Nevada state university regents have named the Honors College dean at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as acting campus president.
The Nevada System of Higher Education board voted Monday to promote Marta Meana, at least temporarily, on July 1.
Meana began as a psychology professor at UNLV in 1997 and served as senior university president adviser before heading the Honors College since 2012.
She was backed for acting president by university Chancellor Thom Reilly.
"Marta is a highly respected clinician, researcher, and educator, and is lauded for her contributions to teaching, psychology and women's health," Reilly said. "As dean, she has tripled Honors College enrollment and boosted student success. I am confident she is the right person to lead the university as we conduct a search for a permanent president."
Meana replaces Len Jessup, who announced in April he was leaving after a little more than three years at UNLV to become president of Claremont Graduate University in California.
Jessup and Reilly clashed for several months before the announcement.
"I've been privileged to be part of the UNLV community for more than 20 years and I'm honored to serve as acting president during this transition period for the university," said Meana. "UNLV has a deep pool of leadership talent, and I look forward to working with partners on and off campus to continue to move the university forward."Â
UNLV has about 28,500 students with a main campus east of the Las Vegas Strip
(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
