LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — UNLV Interim President Chris Heavey delivered his first State of the University address tonight.
In his address, Heavey said student enrollment and graduation rates are at record levels. He also praised the university’s growth as a research institution, earning recognition as one of the nation’s highest performing research universities based on projects and awards.
Heavey also highlighted the university’s Seal of Excelencia, a designation for schools supporting Latino students.
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“We’re proud to say that our Latino students are the largest incoming demographic to our students and there is no achievement gap with our Latino students,” Heavey said. “They are our future. We will always be a Hispanic-serving institution given the population of Las Vegas. And we are incredibly proud and excited about that.”
The address also included a somber note as Heavey remembered the three faculty members killed on Dec. 6, 2023.
“We’ll never forget them,” Heavey said. “We have a beautiful design for our memorial garden, which will be a place for people to spend some peaceful time reflecting. And we’re going to get this thing built next year so that people have a space to remember that tragic day, but also to find peace and comfort in the community that we have together.”
Heavey said the university will begin a campaign to raise money for the memorial garden. That is expected to start in the next few weeks.
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