Las Vegas, NV (AP) - Independent investigators have found insufficient evidence to prove allegations of gender discrimination that the head of Nevada’s higher education system leveled against members of the Board of Regents, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
But they uncovered evidence of unprofessional behavior and possible ethics violations as a result of the probe of the chancellor’s broader complaint alleging she was subjected to a hostile workplace, according to the investigative report.
Melody Rose, the chancellor of the system since 2020, made her complaints in a memo to the Board of Regents’ chief legal counsel in October 2021.
Rose said multiple regents undermined her authority, discriminated against her based on gender and engaged in other inappropriate behavior in an attempt to oust her.
The Sun reported that it obtained a copy of the report submitted last week by a Las Vegas firm the board commissioned to investigate.
Investigators said they couldn’t substantiate any legal wrongdoing. They concluded Rose’s allegations of gender discrimination and unlawful retaliation were based largely on hearsay, the newspaper reported this week.
They also dismissed her claim she was paid less than male university presidents because of her sex.
The firm, Kamer Zucker Abbott, conducted interviews with Rose and 18 other current or former regents and staffers with the Nevada System of Higher Education.
“Many of the chancellor’s comments in the complaint were based on information relayed to her by others, the meaning or intent of which could have been inadvertently modified by others or interpreted by the chancellor without the benefit of context, background, or an understanding as to another’s intent,” the report said.
The investigators documented examples of “conduct that lacked collegiality” and several other potential violations of the regents’ ethical code of conduct.
It cited provisions requiring regents to treat all system employees respectfully and to go “directly to the chancellor if a problem arises concerning the chancellor’s office or staff.”
They concluded the relationship between Rose and other regents was acrimonious, possibly due partly to political differences and differences of opinion about their respective roles, the report said.
Rose’s complaint also described a systemwide “disregard for female employees,” The firm interviewed multiple witnesses, some of whom agreed with Rose while others denied the existence of a pervasive sexist culture in the system.
“While we discovered a difference in opinion as to whether NSHE exhibited a culture of bias against women, we did not find that the Chancellor’s allegations of a sex-based hostile work environment would have held more weight had additional witnesses corroborated the Chancellor’s allegation of system-wide bias,” the firm said.
Rose had maintained she was paid less than presidents at Nevada’s two largest universities because of her sex. Her annual salary is $437,750 while UNLV President Keith Whitfield and UNR President Brian Sandoval make $500,000.
The report said the chancellor historically has been paid less than the university presidents.
In conclusion, the report said that although Rose’s accusations couldn’t be corroborated, “measures can be implemented that may help to minimize the present acrimony.”