August Chronicle

Greetings colleagues! The month of August typically is a transition from summer to another
academic year. This Chronicle provides you with initial information about CSN's activities this
summer in advance of our Convocation on August 21st.

Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Margo Martin

Please join me in welcoming Dr. Margo Martin as CSNs new Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Martin began her CSN service on July 1. She has already visited most CSN campuses and
learning sites, meeting faculty and staff while preparing for fall semester.

Important correspondence

Attached to this Chronicle are three items of correspondence received in July. Two relate to CSNs
accreditation. CSN is in good standing with the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
(NWCCU), but there is much work to do on program and institutional assessment. There is also a
requirement that CSNs governing board, the Nevada Board of Regents, evaluate its performance on
a regular basis. CSN is accountable for that evaluation.

The third item of correspondence relates to salary adjustments and legislative action regarding
salaries this biennium. Should you have questions on any of these items, please let me know.

Personnel Changes in Advancement

Similar to such functions at all colleges and universities, the advancement function at CSN is critical
to the mission of the College. Over the years, the College has benefitted from the service of very
capable professionals. For about three years, Alan Diskin led the CSN Foundation. He has stepped
down after success in preparing the Foundation for its future with new trustees and a renewed
direction. I am pleased to announce that Dr. K. C. Brekken will assume new duties as executive
director of the Foundation effective immediately. K.C has served CSN for the past nine years, most
recently as the executive director of public affairs, overseeing public and media relations as well as
government affairs and as the staff liaison to the Institutional Advisory Council. At the Foundation,
Dan Morris and Millie Vuksanovic will continue their service and will aid K.C. Additionally, CSNs
Alumni Relations program, led by Jamille Walton, will align with the Foundation.

Going forward, public relations activities will transition to Dave Morgan who will be CSN's new
director of Marketing and Media, an area that will continue to include Media Relations Senior
Specialist Richard Lake and Coordinator Suzan Workman in their assignments. Michael Flores will
continue to direct our government relations efforts, including local, state and federal public
relations and continue to play an important role in communications.

Maria Marinch, executive director of Community Relations, Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, will
now work with the Institutional Advisory Council as well as the community service and mentoring
requirements of the Nevada Promise program.

Please welcome these individuals into their new roles.

New Chancellor Thom Reilly

On August 7, Dr. Thom Reilly will begin his assignment as the Chancellor of the Nevada System of
Higher Education. Dr. Reilly has an outstanding record of service in southern Nevada, and most
recently served as Director of the Morrison Institute for Public Policy at Arizona State University.
He will join us on August 21st at Convocation.
 Nevada System of Higher Education
System Administration System Administration
5550 West Flamingo Road, Suite C-1 2601 Enterprise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89103-0137 Reno, NV 89512-1666
Phone: 702-889-8426 Phone: 775-784-4901
Fax: 702-889-8492 Fax: 775-784-1127

MEMORANDUM

TO: Council of Presidents

CC: Business Officers

Chancellor Thom Reilly

FROM: Jane A. Nichols, Acting Chancellor

DATE: July 24, 2017

RE: Salary Adjustments for Faculty and Other Professional Staff

As you are aware, Assembly Bill 202 (Chapter 150, Statutes of Nevada 2017), establishes an
interim committee charged with studying the cost and affordability of higher education in
Nevada. Among its specific provisions, the legislation provides for the study of faculty
compensation, specifically whether the system of compensation for faculty at each institution of
the Nevada System of Higher Education is appropriate in order to recruit and retain quality
faculty that further programs of higher education and research.

This is a matter of utmost importance to our faculty and a matter that was discussed on several
occasions during the 2017 Session of the Nevada State Legislature. While faculty
representatives made clear their desire for merit during the Session, the Legislature was clear that
state appropriated funds shall not be used for merit with the following language that was
included in the Assembly Bill 518 (Chapter 396, Statutes of Nevada 2017):

Sec. 69. It is the intent of the Legislature that the amounts appropriated by
section 16 of this act for the Nevada System of Higher Education shall not
be allocated by the Nevada System of Higher Education to support
expenditures related to professional merit salary increases.

I bring this matter to your attention in light of the on-going conversations across the system
regarding faculty compensation and the desire by some institutions to make compensation
adjustments. We must allow the process of the legislative study to take its course before any
such action to address faculty compensation is taken by an institution.

The AB202 Committee will take a data-driven approach to determine the adequacy of faculty
salaries. As Im sure you are aware, there are inherent risks in a study of this nature. Absent
data to support compensation adjustments, the Committee will report its recommendations to the
Board of Regents and Legislature, as required in the enabling legislation, which will effectively
end such compensation discussions for the duration. That said, it does not change that fact that
many of you may be under pressure to adjust faculty compensation. Therefore, I request that
until the legislative study is complete that no such adjustments be made to groups of employees.

University of Nevada, Las Vegas University of Nevada, Reno Nevada State College Desert Research Institute
College of Southern Nevada Great Basin College Truckee Meadows Community College Western Nevada College
Specifically, you may not make broad-based adjustments to groups of employees for merit
(Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 25), equity (Title 4, Chapter 8, Section 3 and P&G, Chapter 3,
Section 2) or contractual bonuses (Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 25). However, on a limited,
case-by-case basis you may make salary adjustments for a clearly defined change in duty
(Title 4, Chapter 3, Section 25). I want to be clear in that we do not want to jeopardize the
outcome of the study by making adjustments to groups of employees before the Legislature has
the opportunity to fully review the data and determine if broad-based adjustments in salary are
warranted. I have discussed this matter with incoming Chancellor Reilly and he concurs with
this guidance.