LAS VEGAS - August 27, 2009 - UNLV President Neal Smatresk today announced that Michael Bowers, senior vice provost for academic affairs, will serve as interim executive vice president and provost, effective immediately. A formal search process is planned to fill the post on a permanent basis.

Bowers, a UNLV faculty member since 1984, is an expert in public law and previously served as professor and chair of the department of political science and associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts. He is the recipient of numerous teaching and service awards, including the Outstanding Faculty Award and the Academic Advisor Award from the Board of Regents and the UNLV Alumni Association Distinguished Faculty Award. In 1996, Bowers first authored "The Sagebrush State," one of the definitive texts on the history of Nevada government and politics that is still used in classrooms throughout the state and which is now in a third edition.

In his role as interim executive vice president and provost, Bowers will be responsible for overseeing and aligning UNLV academic and budgetary policy, ensuring the quality of the faculty and student body, expanding the research enterprise and maintaining overall educational excellence.

Bowers received a master's and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Arizona and a bachelor's degree in history from Cameron University in Oklahoma.