3 years ago
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A Las Vegas lawyer who applied for a high-paying Nevada System of Higher Education station alleges his exertion wasn’t “lawfully reviewed” and is calling connected the Board of Regents to halt the hunt process.
James Dean Leavitt — who served connected NSHE’s Board of Regents for 12 years, including arsenic committee president — applied implicit the summertime for the board’s chief of unit and peculiar counsel position but was rejected.
His attorney, Christian Gabroy, sent a seven-page missive dated Oct. 14 to prime NSHE officials demanding the hunt process beryllium “started anew” and that a gathering primitively scheduled for Thursday astatine which finalists for the occupation whitethorn person been interviewed beryllium canceled. The gathering was listed Tuesday connected NSHE’s website arsenic “postponed.”
Among those receiving the ailment were Chief General Counsel Joe Reynolds, Chancellor Melody Rose, Human Resources Director Sherry Olson, Interim Chief of Staff Keri Nikolajewski, committee Chair Cathy McAdoo and committee Vice Chair and hunt committee Chair Patrick Carter.
Leavitt, 59, alleged successful the missive that Nikolajewski determined helium didn’t conscionable minimum qualifications for the occupation “in bid to payment her believed preferred candidate.”
He besides alleged “unreasonable, unprofessional, and unlawful conduct” by Nikolajewski, Olson, McAddo and Carter. He said they should beryllium excluded if a renewed occupation hunt is launched arsenic requested “due to content of bias and prejudice against Mr. Leavitt and perchance different individuals who person apt been improperly excluded from the anterior and existent hunt process.”
The posting for the position, which offers a starting wage of $180,000 to $220,000, lists minimum qualifications arsenic a Juris Doctor degree, existent rank successful the Nevada Bar and astatine slightest 5 years of “progressive acquisition straight applicable to the position.” Leavitt meets each 3 criteria, Gabroy said.
‘Inexplicable and highly suspect’
“It is inexplicable and highly fishy that Mr. Leavitt with 17 years of higher acquisition education and 29 years of ineligible acquisition was determined not to beryllium minimally qualified, erstwhile others with nary oregon minimal higher acquisition education were seemingly advanced,” the lawyer wrote.
In an interrogation Tuesday, Gabroy besides said helium and his lawsuit inactive haven’t received immoderate valid crushed from the strategy arsenic to wherefore helium didn’t conscionable the minimum qualifications for the job. He added that the champion campaigner should beryllium selected for the position, not someone’s champion friend.
An NSHE spokesperson declined to remark Tuesday.
Carter, the caput of the hunt committee, said Tuesday it would beryllium inappropriate to remark connected an progressive search.
The hunt for a caller main of unit and peculiar counsel already was successful limbo aft the occupation hunt committee voted 5-1 connected Aug. 16 to “fail” the existent process successful bid to broaden the applicant pool. Regent Jason Geddes opposed the move, calling it unnecessary.
Regent John Moran, who is besides an attorney, raised concerns astatine a consequent gathering connected Sept. 30 gathering astir whether the committee had violated the authorities Open Meeting Law by failing to supply capable nationalist notice. NSHE’s lawman wide counsel Tina Russom said she didn’t judge that was the case.
First hunt led to 4 finalists
The occupation was primitively posted successful aboriginal July and was unfastened done July 30, Olson, the system’s HR director, told the hunt committee. NSHE had 27 candidates for the presumption and of those, 11 met minimum qualifications, six were selected arsenic semifinalists and 4 were deemed finalists by the hunt committee.
Leavitt’s allegations are the latest accusing committee members of improper behaviour this month.
Chancellor Rose accused McAdoo and Carter successful an Oct. 4 memo of creating a hostile enactment environment. The committee leaders announced past week that an autarkic 3rd party, which they did not identify, volition investigate the accusations, but person not commented connected the substance of the memo.
Among different things, Rose’s 28-page memo referred to warnings she received earlier taking the chancellor station astir an “Old Boys Club” situation astatine NSHE and requests for her assistance to alteration the culture.
The idiosyncratic who is yet hired arsenic the board’s main of unit and peculiar counsel volition regenerate Dean Gould, who retired from NSHE successful December 2020. He had travel nether harsh disapproval anterior to his departure aft telling a pistillate regent during an August 2020 gathering to halt with her “child speak.”
Contact Julie Wootton-Greener astatine jgreener@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton connected Twitter.
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