In an interview last week with The Nevada Independent, Erquiaga said his year as chancellor was an honor, especially after having served as state superintendent — “no one in history has done that,” he said — even if it was also “probably the most difficult job I’ve had.”

Tuesday’s vote also authorized the start of a search for a new permanent chancellor — the top administrator for the state’s higher education system — to replace Charlton, but only after regents meet again to outline precisely what qualifications they will prioritize and how the search will be conducted. 

Amid a now-highly partisan split over new state employee compensation packages, the state’s higher education institutions have raised concerns that the size of the increase — coupled with the way the state funds those increases — may force colleges and universities to make budget cuts, even under the new budgetary windfall.

Friday’s vote authorized NSC President DeRionne Pollard to lobby state lawmakers to create a legally distinct “second” university tier to the Nevada System of Higher Education’s superstructure.

The bill would knock down the number of regents from 13 to nine, and reduce the length of their terms from six years to four.

NSHE Chief Financial Officer Andrew Clinger told the Board of Regents the moves were not in direct violation of state law, but rather created a potential clash with “legislative intent.” 

The fee is the first of its kind in Nevada, and has been billed by employees of the newspaper and other advocates as a means to fund the outlet in the long term without the need to rely directly on advertising, university administrators or the undergraduate student government. 

The agreement, effective as of Friday, includes a lump sum $610,000 severance payment, or roughly half of the value of the two-and-a-half years remaining on her original contract

The move elevates two regents, Cathy McAdoo and Patrick Carter, back to their positions as chair and vice chair, after the pair temporarily stepped down from their leadership positions in November.

The investigation also found that some of the circumstances raised by the chancellor’s complaint, which was filed in October, reflect an “inappropriate professional environment,” and in some cases may also have violated the ethics code.

The allegation comes as the latest serious rift between members of the higher education system’s governing board and its top administrative executive.   

No student mandate will be in place ahead of the start of the spring semester on Tuesday, after a panel of state legislators failed to approve emergency vaccine mandate regulations last month. 

The inaction came amid mounting concerns that the delay or revocation of terminations the day before they were planned would create “operational chaos” across all eight NSHE institutions. 

A vote by regents and a judicial ruling made Friday could extend both mandates well into next year.

In separate votes, the board voted 7-4 to name Regent Carol Del Carlo as new chair pro tempore and Regent Amy Carvalho as vice chair pro tempore.

The Board of Regents voted 10-3 on Thursday to approve a wide-reaching higher education employee vaccine mandate, giving more than 5,000 unvaccinated employees until Dec. 1 to either get vaccinated or, barring limited exceptions, have their employment terminated. 

The mandate will set a deadline of Nov. 1 for students enrolling in spring semester courses at any public university, state college or community college to show proof of full COVID vaccination or — barring existing religious or medical exemptions — risk being unable to enroll. 

Three new members appear poised to join the Clark County School Board of Trustees, and an incumbent will likely be returning for a second term.

Some issues they likely will have to deal with — ranging from changes that may come with the outcome of Ballot Question 1, which will determine whether the elected board is put under the oversight of the Legislature per Assembly Joint Resolution No. 5 to unknown consequences from the continuing pandemic — are yet to be seen.

The long delay in reporting was a result of Secretary of State Barbara Cegavske’s decision to hold a mostly all-mail election in an effort to mitigate potential spread of COVID-19, with limited in-person voting sites in each county. Most voters opted to use a mail-in ballot, with only around 7,800 people opting to cast their ballot in-person.