The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Board of Regents picks Former Governor Brian Sandoval as the new President of the University of Nevada, Reno.

Current President Marc Johnson announced his retirement in early November of 2019.

Former Governor Brian Sandoval is the first Hispanic and 17th president of the 146-year-old University. He will start his new position October 5, 2020.

Gov. Sandoval served as Nevada Governor for two terms from 2011-19. He is a graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno where he received a bachelor’s degree in English. He received his J.D. from the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

He has also served as district judge for the state of Nevada before being appointed the state’s first Hispanic federal judge. He also served as Nevada’s attorney general, was a member and chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, and served two terms as a State Assemblyman.

“Gov. Sandoval is a highly respected leader and visionary. As a two-term governor of Nevada, he has always worked to build bridges of support. His leadership during the Great Recession was instrumental in Nevada recovering from that economic downturn,” said NSHE Chancellor Melody Rose. “I am confident that his experience, along with his love for the state and the university is what this institution needs in a president at this time.

Chancellor Rose added, “I am also proud that he will become the first Hispanic president of the University of Nevada, Reno, further reflecting the changing demographics of the Silver State and NSHE’s student population.”

Most recently Sandoval was the president of global gaming development for MGM Resorts International, a member of the board of directors for Coeur Mining, and a senior fellow at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership and Policy.

He has also served on several state boards and commissions, including the Nevada Boards of Pardons, Prisons, Transportation, and Examiners, the Council for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, and was Nevada’s at-large member of the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency Governing Board.

“I have believed in the promise of the University of Nevada, Reno my entire life,” said President Sandoval. “I am extremely humbled and deeply honored to be given the opportunity by the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Board of Regents to lead our University and my alma mater into the future. The University and its people are the bedrock of our community. The work going forward will be to make our University an even better institution, building on the visionary legacy of our 146-year history.”

President Sandoval added, “I truly believe this can be a place where every student, faculty, staff or visitor who ever sets foot on our campus, will know this is a place where they are welcome, where they are valued, and where they feel that anything they hope to accomplish in their lives is possible. We want these dreams to become the University’s dreams. I know that working together, we will achieve them.”

President Sandoval was one of four finalists who interviewed with students, faculty, employees, and community members since Monday. The ad hoc UNR President Search Committee, made up of 32 members, including members of the Board of Regents, faculty, classified staff, students, and community stakeholders, recommended President Sandoval for the job on Wednesday.

 

The NSHE says the official recommendation from the search committee for the new UNR president is former Governor Brian Sandoval.

The Board will pick from the candidates on Thursday at 1 p.m.

The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) is set to discuss the final four candidates for President of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) in their September meeting.

The finalists are former Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, Chaden Djalali, Ph.D, Jennifer Evans-Cowley, Ph.D., and Jonathan Koppell, Ph.D. 

In April, MGM Resorts International announced that Sandoval would be leaving the company to pursue the position of UNR President. 

NSHE is meeting on September 16, 2020. They will receive a report on the search and interview process from Chancellor Melody Rose.