Former U.S. Sen. Richard H. Bryan, who also served as Nevada's governor, is joining the faculty of UNLV's College of Liberal Arts as an adjunct professor of congressional politics in the department of political science.

"It is an honor to have Richard Bryan as a member of the faculty at UNLV," said Jim Frey, dean of the College of Liberal Arts. "The former senator has had a long and distinguished career in public service and his experiences will provide students with a firsthand knowledge of congressional politics."

Bryan, who retired in January after serving two terms in the Senate, is a partner and member of the law firm of Lionel Sawyer & Collins. In addition to his involvement in the management of the firm, Bryan provides expertise in the areas of gaming, mining, taxation, international trade, public land use issues, and privacy law.

A native Nevadan, Bryan received his law degree from the University of California, Hastings Law School. He started his legal career in 1964 as a deputy district attorney in Clark County. Two years later, he was named Clark County's first public defender. Bryan served in the Nevada Legislature in 1968 and was honored as the freshman legislator of the year. He was re-elected to the state Assembly in 1970. He was elected to the state Senate in 1972 and re-elected in 1976. The former prosecutor won his first statewide election as Nevada's attorney general. In 1982 he was elected to the first of two terms as governor. In 1988 he was elected to the first of two terms in the U.S. Senate.