Nevada State University President DeRionne Pollard is leaving after leading the institution for four years. She was the first Black woman to permanently lead a Nevada institution of higher education.

The heads of Southern Nevada higher education institutions are bracing themselves for possible changes coming next year under President-elect Donald Trump and what it could mean for their institutions. 

For nearly a week, the Board of Regents governing the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) has been thrust into national culture wars after one regent's remarks about transgender athletes drew national media attention and spurred calls this week for his resignation. 

The move comes after lawmakers approved the pay raise but funded only about two-thirds of the expected cost of the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) with state dollars earlier this year.

For Nevada State University President DeRionne Pollard, the program does more for students than help their pocketbooks. She said it fosters a greater sense of belonging when students know other people walking around campus are parents too and are experiencing a similar journey while in college.

With a new law passed by state lawmakers and signed last month by Gov. Joe Lombardo, Nevada State University became the school's official name on July 1. 

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.

When President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union on Tuesday night, the audience will consist of special guests reflecting the Nevada delegation's policy priorities, including people affected by police brutality and abortion bans. 

This two-day conference hosted by The Nevada Independent's editors and reporters is headlined by a town hall-style debate between Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak and his Republican challenger, Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo. 

The move comes as a blow to Nevada State, which has for years pursued exploratory efforts to justify the change, and more recently mounted a public push that garnered support from a large number of students, alumni and even some politicians. 

UNR's pilot dual enrollment program at two Las Vegas high schools comes as the university's first major foray into dual credit for Nevada high schoolers.

Presidents from UNLV, CSN and Nevada State College sat down with The Nevada Independent Friday for an exclusive discussion about the new contours of the higher education landscape — from uncertain budgets to the potential risk of regionalism between north and south.

A week after Gov. Steve Sisolak ended Nevada's mask mandate as the Omicron surge declined, the CDC is reevaluating its public health guidelines and university students are pushing back against the lifting of the mandate.

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. 

In an extraordinary 21-page rebuke of the top two members of the Board of Regents, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Melody Rose outlined an alleged pattern of hostility ultimately designed, she said, to force her from her position as the system's top administrator. 

DeRionne Pollard made history earlier this year when the Board of Regents approved her as the next president of Nevada State College — making her the first Black woman ever permanently appointed to head up a Nevada higher education institution.

The Board of Regents met for two days this week to hash out a host of higher education issues in the wake of a busy legislative session that saw operational budgets slashed even as personnel budgets were spared.

The Board of Regents voted Thursday to approve the appointment of DeRionne Pollard as Nevada State College's eighth president, marking the end of a year-long search to replace outgoing President Bart Patterson.