Jacob Thompson is UNLV's Associate Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and High-Impact Practices in Academic Affairs. His undergraduate curriculum and general education work began in 2012 when he joined the Faculty Senate General Education Committee. He served as a committee member for five years and as chairperson for four more from 2017 to 2021. He recently served as UNLV's Director of General Education and Undergraduate Curriculum from 2022 to 2023. 

Previously, Thompson was the head coach and director of UNLV’s nationally recognized and award-winning debate team, ranked among the best in the nation for several years. He received the George Ziegelmueller Coach of the Year award in 2018 and was recognized as the Ross K. Smith National Coach of the Year by the National Debate Tournament in 2020.

He has also served as a professor in residence in the Department of Communication Studies and as the associate department chair and undergraduate coordinator from 2020 to 2022.

Thompson played an essential role in the third presidential debate at UNLV in 2016, serving on multiple university committees that organized debate-related activities and participating in more than 100 debate-related interviews as a university media expert.

Thompson's research focuses on presidential and political campaign debates, persuasion, argumentation theory and practice, and the rhetoric of American foreign policy. He continues to teach courses in UNLV's general education curriculum occasionally.