Conservative Regents’ Coup?
On the heels of Nevada System for Higher Education (NSHE) Chancellor Jim Rogers’ controversial hiring of Tessa Hafen, his memo to Regent Whipple threatening to quit if Regent Leavitt didn’t stay out of his way, and his “I quit” memo, comes a statement from Regent James Dean Leavitt thanking Rogers for quitting so quickly. What is most interesting about the statement is that if you check the Microsoft Word document properties, Leavitt’s statement was actually written by Regent Ron Knecht (or at least written on his computer). So why is one Regent writing another Regent’s statement about the Chancellor’s resignation? I have to assume that someone on the Board of Regents for higher education writes well enough to author their own official statement. Hugh Jackson has hypothesized that Regent Whipple wouldn’t have asked for Rogers’ resignation if he didn’t have the support of Gibbons/Rogich, and when you consider that Knecht, Whipple, and Leavitt all come from the same conservative background (Knecht proudly announced his endorsement by the likes of Nevada Concerned Citizens and NAIPIC in the RGJ voters guide), one wonders if this was a planned coup waiting for just the right moment. All they needed was for Rogers to do or say something stupid and that sure wasn’t going to take very long. Needless to say, an interesting block is emerging on the Board of Regents, and education activist should be very concerned. By writing Leavitt’s statement for him, and letting him be the one to “thank” Rogers for his service on behalf of the Board rather than the current chair, it almost seems like Whipple and Knecht are setting up Leavitt to succeed Whipple as Chair of the Board of Regents as Rogers asserted. Coincidence? I’ll let you decide.
For Regent bios go here. Uh, unfortunately, I have so far been unable to upload the actual word.doc, but I’m working on it. In the meantime, here’s an image of it. I guess Ralston will have it up soon, just don’t forget that I scooped THE political reporter in Nevada.
Similar Posts:
- Off With His Head, But Whose Head?
- Chancellor Rogers Is Back
- Reno And Beyond: Blue Thongs And Red Hats, Ladies Who Lunch Battle For Supremacy
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[...] One of the regents that pushed the ex-Chancellor off the cliff issued a press release crowing in triumph, and the actual author of said press release will totally piss off Liz. (Kudos to the Mynx for tracking this down!) [...]
Comments
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It will be interesting to see how this turns out. I shudder to think that there was a possible law on the ballot that would take accountability off the table with the Regents. Underhanded political moves, whether they result in good or bad things, need to be remembered by voters.
Damn, Minx, you did scoop Ralston!
It’s refreshing to know that some of our Regents not only can’t think for themselves but can’t write for themselves either. What a board of baboons.
He’s back. Can he do that? Resign and then say ‘just kidding.’
http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070116/NEWS18/70116001&oaso=news.rgj.com/breakingnews
When he has other regents asking him to come back he can.