The chancellor of Nevada’s higher education system says he and his family will no longer consider donating $3 million to one of its schools after a regent’s negative comments in his job evaluation.
Jim Rogers said he had talked to University of Nevada, Reno, President Milton Glick earlier this summer about making the donation to help build a new math and science center, but the talks ended after a regent questioned his integrity.
“Nobody is going to call me a crook. ... So we are not going forward with talks about this donation,” Rogers said, adding his wife and other family members were “absolutely outraged” by the comments.
In his June 22 written evaluation, regent Ron Knecht wrote that Rogers’ claims of being “totally honest and known for his integrity” were false, and that “he is known primarily as a self-absorbed, self-indulgent bully and tyrant, given to rashly going off at little or no provocation.”
Knecht said his criticism wasn’t personal.
“I think it is illogical and immature to take out on the faculty and students and public institutions his disappointment and unhappiness with my tough but fair evaluation of his performance,” he said.
Rogers, who resigned for a day earlier this year after a dispute with a different regent, said Friday that he would stay until his contract is up June 30, 2009.
“I’m in for the long run,” Rogers said. “At the same time, I’m not going to take a flogging from Ron Knecht every time there’s a meeting and then say, ‘Well, I’m so pleased about that. Thank you, sir, and I’ll give you more money.”’
