Longtime politics professor at UNLV has passed away

LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — Ted Jelen, a politics professor at UNLV, died on Tuesday at the age of 65 after a lengthy illness.

Jelen joined UNLV as a professor and chair of the politics department in 1997. He remained an important scholar and central figure in the department at UNLV until his death.

Throughout his career, Jelen authored, co-authored, or edited 16 books and published over 150 journal articles and book chapters.

"Ted was a generous colleague, friend, and mentor to many faculty members and students at UNLV and in the discipline," said UNLV politics chair and professor John Tuman. "He will be deeply missed by all who knew and worked with him."

Tuman says the politics department at UNLV will hold a memorial service in the spring semester to celebrate his life and accomplishments.

The "Professor Ted G. Jelen Award" was created by the Religion and Politics Section of American Political Science Association for the best article on religion and politics. The award was created in recognition of the wide impact of Jelen's research.

Before arriving at UNLV, Jelen taught as Benedictine University, Ipek University in Turkey, Georgetown University, and DePauw University.