Like Dr. Curtis, he has a plan in place to live within the constraints of the new funding realities, but fully implementing that plan in the next 90 days is not humanly possible.

The Chancellor’s budget request for the next biennium includes more than $40 million to start up a medical school at UNLV, and $3 million to compensate for a drop in enrollment at that university’s law school. I have little doubt that those are worthy goals, but they must not be allowed to eclipse the higher education needs of the rural counties. GBC and WNC are already doing more with less, and deserve to be provided with the resources necessary to finish the job.