On October 10, 2007, I was one of many educators in attendance at the Orleans Hotel to hear the State of the Systems addresses by Chancellor Jim Rogers, Nevada System of Higher Education, and Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Walt Rulffes, Clark County School District.

I listened intently as Chancellor Rogers filled my head with numerous statistics, most of which were negative, about the past and present dismal state of higher education in the State of Nevada. Similarly, Superintendent Rulffes presented me with a number of impressive statistics that spoke graphically to the tremendous growth experienced by the Clark County School District, which now comprises 341 schools and 309,000 students, the majority of who are minorities.

Of course, both Chancellor Rogers and Superintendent Rulffes also pointed to many accomplishments about what is right and good about education in Nevada. Some examples in higher education include the hiring of two new excellent presidents, Dr. David Ashley at UNLV and Dr. Milton Glick at UNR, the implementation of the Nevada Health Sciences System, the great success of the Kenny Guinn Millenium Scholarship, and the increasingly strong partnership between higher education and K-12. At the K-12 level, some of the notable accomplishments include the increased graduation rate, the decrease in high school dropout rates, the increased number of students earning scholarships, the increased standards in math and science, the implementation of “empowerment” schools, the expansion of full-day kindergarten, and the greatly improved partnership with higher education.

Having now lived in southern Nevada for the past 26 years, I believe that I can say with some certainty that over the past several years, the climate for positive education change has improved significantly, at least in southern Nevada. Today, there exists as never before, a climate of change that promises to achieve great changes in education in our community. Looking back, it all started, in my opinion, with the willingness of leaders like Jim Rogers, former Superintendent, Carlos Garcia, and current Superintendent, Walt Rulffes, to listen to the concerns of minority leaders and beyond that, to search out diverse viewpoints on a wide range of longstanding educational problems.

Their willingness to listen and consider divergent views created an environment that resulted in the hiring and appointment of leaders like Superintendent, Dr. Walt Rulffes, and the new Presidents of UNLV and UNR. Hopefully, that same willingness to listen will also result in choosing the right leader for the vacant Presidency at CSN. Furthermore, the establishment of the Chancellor’s Minority Forum is another example of the current climate for change. Brought together by Chancellor Jim Rogers over one year ago, the minority forum has provided for the fist time an opportunity for minority leaders to voice their views on education and discuss ways to improve it. Perhaps the most significant outcome, however, has been the commitment of the Chancellor, Superintendent, and Presidents, to improve the race and ethnic diversity of administrators, faculty and support staff within the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Clark County School District.

Say what you will about Jim Rogers – good or bad – no one can deny that he has significantly raised public awareness of higher education issues in Nevada, and the same thing can be said about Walt Rulffes in raising public awareness of K-12 issues. Because of these two leaders, and because of the on-going climate for change, I predict that the current move to significantly improve K-16 education, particularly in southern Nevada, will become a reality and that many, many lowincome, minority youth will reap the benefits, as will the employers of Nevada.

By Tom Rodriguez