UNLV has hired former two-term Nevada Assemblyman Rick Bennett as director of governmental relations for the university, according to President Carol C. Harter.

Bennett, owner of RCB Enterprises in Las Vegas, served in the Nevada Legislature from 1990 to 1994 and was assistant majority leader in the Assembly during the 1993 legislative session.

He will assume his duties in the $65,000-per-year position at UNLV May 14, 1996.

In his new position at UNLV, Bennett will be a key member of the campus leadership, reporting to Executive Director of Alumni and Community Relations Fred Albrecht and working closely with President Harter and other administrators at UNLV and in the University and Community College System of Nevada. He will serve as a link between the university and state and local governments and will lead advocacy efforts aimed at maximizing governmental support of UNLV.

"We are very pleased to have Rick Bennett join us," Harter said. "His experience with the Nevada Legislature will be a great asset as we work with legislators on both sides of the aisle to build a budget that will enable us to meet the needs of the many thousands of people who study and work at UNLV."

Bennett served as vice chairman of the Assembly's government affairs committee during both terms. He also sat on the commerce, health and human services, and taxation committees. He served as chair of the interim study on the financing of Nevada's highways.

"I'm excited by the opportunity to be associated with UNLV," Bennett said. "With the rapid growth we've experienced in Nevada and the limited resources available to our public institutions, legislators need to be fully aware of the benefits to the community and opportunities that exist at UNLV. It is imperative that the university receive the resources necessary for it to continue to meet the needs of the community and state."