LAS VEGAS -- After seven months of meetings and interviews, a Board of Regents committee today unanimously named Dr. Jane Nichols as its top choice as the next Chancellor for the University and Community College System of Nevada.

Charged with finding the top executive for Nevada's only system of public higher education, the Regents' ad hoc Chancellor Search Committee will formally present their recommendation to the full Board of Regents next week for final approval.

"Dr. Jane Nichols is a rising star in higher education, and we are lucky to have her rising in Nevada skies. We will be luckier still to have her serve as our Chancellor," said Dr. Jill Derby, chair of search committee. "She is extraordinarily qualified, knows the landscape and is highly regarded throughout Nevada. No one can better serve the long-term needs of Nevada higher education."

Dr. Jane A. Nichols currently serves as the UCCSN's interim chancellor. If the Regents approve her appointment next week, she will be the first woman to hold this position in the System's 32-year history.

"I am delighted to be selected for this position by the search committee," said Nichols upon hearing the decision. "I'm looking forward to the opportunity to serve as Chancellor and to be a spokesperson for higher education in Nevada."

Prior to her interim chancellor appointment in July 2000, she was the vice chancellor for academic and student affairs. During this time, Dr. Nichols served as a representative to the Nevada Commission on Education Technology and was the state director of the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).

Prior joining the UCCSN in 1997, Dr. Nichols served as the associate dean for the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. From 1990 to 1995, she was coordinator for the university's core curriculum/university assessment and was an associate professor in the Department of Social Work from 1984 to 1990.

Dr. Nichols earned an Ed.D. in higher education with a concentration in administration and statistics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She also holds a master's degree in social work with emphasis in administration and casework from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and a B.A. (with distinction) in psychology and a concentration in mathematics from Southwestern at Memphis (now Rhodes College).

A nationwide search began in February and was conducted on behalf of the Board by Dr. Shirley Chater, senior consultant with Academic Search Consultation Service. The Regents' committee selected six semi-finalists on July 19. That list was narrowed to three on August 20.

In addition to Derby, the Regents' committee includes Regents Thalia Dondero, Dorothy Gallagher, David Phillips and Doug Seastrand.

Comprising two doctoral-granting universities, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institution, the University and Community College System of Nevada serves the educational and job training needs of the nation's fastest growing state. As Nevada's only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 90,000 students.