First of many: reasons the state should not cut Higher Ed funding by 8%

Not the least of which is the disastrous impact it would have on quality of education and on affordability of college in the state (both of which the state desperately needs to avoid seeing the deep recession we're in now become a permanent state of affairs), and also because of the unfair hardships it would pose on our students, staff and faculty all of whom have sacrificed significantly already (on which more soon in this space) ...

but also because cutting Higher Ed disproportionately again (as was done in June) would risk putting Nevada in violation of the federal ERRA (stimulus) law.

Under that law, Nevada received over $400 million in federal funding, a large chunk of which was for education -- and which required the state to show "maintainence of effort", ie not cutting education funding beneath a certain percentage of state support.

This aspect of the discussion is noted in a story in the Reno Gazette-Journal today, and needs to be discussed much more, which we will be doing here, rest assured.

Also note the coverage of the impending crisis in the Nevada Appeal over the weekend.


Where is the Las Vegas press on the crisis looming for UNLV and for affordable, quality higher education -- and thus for our entire economic future -- in this city, county and region?

For now, the nut of the story is that

Further state-mandated budget cuts would cripple Nevada’s higher education system and could endanger the $184 million it has been promised in federal stimulus funds,