Gold medal Olympian and UNLV alumnus Connor Fields, who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has gone from BMX competitor to NBC commentator for the Summer Olympics held in Paris. After a terrible crash during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics left him with extensive injuries and a yearlong recovery, Fields has pivoted, with the help of his UNLV degree in business management, from competitor to gear designer, coach, and TV show host.

Rebel Grounds, a student-run coffee shop inside the Harrah College of Hospitality, serves up delicious fare while giving student staff the space to turn classroom theory into practice. Students also are charged with overseeing everything from food preparation, design, and café décor to handling cash and training staff. This, along with its central location and ever-rotating menu items, makes Rebel Grounds a favorite stop for students, campus visitors, and UNLV faculty and staff.

Airborne pollen is a health concern for many residents in Clark County. The Clark County School District (CCSD) and UNLV established the Pollen Monitoring Program to provide local pollen and mold spore counts in Las Vegas. The county-wide distribution of the sites is a unique feature of the program and makes it possible to monitor important data for the west, northwest, southeast, and UNLV ZIP codes. Regular monitoring and reporting of airborne pollen concentrations continues to help the community prepare for or avoid exposure.

Launched in 2023, the College of Education's Nevada Forward program has become the largest teacher apprenticeship effort nationwide with more than 500 apprentices. Nevada Forward also recently welcomed more than 135 future educators to its new adult pre-apprenticeship program.

Former UNLV men's swimming standout Panos Bolanos will represent Greece in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Bolanos, who will swim in the men’s 4x100-meter free relay, is the first men’s swimmer since Richard Hortness (Canada, 2012) to represent the Rebels in the Olympics.

Public Health professor Erika Marquez, winner of UNLV’s 2024 Community Engagement Award for Community-Based Research, received $1.2 million from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The funding will ensure every Nevadan has equitable access to COVID-19 resources and vaccines through the Vaccine Health Equity Initiative. Marquez works with organizations and agencies throughout the state to reach racial and ethnic minorities, sexual and gender minorities, communities with lower incomes, and people who suffer from one or more chronic conditions. 

The Harrah College of Hospitality received a $1 million gift from entrepreneur and alumnus Marco Benvenuti to establish the Marco Benvenuti Excellence Endowment. The endowment will support student travel, professional development, and special projects to complement coursework and enhance student retention and success.

As part of its efforts to address the critical mental health issues in our community, the School of Public Health has partnered with The Defensive Line, a national nonprofit organization focused on suicide prevention. The partnerships aim to educate adults about youth suicide and create safe places for young people to be honest and vulnerable about what they are going through.