UNLV Faculty Senate

Sense of the Senate Opposing

the U.S. Department of Education

“Compact” on Higher Education

WHEREAS the United States Secretary of Education has requested American colleges and universities enter into a Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education;

WHEREAS this Compact would restrict university employees from speaking on matters of public concern, in violation of NSHE policies;

WHEREAS this Compact would mandate policies restricting free expression that would violate the obligations of a public university under the First Amendment;

WHEREAS this Compact would impose on UNLV a rigid definition of gender that would demean many students and colleagues and conflict with Nevada law;

WHEREAS this Compact promotes a paranoid and derogatory orientation toward students who are not U.S. citizens;

WHEREAS this Compact contains provisions which endanger the independence of the University and its governing structures, including the central role of shared faculty governance;

WHEREAS this Compact would impose rigid tuition and admissions structures that do not respond to the unique circumstances of UNLV and NSHE institutions;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that UNLV leadership should be applauded for not joining this Compact. UNLV leadership should continue to uphold the traditions and principles of UNLV by not agreeing to this Compact.

APPROVED BY FACULTY SENATE, DECEMBER 9, 2025