CARSON CITY -- The Board of Regents today voted to honor the family of Columbia Astronaut William McCool by providing scholarships or waiving fees to his surviving family members for attendance at a UCCSN institution.

McCool, who was the shuttle pilot commander, is survived by his wife, Lani, and three sons, Sean, 23, Christopher, 20, and Cameron, 15. His parents, Audrey and Barent McCool, are both instructors at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Audrey McCool is a professor in food and beverage management; Barent McCool is a part-time instructor in educational leadership.

"Given the close affiliation this tragedy has to our UCCSN family, the Board felt very strongly about doing its part to honor William McCool and his family," said Board Chair Douglas Seastrand.

The Regents have a history of honoring family members of persons killed in the line of duty and are affiliated with the UCCSN. In 1982, four Thunderbird pilots crashed at Indian Springs; in 1992, two Nellis airmen were killed in Lincoln County; and in 1998, Sgt. George Sullivan of the UNR Police Department was slain. In these instances, the spouse and dependent children of the deceased were either granted a waiver or scholarship of all tuition and fees.

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 13-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 environmental 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 more than 93,000 students.