Governance and Finance of Nevada Higher Education

Topic 4: Governance and Finance of Nevada Higher Education

Overview and Goals of the Lesson

Nevada is just one of a handful of states that has a single statewide governing board over the postsecondary institutions in the state. This unique structure has significant implications for higher education policy and finance. This set of readings examines why higher education policies in Nevada, even those with broad public and legislative support, fail, and how the governance structure affects higher education funding in the state. This governance model has direct implications for college and success for Nevada students. The goal of this lesson is to consider how the governance structure in the State of Nevada affects the delivery of higher education and college access and opportunity. This lesson centers the question of:

In what ways does the governance structure in a state affect higher education institutions and the finance of higher education?

Keywords: governance, finance, policy, college access and persistence


Scholarly Engagements

Fulton, M. (2019). An Analysis of State Postsecondary Governance Structures. Policy Guide. Education Commission of the States. Available here.

Damore, D., Brown Jr, W. E., & Lang, R. E. (2018). The 2017 session of the Nevada Legislature and the failure of higher education reform. Available here.

Nehls, K., Schneider, H., Espinoza-Parra, O., & Nourrie, E. (2017). Higher Education Funding in Nevada. Policy Issues in Nevada Education, 2, 1. Available here.


Discussion questions

  • What are some reasons that higher education reforms that have broad public and legislative support can still fail?
  • What are some ways the existing governance structure may create or exacerbate inequities across NSHE institutions?
  • What are some recommendations for improving the governance structure to better serve Nevada students and IHEs?

Additional resources

Cheche, O. K., Grema, P., Saladino, C. J., Brown, W. E. (2021). COVID-19: Higher education funding in the Mountain West. Higher Education Fact Sheet No. 15 1-3. Available here.

Grema, P., Booth, V., Saladino, C. J., Brown, W. E. (2021). Community College Funding in the Mountain West. Higher Education Fact Sheet No. 13 1-3. Available here.