‘We didn’t know God had sent us somebody’
Guided by King, pastor helped people of Vegas
Growing up the daughter of the pastor at Las Vegas’ oldest black congregation left an impression on Karen Bennett-haron.
Over the years, her father, the Rev. Marion D. Bennett Sr., taught her the importance of public service and of working to better the lives of others.
Today, she, too, has devoted herself to public service. Bennett-haron became the first black woman appointed to the state’s judicial system
in May 2002, when she was appointed to the Las Vegas Justice Court.
Bennett instilled in her many of the lessons he learned coming of age in the civil rights era: not to hate others, never to apologize for who she is
MLK
higher education can prove challenging, and fixing the issues can take a strong partnership at the leadership level, according to Emily Richmond, the public editor at Education Writers Association.
“Given that the vast majority of freshman attending state schools come from Clark County, it’s doubly important that those expectations match,” she said. “One of the best ways to do that is to have administrative leadership on the same page.”
For example, Richmond pointed out Nevada high school graduates often face remedial courses at higher education institutes, calling into question how rigorous the K-12 program is and whether it prepares students for college.
‘Plenty of interest’
Reilly is optimistic about finding a replacement for Jessup, 56, who clashed with Reilly and the state Board of Regents.
But that was not the case with the former presidents of CSN and WNC. Chet Burton left Western Nevada College after becoming chief financial officer at NSHE, and Michael Richards left after about 10 years as president of CSN.
“If you look at all of the institutions, there’s been a great deal of stability,” Reilly said, adding that NSHE has received more than 100 applicants to replace Burton. “I think given what a great institution UNLV is, we’ll have plenty of interest from individuals who want to lead it.”
Some members of the business community, however, aren’t as confident that presidential recruitment will go smoothly for UNLV.
“The world of higher education is a pretty small world,” said Michael Brown, president of Barrick USA. “I’ve always been taught that when you apply for a job, you try to find out what happened to the person before you. It’s going to be challenging for the recruitment for sure.”
Tom Kaplan, senior managing partner for Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, shared similar sentiments.
“Who are they going to find? Why would a good educator want to come to this university?” he said. “Until this system is changed, there’s no reason for a credible, intelligent, educational leader to come.”
Next steps
Gaining input from faculty and staff on the search process is one of Reilly’s first steps in the wake of Tuesday’s announcement that Jessup is leaving UNLV with about two years remaining on his five-year contract.
From here, the Board of Regents can either appoint an interim or an acting president. Though the terms sound similar, their meanings differ substantially. A candidate for an “interim” job would be granted a trial run, and could end up staying in the post permanently. An “acting” president, however, would be appointed to the position temporarily, and NSHE would then undertake a national search for president — a process that is currently playing out at CSN.
Margo Martin was appointed as acting president of CSN last year after Reilly received input from students and staff. Reilly said faculty and students “overwhelmingly supported” a national search.
“I envision the same process,” Reilly said Wednesday, adding that he makes the recommendation based on feedback and brings it to the
Board of Regents for a vote.
Reilly could begin those same conversations with the UNLV campus community in the next few weeks, but said that is unlikely.
In the meantime, an officer-in-charge will be selected to lead the university until an interim or acting president is chosen. Reilly said it will be one of the following members of Jessup’s cabinet: Diane Chase, executive vice president and provost; Juanita Fain, vice president for student affairs; Nancy Rapoport, special counsel to the president; or Jean Vock, vice president for finance and business.
“There always has to be someone in charge,” Reilly said. “There’s a clear succession plan.”
Reilly also wants to move forward on hiring a chief operating officer for the university — a position he announced two weeks ago citing “operational deficiencies” at UNLV.
“We will need a COO position,” Reilly said. “How it will be structured, remains.”
Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702477-3897. Follow @Nataliebruzda on Twitter. Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @ Meghindelaney on Twitter.