Nevada’s higher education system has a new leader.
Melody Rose took the helm as chancellor today. She comes from Oregon, where she was an academic faculty member and administrator.
For a year and a half, she was chancellor of the Oregon University System. She went on to become president of Marylhurst University, which closed its doors in May 2018.
And she has a pretty tough job ahead in Nevada. State lawmakers cut funding in 2019; then cut more in the special COVID-19 session this summer.
Rose was born and raised in Los Angeles surrounded by a large extended family.
She surprised her family by deciding to go to college because she was the first person in her family to go on to college.
Rose said the decision changed the trajectory of her family and she is grateful that she got a chance to attend a well-funded public institution.
She eventually got her Ph.D. in political science with an emphasis on American government, American institutions and specifically the presidency.
Rose said she was interested in the job at the Nevada System of Higher Education because she believes it can be a top higher ed system.
"One of the things that drew me to this opportunity was the opportunity to enhance student access and student success," she said, "Those really are the pillars to my commitments as chancellor."
She said she is pleased with the work that has already been put into those targets and she believes she can build on that success.
Rose said she will spend the next several weeks listening to all the stakeholders involved in the system of higher education in the state to determine the direction it needs to go.
But there are two areas of the system that she already knows she wants to focus on.
The first is better connecting the state's two-year and four-year colleges.
Rose said that many students start at a two-year college just to get their feet wet in higher education, but when they move on to a four-year degree things get complicated.
"Too often times, nationally, students will lose credit in the transition," she said, "One of the things that we have done well here and I think will become a major area of focus for me going forward is: how do we tighten up that transition even further to the benefit of all our students."
The second area of focus for Rose is closing the gap between the rate of graduation by Black and brown students from NSHE institutions and the rate of graduation by white students.
"I think it is really important that we recognize that that takes focus," she said, "There's been good work done on this score but there's more work ahead."
She said bridging the completion gap is really important to her.
"For all of us, Black lives matter and we need to walk that talk," she said.
While that is Rose's focus, the body that governor's NSHE could be changing.
If a ballot measure is passed this November, the university regents would be taken out of the Nevada Constitution and down the road that could make the positions appointed instead of elected.
Rose said she has a lot more to learn about exactly what the ballot measure would do but her biggest question about the change is how it would impact student success.
"What I don't understand - yet - is how passage of Question 1 would improve higher education in Nevada," she said, "How would it advance student success, and of course, that has to be our north star in everything that we do as a system and as individual institutions."
And as a political scientist, she noted that removing something from the State Constitution is always a serious concern.
Another long-term concern in the state is the divide between Northern Nevada and Southern Nevada. Staff and faculty at UNLV often complain that UNR gets more attention and funding from the Legislature.
Rose understands the divides because there were similar arguments in Oregon over rural and urban institutions.
She said she has already built relationships with the current UNR's outgoing president and UNLV's former president and believes they've done a great job of working together.
Looking ahead, Rose thinks the new presidents at both universities will continue that effort.
"I'm very hopeful that all of us will be coming together to bridge this divide for the sole purpose of moving the state forward," she said.
While Nevada is often divided by north and south, the country seems to be divided over all kinds of differences.
Rose sees the state's higher education institutions as places to have those often difficult discussions.
"One of the beautiful things about universities is that they are conveners," she said, "They can convene across differences in a way that very few American institutions can do. One of the critical roles that our colleges and universities play is that role of evocating civil and civic conversation to explore these really critical issues of our time."
Melody Rose, chancellor, Nevada System of Higher Education
