Biography

Michael A. Olivas is the William B. Bates Professor of Law and founder/director of the University of Houston Law Center’s Institute for Higher Education Law and Governance. Olivas is a leading expert on higher education law and served two terms as general counsel of the American Association of University Professors. A prolific scholar, he has been a member of the prestigious American Law Institute since 1986. He has served three times as chair of the Law and Education Section of the AALS and was on the editorial board of the Journal of College and University Law. His editorial activities include work for twenty-seven journals. During his thirty one years of service at UH, Olivas received the Ethel M. Baker Faculty Award and is the recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award of the American Educational Research Association and the Research Achievement Award of the Association for the Study of Higher Education. A native of New Mexico, Olivas has secured more than $5 million in grants from various foundations. His most recent work involves efforts to help undocumented immigrants obtain access to Texas colleges and universities. He recently completed a 16 month term as Interim President of the University of Houston - Downtown, and has returned to the University of Houston Law faculty. He recently began his 5th year as the hRock and Ro9ll Law Professor, with his NPR show "The Law of Rock and Roll." (www.lawofrockandroll.com)