Thank You! (And My Endorsement)

What an exciting journey this has been! And now it has come to a temporary way station.

I have no regrets or sorrows. The best informed voters in the country looked at the issues facing our university and college students and their families, and made a tough choice among four qualified candidates. Despite no campaign contributions, mailing fliers, and middle-of-dinner phone calls, nearly 7,000 of you cast your ballots for a voice of reason and teamwork for the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents.

So my first and very sincere thanks are to all you brave people who voted for me. You did good!

And I cannot forget all of the people who took the time to seek me out, talk to me about their concerns, and to lend their moral support. Every person who spoke to me was a positive influence and I didn’t hear a single negative word during the entire campaign. I’m deeply appreciative to all of you.

Next, I must thank the print and electronic media who helped get my campaign message out to the public through their professional and balanced reporting. This run for office has given me a whole new perspective on your daily challenges to keep the public informed about our politicians and their platforms.

Finally, I have to thank my family for their support and humor during this time. Their love and advice during the campaign were invaluable to me, and they remind me how lucky we are to live in a country that allows so much expression of free will and opinion. They are amazing people.

My endorsement:

When you folks start casting your votes in the general election, it is my hope that you lend your support to David Fulstone of Yerington as NSHE Regent for District 9. David is a long-time Nevadan like myself and has been associated with the Desert Research Institute as a rancher and businessman for years. When I spoke to him on election night, I was impressed with his personal congeniality and insights on the NSHE. He would bring a much-needed common sense perspective to the Board, as well a voice for our rural-area students. I pledged him my support and I hope you do the same.

Well, that’s all for now. Thank you all very much and I hope to see you again soon. Take care.

Message from Liz's Campaign Manager

As the 2006 primary season winds down, here’s a non-objective participant’s request on your choice for Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Regent for District 9.

Vote for Liz Moore.

That’s not much of a surprise, but bear with me, please.

Probably the best rule to a successful marriage is marry the finest person you’ll ever meet, and for over 25 years now, that’s been Liz for me. After she and I graduated from our respective Nevada high schools in the early 1980’s, we met while we were working at the Wendy’s on North Carson. We dated, then I headed off to the Air Force. While I was on Christmas leave, I proposed to her and she accepted, and we got married the following June at St. Theresa’s on King Street. Our first daughter was born a year later at the hospital at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. During our time there and while we were stationed in Japan, we kept our Nevada residency and driver’s licenses, and voted in Nevada elections via absentee ballots.

As Liz and I grew up and grew together, an even more amazing person evolved in front of me. She became and still is a very special mother to our three daughters, all of whom attend or have attended NSHE institutions. After years of struggle, she became a published author in both book and magazine form, including Nevada Magazine. She graduated from WNCC with academic honors. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Reno Film Festival and acts as a guide for the local Wild West tours here in Carson City.

And she knows our colleges and universities from both a student’s and employee’s point of view from her time as a student senator and classified employee. When she worked as a student employee in an office adjacent to the President’s office, she saw first-hand how disputes and disagreements impacted students and their lives.

This was an important life lesson for her: whenever there is conflict among high-level managers at a college, it is always the students who ultimately pay the price. Always.

And there is no higher administrative body in the NSHE than the Board of Regents, and we all know their ego-driven clashes and arguments have had far-reaching effects on NSHE students, their families and their futures.

That is one of the main reasons Liz is running for the Regents: to be a voice of reason and teamwork on a political board known to be a tad dysfunctional from time to time.

We know your vote is important to you, and we know that many people are tired of “politics as usual.” If you want a kind, decent, and thoughtful person who will always put the student first while serving as your Regent, then in my mind, Liz Moore is the best person I know to meet those requirements.

If you have not already taken advantage of early voting, please vote on Tuesday. And when you do, please take a moment to seriously consider Liz Moore for the Board of Regents.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Bob Moore

Higher Education and Community Partnerships

The partnership between the business community and institutions of higher education is very important. Cooperative efforts are necessary to ensure enough trained people are available to staff local businesses and maintain healthy economic growth in communities across Nevada. Healthy businesses are better able to support higher education by providing a portion of the funding for facilities, knowledgeable staff to serve as instructors, as well as future employment opportunities.

On the flip side, institutions of higher learning in Nevada are also vital to economic development within the communities they serve. Our colleges and universities nurture the future leaders of business and industry who will then be able to spur economic development within their local communities. Our universities and community colleges must maintain a good relationship with local businesses to keep current with their needs and to encourage the businesses to send employees to the colleges to learn and update the skills necessary for them to be successful at work. Higher education also partners with such groups as the Small Business Administration to support the creation of new businesses within local communities.

Higher education and the business community should be committed partners in the vital task of maintaining healthy growth and economic stability within the Silver State.

Funding Higher Education

Community partnerships are important to the success of local college and university campuses. A good example of this is the recent commitment shown by Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold of North America to Great Basin College as they work together to raise funds for an Electrical and Industrial Technology Building on the Elko campus. Barrick and Newmont are urging support for the college as a way to ensure that the mining industry is able to hire qualified personnel to ensure productivity and success. Great Basin College serves Nevada communities from Jackpot to Pahrump; a large swath of the eastern portion of the state where mining is a major economic factor. A partnership between the college and the major industry of this area makes good sense.

Other examples of college and community partnerships of the Nevada System of Higher Education include: the Whittell Forest and Wildlife Area, land donated by George Whittell to the system in 1959; the more than $1 million donated over the years by Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. to the Harrah Hotel College at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the SBC Communications Inc. assistance in purchasing laptop computers for the Western Nevada Community College “traveling outreach” program; and the Northern Nevada Medical Center and Truckee Meadows Community College partnership on fitness and wellness education.

Through these partnerships, the Nevada System of Higher Education is able to reach potential students, educate them to current standards, advance research opportunities, and provide services and staff to support the businesses within our state. Community partnerships are vital to the health and well-being of NSHE institutions. Companies such as Newmont Mining and Barrick Gold of North America should be both recognized and commended in order to encourage other such relationships between the higher institutions of Nevada and our community partners.

GPA Requirements

The Board of Regents' and Chancellor Rogers' current proposal to raise grade point average requirements for students entering Nevada’s universities in 2007 must be coupled with programs that will prepare those students to continue their education at the university level. The Chancellor’s pledge to increase scholarship funding for underrepresented groups, provide more outreach to students in K-12 by 2008, and implement curriculum changes for teacher programs is a good start on this path. Support must be made available to every student in order to allow them to achieve important personal goals as they progress through all the stages of life. The cooperative efforts of parents and educators in pre-K, K-12, and higher education must work together to be sure all students receive the assistance necessary for them to be successful.

Remedial classes do not indicate that public education has failed, but that students are being given every opportunity to achieve their full potential, no matter what obstacles they may face. Offering such classes at local community colleges makes sense for several reasons: the per-credit cost to attend a community college is lower, students are able to receive more personalized attention, and the atmosphere can be less intimidating than the university environment.

Even with appropriate pre-K and K-12 education, some students need a little extra help before they are ready to attend classes at the college or university level. These students should not be denied higher education and should be offered remedial classes so they may be better prepared to continue their education. Remedial classes should definitely be a prerequisite for those students who might have trouble handling university-level courses without a little extra preparation. Offering such courses at community colleges as a credit offering toward a certificate or two-year degree would be the best option, in my opinion, though the credits need not transfer to a university toward a four-year degree. All students should have something to show for their hard work; especially those who have extra challenges facing them as they enter the higher education system.

The current proposal to raise grade point average requirements for attendance at Nevada universities does not mean certain students will be excluded from higher education altogether. Postponing university attendance for anyone who may need a little extra assistance in order to be successful means only that we have the best interests of those students at heart.

My Reasons For Doing This

My reasons for running are simple: I believe deeply in the importance of education at all levels, and that each of us has the responsibility to ourselves, our families, and our community to get involved.

There will be those who bring up the issue of qualifications. Let me say to them: Nevada has a long and proud tradition of citizen legislators. Many of us in the Silver State serving the public do so on a part-time basis while balancing the dual full-time responsibilities of raising a family and building a career.

Those successful at this balancing act share common traits: we are good listeners and communicators; we are effective time and fiscal managers; and we excel at prioritization and execution. If these are the traits you seek in your political representative, then I am more than qualified to serve you on the NSHE Board of Regents.

A newspaper editor I worked for long ago said people who run for public office are crazy, and I have to agree there are challenges involved, but, conversely, there is also the opportunity to make a positive difference for the great people of Nevada. I look forward to being there for you.

Distance Learning

[From My Platform at http://www.lizmoore.net]

Let's face facts. Nevada's colleges and universities are bursting at the seams because we simply can't keep up with the growth. Administrators are struggling to meet student needs by offering alternative schedules and numerous web-based classes. Students of the 21st century love Distance Education classes because they’ve been raised in the era of the World Wide Web. Most teenagers and young adults today do not remember a life without the Internet and they are very comfortable online.

Colleges and universities now work with traditional budgets that emphasize "mortar and stone" education. I propose we mandate that each institution develop a sensible budget with internet experts working alongside traditional educational professionals to build online classes for students needing to earn a valid and viable degree to compete in today's workforce.

Let's use all the tools of today to help the students and workers of tomorrow.

Thank You For Visiting

You have questions. I have answers.

Please feel free to write your questions down here for everyone to read. Let's have an open and frank debate about your concerns for the colleges and universities of Nevada.

If you need a more personal response, please visit my web site at http://www.lizmoore.net and click on "Contact Me."

Thank you and have a great day.