University and Community College System of Nevada
	System Administration   5550 W. Flamingo Rd., Suite C-1 Las Vegas, Nevada 89103 Tel: (702) 889-8426

 

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                            April 28, 2005

Contact:     Suzanne Ernst

                  (702) 889-8426

Seastrand Announces Resignation from Board of Regents

Two-term regent steps down from post to pursue opportunities in developing technology to combat terrorism and improve homeland security.

LAS VEGAS – After seven years of service, Regent Douglas R. Seastrand announced today that he is resigning from public office, effective May 1, 2005.

“I have notified Governor Kenny Guinn of my intention and it is with a heavy heart that I end my service with the Board of Regents,” said Seastrand. “It has been a privilege to serve with my colleagues on the Board and having been twice given the opportunity to represent the higher educational needs of the citizens of Nevada.”

Seastrand, a computer scientist and software engineer by trade, will be working with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas’ Research Foundation to assist government agencies in developing technical solutions to combat terrorism and bolster homeland security. Since his work will be tangentially associated with UNLV, Seastrand made the decision to resign his position to avoid any possible appearance of conflict.

“The men and women who protect American interests need every technological advantage we can give them, and having developed those technologies in the past, I felt the need to use my expertise in this field and return to the vital cause of homeland security,” added Seastrand. “Although my new position is not state-funded and it would not interfere in my duties as a regent, I felt it would be in the best interest of the UCCSN if I stepped down from office to avoid any perception of impropriety.”

Seastrand was first elected to the Board of Regents in 1998 and serves District 6 in Clark County. He is currently a member of the Board’s Academic Affairs, Research and Student Affairs Committee, the Audit Committee, as well as the ad hoc Chancellor Search Committee. He also serves as the chair of the UCCSN’s Technology Task Force.

He served as Board chair from July 1, 2002 to June 30, 2003.

Seastrand is currently president of Prime Services, Inc., a technical and management, consulting company.

He earned a B.S. in computer science with an emphasis in mathematics and electrical engineering from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Governor Guinn will name a replacement for Seastrand, although a timeline to do so has yet to be determined.

The Nevada Board of Regents is the elected, 13-member governing body for the University and Community College System of Nevada. Comprising two doctoral-granting universities, a state college, four comprehensive community colleges and one environmental research institute, the UCCSN serves the educational and job training needs of the nation’s fastest growing state. As Nevada’s only system of higher education, the UCCSN provides educational opportunities to more than 100,000 students.