Dear Campus Community,

The atrocities committed against civilians, including Americans, by Hamas in Israel over the weekend were reprehensible and have resulted in growing heartbreak, shock, and outrage. 

There is simply no justification for the abhorrent acts from those that will kill vulnerable civilian men, women, and children. 

While I don’t pretend to understand all of the nuances and variables involved in this longstanding conflict, as a society, we must and we do condemn acts of terrorism and I remain saddened about the growing loss of innocent lives as part of this war. 

Sadly, violence and war are becoming a highly dangerous trend in an effort to achieve a specific aim in our world. More and more people are dying from global conflict – more than 238,000 people last year alone, which is a 96 percent increase year-over-year. That is according to the annual Global Peace Index from the Institute for Economics and Peace. 

Throughout my time as President at UNLV, I have heard from numerous members of our community who have shared their pain, despair, fear, and suffering as part of events taking place in the Middle East. I feel these emotions acutely and recognize how personal these events are for each individual. 

My heart goes out to all members of our UNLV family who are impacted by these events and please know that our support services are available to anyone who needs them. 

I know and fully appreciate that emotions are running high, but our university community must remain respectful, kind, and considerate of each other. Civility and thoughtful expression are key parts of peaceful discourse in higher education.

Keith E. Whitfield, Ph.D
President