Georgia Regents President Ricardo Azziz was questioned this week about past controversial spending decisions and an ongoing age discrimination lawsuit during his visit to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
Azziz is one of three candidates seeking to become UNLV’s new president. The candidates are in Las Vegas this week for campus visits and meetings.
During a public forum Monday, Azziz was asked about plans last year to build a $75,000 carport addition to the president's home, according to a report by The Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Azziz told the crowd that the issue was a misunderstanding based on “an obscure law,” and that his staff was not aware that approval was needed from the state Board of Regents before doing the work.
“We decided not to do it. There was so much hoopla about it, it just wasn’t worth it,” Azziz is quoted as saying.
Also last year, Azziz was criticized for using a university bus and driver to carry guests to his niece's wedding held at his house. Azziz later reimbursed the costs, which were about $400.
Azziz declined to comment on the age discrimination lawsuit filed last month by a former university fundraiser, Anthony Duva, according to the Review-Journal report. The federal lawsuit claims Duva was repeatedly asked when he would retire before he was fired in September 2013. At that time, Duva was told that his position was being eliminated as part of a workforce reduction policy. The lawsuit says that Duva’s position was the only one eliminated.
UNLV is searching for its 10th president and has recently submitted an application for accreditation of a public medical school on its campus. It is also working toward a top ranking as a research university. Azziz described the arduous process that is required to achieve the designation, including developing the research, faculty and national brand of the school.
UNLV Provost John White and Len Jessup, the dean of the business school at the University of Arizona, are also competing to lead the Las Vegas college.
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