Regents approve higher college tuition in Nevada

The Board of Regents, which governs public higher education in Nevada, voted Friday to increase undergraduate fees by 13 percent in the upcoming academic year. Fees for graduate students will increase 5 percent in the upcoming year, and 5 percent more the year after that.

Nearly all employees — exceptions were made for those whose pay is fully funded by outside grants — will receive the equivalent of a 4.8 percent pay cut.

Those moves mirror what state lawmakers wanted done within the higher education system to help lessen the effect budget cuts will have on programs and jobs at the system’s eight institutions.

Overall, the state higher education system faces an $85.5 million cut in state funding next year.

The fee hike will increase the cost of attending a university full time by about $400 a year. Fifteen percent of the total raised by the increase will be set aside for need-based financial aid.

Taken together, the pay cuts and fee increases are expected to make up for some $30 million in cuts systemwide.

In addition to the fee hike and the pay cuts, the $85.5 million will be made up by limiting the number of students who can get into the state’s colleges and universities and by eliminating jobs.

“We must accept that the access mission at our community colleges is gone,” Chancellor Dan Klaich said.

Statewide, several thousand students are expected to be shut out.

That is particularly true at the College of Southern Nevada, the state’s largest higher education institution. President Michael Richards presented plans to the regents indicating that the college expects nearly 4,000 students to be shut out.

CSN’s share of the cut will be about $13.8 million.

Richards said that the college will close satellite centers in Boulder City and Lincoln County, but he said centers in Mesquite and Moapa would remain open.

Previously, Richards had estimated 13,000 students would be shut out and said that all of the college’s satellite centers would be closed.

But budget cuts are roughly half of what was expected once Gov. Brian Sandoval and state lawmakers came to a deal.

At UNLV, the cut will be about $20 million. President Neal Smatresk plans on eliminating about 200 jobs. Several hundred students would be shut out under the plan because it calls for the elimination of nine departments and 18 degree programs.

Nevada State College will have to cut almost $4 million. Plans there call for losing fewer than 100 students.

Regents approved the fee increases, the pay cuts and the budget cutting plans at all of the institutions without any “no” votes.

In addition to the large budget cutting plans, the board also did the following:

■ OK’d extending an agreement between UNLV and Majestic Realty to redevelop the university campus and build an arena there.

■ Eliminated discounted tuition for students from counties neighboring Nevada.

■ Eliminated free tuition for senior citizens.

■ Increased tuition at the dental, law and medical schools.

Contact Richard Lake at rlake@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0307.