July 12, 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Suzanne Ernst (702) 889-8426

Regents' Committee Selects Six Finalists for State College Presidency

LAS VEGAS - A committee of the Nevada Board of Regents today selected six candidates for consideration as the next president of Nevada State College.

The Regents' ad hoc Nevada State College Presidential Search Committee, which is chaired by Regent Mark Alden of Las Vegas, announced today that the following candidates have been selected for further consideration:

• Dr. William H. Gray
  Campus Executive Officer and Dean
  Washington State University at Spokane (Spokane, Wash.)
  
  
• Dr. Melvin E. Hall
  Dean and Executive Director, Center for Excellence in Education
  Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
  
  
• Dr. Robert A. Hoover
  President
  University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho)
  
  
• Dr. Kerry Dean Romesberg
  President
  Utah Valley State College (Orem, Utah)
  
  
• Dr. Thomas Michael Stauffer
  CEO Advisor
  Higher Education Advisory International (San Francisco, Calif.)
  
  
• Dr. Leslie E. Wong
  Vice President Academic Affairs
  Valley City State University (Valley City, N.D.)
  

"We were impressed with the outstanding quality of every candidate presented to us today," said Alden. "I believe all 11 candidates could take over the reins of Nevada State College. What we did today was to pick the best of the best."

The joint committee, consisting of a five-member Regents' committee and a 21-member institutional advisory committee, met today to review a list of 11 candidates presented by Dr. Jean Dowdall, a search consultant for A.T. Kearney, Inc.

In addition to Alden, members of the Board committee include Regents Jill Derby, Thalia Dondero, Dorothy Gallagher, and Douglas Seastrand.

The Regents' committee, which began the search process in May, will meet again on July 29 and 30 to review references and to conduct interviews.

Nevada State College is the newest public, four-year, baccalaureate degree offering college in Nevada, with a faculty focused on teaching as opposed to research. The core curriculum will be aimed at meeting current critical shortages of qualified teachers and nurses in Nevada, as well as offering a strong liberal arts program.

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 11-member governing body for the University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one internationally acclaimed research institute, the UCCSN 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 nearly 100,000 students.

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