Selma Bartlett, a pioneering local businesswoman, longtime supporter of UNLV and the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, died Sept 16, just days short of her 98th birthday. At UNLV, she supported several scholarship programs and donated time mentoring to students. Honored for both her business acumen and her generosity, she was inducted into the Palladium Society for her contributions exceeding $1 million and the Nevada Business Hall of Fame in 2016.
Paul Burns, emeritus professor of history, died on Sept. 16 in Mankato, Minnesota. He joined UNLV in 1963 and, over the course of 32 years, chaired the History Department and the faculty senate. He served in several administrative roles, including as faculty athletics representative and interim dean of the colleges of Liberal Arts, Fine and Performing Arts, and Arts and Letters. An accomplished teacher and scholar, he specialized in Russian history and culture. In the community, he served in positions with Allied Arts Council of Southern Nevada, Nevada State Board of Museums and History, Lied Discovery Children’s Museum, and Western States Arts Federation.
Ed Jorgensen, ’84 BS, ’91 MS, and ’19 Computer Science, an emeritus associate professor in residence of computer science and the longest-serving faculty member in the computer science department, died Sept. 4. During his 40-year career at UNLV, Jorgensen was a dedicated teacher and served as the department’s undergraduate coordinator. He authored a popular book on assembly language programming. In June, he transitioned to emeritus status but continued serving the college in a grant-writing capacity. He is survived by his wife, Dolly Jorgensen, an emeritus lecturer of computer science at UNLV.
Lew Karstensson, professor emeritus of economics, died July 2025 at age 84. He joined UNLV in 1979, and often was seen in his signature bow tie during lectures. He brought personality to the classroom that generations of students fondly remember. He was a prolific scholar and explored a wide range of topics including classical and Keynesian economics, economic perspectives from the medieval period, longevity economics, and the psychology of learning in statistics courses.
Robert C. Maxson, president from 1984-94, died Sept. 28 in San Juan Islands, Washington, at age 89. Graduate education expanded under his tenure and U.S. News and World Report College Guide listed UNLV as one of the "up and coming universities in the West." New construction included the Thomas T. Beam Engineering Complex, the Rod Lee Bigelow Health Sciences Building, and the Robert Bigelow Physics Building. After UNLV, he served as president of CSU Long Beach and of Sierra Nevada College (now part of UNR).
Rossi Ralenkotter, ’71 MBA, former president and CEO of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), died at age 78. Over his 45-year career at LVCVA, he was part of the team that brought the National Finals Rodeo, International CES, and other major conventions to Las Vegas, making the city the No. 1 trade show destination in North America for 25 years and counting. He also established the Las Vegas Bowl and was an instrumental figure in getting ballparks built for both the Las Vegas Stars and Las Vegas Aviators. His many awards included American Marketing Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993; Brand Week’s Grand Marketer of the Year in 2004 for the Las Vegas brand campaign, “What Happens Here, Stays Here”; U.S. Travel Association Hall of Leaders; and UNLV’s Outstanding Alumnus of the Year. He served on numerous community organization boards, including the Boys and Girls Club, Las Vegas Bowl Committee, Bishop Gorman High School, and the Valley Health System.
Sadanand Verma, mathematical sciences professor, died May 21 at age 95. He was the first faculty member in mathematics to hold a Ph.D and played a crucial role in the creation of the Department of Computer Science and the MS in Mathematics degree. For many years, he held the honor of leading the Commencement processional, carrying the university mace. When he was recognized as UNLV’s longest-serving faculty member in 2021, he said his favorite part of working at UNLV was “seeing students from my classes perform outstandingly to move on to other universities or make a positive impact in our Las Vegas community.” He retired in 2022 at the age of 92.
