By:  Doug Busselman, Executive Vice President

"What do Nevadans want from higher education?" was the headline for the Reno Gazette Journal Sunday, Jan. 25th editorial.  The rhetorical question came on the heels of University Chancellor Jim Rogers' rant over the state-of-the-state of the Nevada University System.

As Nevada legislators begin to prepare for the 2009 Legislative Session, Governor Gibbons' proposed $473 million budget cut for the state's higher education system isn't sitting well with any number of sectors and the rallies against the idea of a 36 percent budget reduction have taken on a new, increased level of fervor.

There are lots of merits of asking the question, "What do Nevadans want from higher education?" From experience in working to convince the University of Nevada System of what Nevada agriculture would like to see happen, it's doubtful that anyone is very likely to listen, but it may be worth getting ideas for progress on the table.

In the event that legislators cave in and give the University officials all that they want -- or come close to putting enough funding into the system to get them back to staying even -- there is a declining chance that Nevadans will be able to influence any kind of meaningful changes.  Through the reality of having to do with less, fundamental adjustments might be considered and Nevada citizens may be given the ability to provide more input than we've had in the past.

Despite the anxiety of the proposed budget cuts for the upcoming biennium, it's interesting to note some trends that have been shaping up over the past several years.

I remembered the stories from this past summer, when Chancellor Rogers was slamming Governor Gibbons for earlier reductions.  Those cuts were also predicted to have consequences that were just too negative to imagine.  Around August 25th Governor Gibbons responded with an observation to the Chancellor about the 1,325 employees in the University System drawing pay of $100,000 or more.

In searching computer news stories for the details of this news story I came across an article written in the Las Vegas Review Journal on February 7, 2003.  At that time the news reported that there were 552 University employees drawing pay of $100,000 or more.

When you have that kind of increases over that brief of period, you have to wonder whether there might be some room, some place for a little belt tightening.  This same overview is shared by a recent Nevada Policy Research Institute blog.

Nevada Agriculture's Needs For Nevada Higher Education:

The Governor's proposal for the University of Nevada, Reno, College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources proposes only a 0.84 percent reduction and the Cooperative Extension is looking at reductions of about 5.73 percent.

From this perspective, it would seem that there would be an ability to continue pretty much as now.  On the other hand, it's been widely reported that UNR President Milton Glick has indicated his intentions to all within the college to share the burdens of overall cuts equally.

Given this situation, agricultural needs probably can't anticipate to have things get any better than they are now and if the outcome of the legislative session is for reductions, farmers and ranchers will probably see cutbacks.

Great Basin College:

Because the University focus on agriculture has been redirected away from hands-on-agricultural educational needs, the Great Basin College in Elko has become more of a focus for those of us who serve as advocates for the future.

    Nevada Farm Bureau Policy On The Great Basin College -- "We commend Great Basin College in Elko for establishing a curriculum granting an Associate of Arts degree, an Associate of Science degree and an Associate of Applied Science degree in agriculture.  We further commend Great Basin College for beginning a Bachelor's degree program in agriculture.  Agriculture education is currently limited in Nevada due to the fact that the University of Nevada only offers agricultural degrees in certain technical areas with little emphasis on practical, production related education.  The establishment of an agricultural curriculum at Great Basin College offers excellent opportunities for advance agricultural education to Nevada's students.  We strongly urge the University of Nevada System Board of Regents to lend full support to Great Basin College and other community colleges that offer agricultural courses."

In the pecking order of how the University System operates, the likely outcome of not having all the funding that officials want will be keeping UNR and UNLV as solid as possible with the consequences felt worst by programs like the agricultural education programs at Great Basin College.