Nevada Board of Regents name Dr. Len Jessup as next UNLV president

After completing a national search, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents today approved the appointment of Dr. Len Jessup to serve as the 10th president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jessup is currently the dean of the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona.

Regent Kevin Page, chair of the 13-member Board of Regents, said Jessup stood out as an academic leader who would help UNLV move toward its goal of becoming a top public research and teaching university.

“While the other two candidates were outstanding, Dr. Jessup’s experience, drive, and energy are what the Board felt was needed in our next president,” said Page.

“I am honored to be selected as the next president of UNLV and look forward to working with the faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community to further advance the university and achieve our goals,” said Jessup. “I would like to thank the Board of Regents and the chancellor for this tremendous opportunity.”

Jessup will assume the presidency Jan. 5, 2015, receiving an annual salary of $525,000. He’ll take the reins of a university in the midst of planning for a new school of medicine and that is engaged in an ambitious initiative to elevate its status among the country’s leading public universities.

The Board of Regents’ Presidential Search Committee selected Jessup from three finalists yesterday and forwarded his nomination to the full Board of Regents for action at today’s meeting.

The other finalists under consideration were Dr. Ricardo Azziz, M.D., president of the Georgia Regents University and chief executive officer of the Georgia Regents Health System; and John Valery White, J.D., executive vice president and provost of UNLV.

“The objective of our search committee was to choose the best individual to become the next president of UNLV,” said Regent Mark Doubrava, chair of the ad hoc UNLV President Search Committee. “Thanks to the hard work of our search consultant Jerry Baker, Chancellor Dan Klaich, the regents on our search committee and the incredible contributions of our advisory committee, we were able to accomplish that objective in recommending Dr. Jessup.”

“This is a pivotal moment for UNLV and the communities it serves,” said Klaich. “UNLV and the community did a remarkable job hosting public forums to allow the community to get to know each of the candidates. The UNLV President Search Committee held a public meeting to interview the candidates and openly deliberated on their recommendation for the university’s next president. I believe their selection of Dr. Jessup will be crucial in UNLV’s ongoing drive to become a national leader in higher education.”

Jessup has served as the dean of the Eller College of Management and Halle Chair in Leadership at the University of Arizona since May 2011. Previously, he was the dean of the College of Business, vice president of university development, and foundation president of Washington State University and was a tenured faculty member at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Jessup holds a Ph.D. in management and organizational behavior from the University of Arizona; an MBA from California State University, Chico; a B.A. in information and communication studies from California State University, Chico; and an A.A. in general education completion from the College of the Siskiyous.

View Jessup’s curriculum vitae.

The ad hoc UNLV President Search committee was chaired by Regent Mark Doubrava and included regents Cedric Crear, Dr. Jason Geddes, Kevin J. Page, Rick Trachok and Michael B. Wixom.

Advisory members to the committee included: Dr. Tony Alamo, Robert Boughner, Brendan Bussmann, Nate Bynum, Kirk Clausen, Alex Culley, Juan Duhart, Ken Evans, Dr. Juanita Fain, Dr. Liam Frink, Dr. Brent Hathaway, Pam Hicks, John Hunt, Thomas Jingoli, Sandra Phillips Johnson, Ken Ladd, Gregory T.H. Lee, Greg McKinley, Kristin McMillan, Dr. Marta Meana, Dr. Connie Mobley, Pat Mulroy, Perry Rogers, Dr. Vicki Rosser, Tony Sanchez, Tom Skancke, Judy Smith, Dr. Michael Wilde, Michael Yackira, Missy Young, and Dr. Carolyn Yucha.

About UNLV

UNLV is one of two doctoral-degree-granting institutions in the Nevada System of Higher Education. UNLV has more than 27,000 students and 2,900 faculty and staff. Founded in 1957, the UNLV offers more than 220 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral degree programs. The university is located on a 332-acre campus in dynamic Southern Nevada and is classified in the category of Research Universities (high research activity) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.