Amid tension with Jessup, chancellor creates COO post at UNLV
In the wake of a public dust-up over UNLV President Len Jessup’s job performance, Nevada’s higher education chief announced on Tuesday the creation of a new position to help manage the university.
Citing operational deficiencies within UNLV, Thom Reilly, chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, said Jessup must “immediately proceed” in hiring someone for a new chief operating officer job. Reilly said the step is in Jessup’s best interest, and that the two will collaborate to find someone to fill the position, according to the statement released Tuesday afternoon.
The announcement from Reilly came nearly a week after Jessup said he was looking for a new job and about two months after the chancellor completed an evaluation that detailed “several weaknesses” in Jessup’s job performance.
In Tuesday’s statement, Reilly said that in the evaluation he outlined Jessup’s accomplishments and the areas he needs to address.
“Specifically, I informed him of my concerns with UNLV’s operational deficiencies and how those problems were an impediment to achieve our shared strategic goals, including recognition as a top tier research institution,” Reilly said in the statement.
Reilly’s evaluation found Jessup’s performance to be “below expectation and required immediate improvement,” according to a memo from the Kamer Zucker Abbott law firm.
Amid reports that he was being forced out of UNLV with about two years remaining on his five-year contract, Jessup last week sent a message to the campus community calling the reports “misleading” but acknowledging he was looking for other opportunities amid tensions with some members of the state Board of Regents.
That prompted the Engelstad Family Foundation to withdraw a $14 million gift it made for the university’s planned medical education building. UNLV told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the gift in December.
The Review-Journal also learned last week that Jessup might have violated a state ethics law when he signed a $14 million donor agreement that included a provision requiring him to remain in his position through 2022.
He signed the agreement on Feb. 7 — nine days after he and Reilly met to discuss his performance evaluation.
The creation of the new job does not diminish Jessup’s role as president, Reilly said.
“He’s the president of the university, and this is just resources to assist UNLV deal with operational challenges,” Reilly said. He would not disclose the nature of the “operational challenges,” but said a COO role at a university is “very common.”
Reilly said they’ll look at all possibilities, including internal candidates, for who could fill the new position.
A spokeswoman for Jessup said he doesn’t have anything new to share at this time.
Regents weigh in
Regents reached Tuesday expressed support for the move.
“As I have said all along, my understanding was that President Jessup was in the process of his periodic review and that any deviation from that was between the chancellor and the president,” Regent Trevor Hayes said. “I look forward to having a public hearing about President Jessup’s performance just as we do with every other president.”
Regent Patrick Carter said the creation of the position is a “great solution” that will give the president “additional time and support to address issues” at the university.
Regent Cedric Crear said he supports Reilly and Jessup in the decision to hire a COO.
“I don’t think it would be needed if there were not shortcomings in that area,” Crear said. “Let’s all pray that it’s a good thing.”
Regent John Moran called the decision to hire a COO “an effort better left to the chancellor and president Jessup to figure out.”
“I am happy that it appears the rush to judgment has been abated and Len Jessup can get back to doing his job for UNLV,” Moran said.
Preparing for public evaluation
The decision to hire a COO is part of “appropriate action” Reilly will take in the months leading up to Jessup’s public evaluation, according to the statement.
The performance evaluation, which includes a four-person committee appointed by Reilly, occurs in the year preceding the final year of a president’s contract period, according to NSHE policy. The committee is tasked with measuring the president’s performance, after receiving input from students, faculty and the community.
Reilly said he hopes to have a committee, which will be comprised of a senior faculty member and three members of the community, formed by late August. Jessup will provide Reilly with a list of names for the committee to interview, and Reilly said he can also add names to the list.
A public report is then is prepared and presented to the state Board of Regents for its consideration. Nevada State College President Bart Patterson and University of Nevada, Reno President Marc Johnson, both received contract extensions from the board through this process last June.
Kevin Page, chairman of the board, said he’s comfortable with Reilly’s statement that he did not make public the content of Jessup’s performance review or any discussions with him.
Page also said Reilly has not requested a board meeting to review the president’s performance, and that as board chairman he has no intention of calling such a meeting until the chancellor’s process is complete.
“We hired the chancellor to lead the system, which includes supervising the presidents of each of our institutions,” Page said. “As chair, I do not have any intention of circumventing the Chancellor’s role.”
Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.
