After two public flare ups between Regent Lisa Levine and Board of Regents Chief of Staff Dean Gould this summer, Board Chair Mark Doubrava quietly approved an expenditure of $9,500 for an outside lawyer to provide “legal advice and counsel to the Regents in anticipation of possible litigation,” according to documents obtained through a public records request by The Nevada Independent.

The Indy breaks down arguments for and against Question 1, a constitutional amendment that seeks to take the Board of Regents out of the state Constitution.

Roughly 10 years after deep budget cuts hobbled higher education in Nevada, students, faculty, administrators and regents feel a sense of deja vu — only now delivered orders of magnitude faster.

As the economic and public health consequences of the coronavirus pandemic continue to ripple, several regents on Thursday excoriated millions in legislatively approved budget cuts, charging that legislators left them few options with just weeks before the state’s seven colleges and universities plan on reopening their campuses for limited in-person instruction.

The Nevada Board of Regents unanimously approved the appointment of Keith Whitfield as UNLV’s newest president at a special meeting Thursday, providing a replacement for interim President Marta Meana and ending the two-year vacancy triggered by the sudden departure of former President Len Jessup in 2018.

The Board of Regents approved and prioritized proposals for a number of capital construction projects across the eight institutions of the Nevada System of Higher Education on Friday, though the ultimate fate of the projects will rest with the state’s Department of Public Works.

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Clark County Regents Kevin Page and Trevor Hayes have said that they will not run next year for re-election to the NSHE Board of Regents, which has jurisdiction over eight Nevada colleges and universities and more than 107,000 enrolled students. Regent Sam Lieberman confirmed over the phone on Friday that he will run for re-election. Washoe County Regent Rick Trachok said on Thursday that he was undecided.

Nevada lawmakers expressed everything from elation to skepticism after Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak unveiled his policy priorities Wednesday in the State of the State address, highlighting key issues — including state worker collective bargaining and minimum wage increases — that are likely to spur the most tension during the legislative session.