UNLV President Leaving In May, Will Take Over As President Of CGU

LAS VEGAS, NV - Len Jessup, President of UNLV, announced on Tuesday he is leaving the university and taking over the same position at Claremont Graduate University. Jessup moves on from UNLV amid growing friction between himself and the Nevada System of Higher Education and the Board of Regents. In a letter announcing the decision Tuesday, Jessup said the authority the NSHE has over the university "makes long-term sustainability a challenge for any UNLV president."

Jessup, who has been UNLV's president since 2015, will remain at the university through this year's commencement ceremony. He will take over as president of CGU on July 1. The relationship between Jessup and the Board of Regents has caused some donors to rethink their donations. In the letter, Jessup confirmed that his lawyers have been working on a separation agreement with NSHE since March, but no agreement was reached.

"Events over the last several months have clearly signaled that the Regents and the Chancellor have decided upon a vision and implemented a management structure of UNLV that is inconsistent with what I believe is in the best interest of UNLV," Jessup wrote. Jessup added that he's received "personal and professional attacks by the Chancellor and some Regents," that he called "intolerable and unacceptable."

The attacks, he said, have "created a working environment that is not productive for me or my staff who, among other issues, have had to deal with on-going direct interference by individual Regents and others on their behalf as I and my staff continue to attempt to carry out our responsibilities."

Shortly after Jessup made the announcement to leave UNLV, Claremont Graduate University announced his appointment on their website.

“I’ve enjoyed many opportunities in my career, both as a professor and administrator, and I am honored and excited to join the CGU community,” Jessup said in a statement released by CGU. “I am looking forward to working closely with everyone at CGU to move this excellent university to the next level in every way.”

Image via UNLV