UNLV is runnin’ from its credibility even faster after the margin tax failed by canceling a request for the Brookings Institution to review a university study on the initiative that the institution’s major gaming patrons did not like.
That aborted Brookings review has now been exposed for the ruse that it is and confirmed UNLV’s status as a second-tier (generous) center of academic thought.
This also may/should have an impact on Provost John White’s presidential aspirations. White, one of three finalists, was in the thick of the abhorrent decision to defenestrate academic freedom by distancing the university from that UNLV Center for Business and Economic Research margin tax study. My producer, Dana Gentry, confirmed the Strip meddling a couple of weeks ago by obtaining emails that showed how UNLV spinmeisters tried to come up with “sound bites” and how gaming doyens inveighed to the president, Don Snyder.
I remind you what UNLV's Aug. 21 news release said after the Las Vegas Boulevard South heat came down. It was headlined: “UNLV REQUESTS FURTHER ANALYSIS OF CBER MARGINTAX REPORTUniversity president calls upon The Brookings Institution for review “
And it said this: Executive Vice President and Provost John Valery White, who serves as the university’s Chief Academic Officer, noted that other economic experts have expressed skepticism about the methods and conclusion of the research.
“We encourage our faculty members to offer analysis of significant policy issues; however, it should be noted that other UNLV faculty have expressed different opinions on the margin tax,” said White. “The purpose of academic research is to begin or continue a conversation on important topics and to allow others to critique methodology or findings in order to move knowledge forward,” he added.
White said that Mary Riddel, professor and chair of the Economics Department at UNLV and former interim Director for CBER, immediately raised concerns about the report and the modeling strategy used. UNLV economics professor Alan M. Schlottmann also questioned aspects of the study.
Based on the feedback from Provost White and the two UNLV economic professors, President Snyder has requested The Brookings Institution, based in Washington, D.C., review the report and provide an analysis on its merit and quality.
Brookings’ Rob Lang told Gentry and the RJ’s Steve Sebelius this week that the review no longer will be done because the tax failed. But if the study was going to be reviewed for its “merit and quality,” if university officials really were concerned about the methodology and conclusions, why is the review canceled?
Because it was a sham. And UNLV has refused our repeated requests to release White’s emails, which they have kept secret under the cloak of “deliberative process,” a fig leaf since so much other correspondence was released.
Why protect White? What did the provost say?
In the log of withheld or redacted emails, there are three involving White the night before the news release came out (others on the chain include a UNLV lobbyist and administration officials):
08/20/2014 08:01 pm Donald Snyder John White Confidential Communication – Executive/Deliberative Process Exception
08/20/2014 08:13 pm Gerry Bomotti John White Donald Snyder, Vince Alberta, Luis Valera, WilliamBoldt Confidential Communication – Executive/Deliberative Process Exception
08/20/2014 08:19 pm Gerry Bomotti John White Donald Snyder, Vince Alberta, Luis Valera, William Boldt Confidential Communication –Executive/Deliberative Process Exception
What do they say? And why won’t UNLV release them or many, many others?
A university that chills academic freedom and withholds what should be public documents?
UNLV is runnin’ from its credibility even faster after the margin tax failed by canceling a request for the Brookings Institution to review a university study on the initiative that the institution’s major gaming patrons did not like.
That aborted Brookings review has now been exposed for the ruse that it is and confirmed UNLV’s status as a second-tier (generous) center of academic thought.
This also may/should have an impact on Provost John White’s presidential aspirations. White, one of three finalists, was in the thick of the abhorrent decision to defenestrate academic freedom by distancing the university from that UNLV Center for Business and Economic Research margin tax study. My producer, Dana Gentry, confirmed the Strip meddling a couple of weeks ago by obtaining emails that showed how UNLV spinmeisters tried to come up with “sound bites” and how gaming doyens inveighed to the president, Don Snyder.
I remind you what UNLV's Aug. 21 news release said after the Las Vegas Boulevard South heat came down. It was headlined: “UNLV REQUESTS FURTHER ANALYSIS OF CBER MARGIN TAX REPORT University president calls upon The Brookings Institution for review “
And it said this: Executive Vice President and Provost John Valery White, who serves as the university’s Chief Academic Officer, noted that other economic experts have expressed skepticism about the methods and conclusion of the research.
“We encourage our faculty members to offer analysis of significant policy issues; however, it should be noted that other UNLV faculty have expressed different opinions on the margin tax,” said White. “The purpose of academic research is to begin or continue a conversation on important topics and to allow others to critique methodology or findings in order to move knowledge forward,” he added.
White said that Mary Riddel, professor and chair of the Economics Department at UNLV and former interim Director for CBER, immediately raised concerns about the report and the modeling strategy used. UNLV economics professor Alan M. Schlottmann also questioned aspects of the study.
Based on the feedback from Provost White and the two UNLV economic professors, President Snyder has requested The Brookings Institution, based in Washington, D.C., review the report and provide an analysis on its merit and quality.
Brookings’ Rob Lang told Gentry and the RJ’s Steve Sebelius this week that the review no longer will be done because the tax failed. But if the study was going to be reviewed for its “merit and quality,” if university officials really were concerned about the methodology and conclusions, why is the review canceled?
Because it was a sham. And UNLV has refused our repeated requests to release White’s emails, which they have kept secret under the cloak of “deliberative process,” a fig leaf since so much other correspondence was released.
Why protect White? What did the provost say?
In the log of withheld or redacted emails, there are three involving White the night before the news release came out (others on the chain include a UNLV lobbyist and administration officials):
08/20/2014 08:01 pm Donald Snyder John White Confidential Communication – Executive/Deliberative Process Exception
08/20/2014 08:13 pm Gerry Bomotti John White Donald Snyder, Vince Alberta, Luis Valera, WilliamBoldt Confidential Communication – Executive/Deliberative Process Exception
08/20/2014 08:19 pm Gerry Bomotti John White Donald Snyder, Vince Alberta, Luis Valera, William Boldt Confidential Communication –Executive/Deliberative Process Exception
What do they say? And why won’t UNLV release them or many, many others?
A university that chills academic freedom and withholds what should be public documents?
Paging the Chronicle of Higher Education.
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