Professor Nancy Lough standing in front of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas

UNLV Newsmakers 2020: People

Great places are made of great people. Here are a few who made the news in 2020.

UNLV professor Nancy Lough is a co-director of the UNLV Sports Research and Innovation Initiative, which is collaborating with the Las Vegas Raiders on the 2021 launch of a new academy that will offer programs in the offseason to create a pipeline for minority coaching and executive candidates in the NFL and throughout the sport. (Lonnie Timmons III/ UNLV Creative Services)

As the COVID-19 pandemic and all things 2020 threatened to bring the world to a halt, the people of UNLV refused to back down and instead persevered — making new strides in leadership, community partnerships, the creation of programs, national and global recognition for their research and accomplishments, and more.

Here are just a few headlines highlighting those who helped propel UNLV, the community, and the world to new heights and commemorating others whose formidable legacies will never be forgotten:

New UNLV President

In August, Keith E. Whitfield became UNLV’s 11th permanent president and the first African American president in the university’s 63-year history. The standout psychology, health, and aging research scholar spoke to local media about the goals he has for the university, addressing everything from leading UNLV through the COVID-19 pandemic to what he’ll do to help strengthen community ties and the campus’s continued commitment to diversity.

UNLV Medicine Leadership

Dr. Marc J. Kahn joined UNLV on April 1 following a national search for a new dean. Since then, the renowned hematologist and medical oncologist has helped lead UNLV School of Medicine faculty and student efforts to assist with local testing and prevention efforts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as participated in dozens of media interviews about vaccines, medical personnel shortages, and more. 

Good Sport

It was a busy year for Nancy Lough — a College of Education professor, former athlete and coach, and longtime Title IX consultant who researches gender equity in sports marketing and sponsorship. In 2020, Lough joined The Collective Think Tank, a global consortium of top academic minds and industry leaders focused on improving gender parity and diversity in sports. She is also a co-director — along with UNLV colleagues John Mercer and Jay Vickers — of the UNLV Sports Research and Innovation Initiative (SRII). In addition to bringing together multidisciplinary sports researchers from across the university, SRII is collaborating with the Las Vegas Raiders on the future Al Davis-Eddie Robinson Leadership Academy. The academy is expected to be up and running in 2021 and will offer programs in the offseason to create a pipeline for minority coaching and executive candidates in the NFL and throughout the sport.

Outstanding Graduates

From remote classes to mask mandates to virtual commencement ceremonies, the COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we do many things this year. But UNLV hung on to its years-long commencement tradition for the president to honor a select group of outstanding graduates who exemplify the academic, research, and community impact of the graduating class. Outgoing president Marta Meana honored nine students in the spring, and incoming president Keith E. Whitfield selected four students to highlight during his first commencement ceremony this winter.

Student Success

In Memoriam

The UNLV community mourned the loss of beloved colleagues this year, including emeritus professor of history Eugene Moehring, who died Feb. 17 at the age of 72; Felicia Campbell, UNLV’s longest-serving faculty member and trailblazer on the teaching of African American and Asian literature, who died July 27 of complications related to COVID-19; Jerry Vallen, founding dean of the Harrah College of Hospitality, who died July 30; and Sam Lieberman — an alumnus, Nevada System of Higher Education regent, and longtime higher education advocate — who was posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate following his April 3 death at the age of 58.

Presidential Appointment

Bret Birdsong — a UNLV law professor with expertise on public lands management, federal natural resources, water rights, food system, and conservation law — was named a member of the U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris environment transition team.

Veteran Affairs

As the home of about 1,800 active-duty, reserve or veteran military members, UNLV proved why it was ranked by Military Times magazine as one of the nation’s best universities for veterans. 

Several faculty, student, and alumni veterans made headlines for their work around campus or in the community.

  • Ross Bryant, director of UNLV’s Military & Veteran Services Center and a veteran himself who served 24 years in the military, talked to KTNV-TV: ABC 13 about how he’s now giving back by helping other veterans and military-affiliated students transition to campus life at UNLV. He also spoke to the Las Vegas Review-Journal about ways a federal coronavirus relief law would impact student veterans.
  • UNLV student Katherine Cassell was among 10 veterans nationwide selected for a Washington, D.C.-based VFW fellowship aimed at teaching student veterans to be community advocates, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
  • Jackie Trujillo — a UNLV student, National Guard member, and Route 91 survivor — spoke to the Las Vegas Sun about her role fighting COVID-19 as part of a state task force.
  • KLAS-TV: 8 News Now highlighted efforts by the Rebel Veteran Alumni group to help students transition from the battlefield to the classroom and into the working world.
  • UNLV's ROTC program helped a Las Vegas Air Force veteran realize his dream, reported KTNV-TV: ABC 13.

Rankings

UNLV was a top contender on several rankings lists — an accomplishment that wouldn’t have been possible without the support and hard work of faculty, staff, and students across our campuses. In March, multiple UNLV programs — 22 in all — cracked the top 100 in their fields in an annual report from U.S. News & World Report. In September, the outlet reported that UNLV maintained its standing as one of the nation’s most diverse universities for undergraduates — tying for second overall in the publication’s 2021 Best Colleges report on campus ethnic diversity, defined as schools where students are most likely to encounter others from racial or ethnic groups different from their own. In November, UNLV surged to the top 10 percent in CollegeNet, Inc.’s 2020 Social Mobility Index, an annual analysis that ranks four-year U.S. colleges and universities according to how effectively they enroll students from under-resourced backgrounds and graduate them into well-paying jobs.

Want more?

Stay up to date with the latest UNLV news by signing up to receive our daily "In the News" digest.

Topics:

newsmakers,  student success,  diversity, equity, and inclusion

Campus Units:

Department of Communication Studies,  Department of Criminal Justice,  College of Education,  Department of Educational Psychology, Leadership, and Higher Education,  Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering,  Entertainment Engineering and Design,  College of Fine Arts,  PGA Golf Management Program,  Graduate College,  William F. Harrah College of Hospitality,  William S. Boyd School of Law,  Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV,  Department of Military Science/Army ROTC,  School of Nursing,  Department of Sociology,  Greenspun College of Urban Affairs,  Alumni Engagement,  Division of Philanthropy and Alumni Engagement,  Office of the President,  Division of Student Affairs,  Brookings Mountain West

Related News:

UNLV Newsmakers 2020: Combatting COVID-19, UNLV Newsmakers 2020: Brian Labus Edition, UNLV Newsmakers 2020: Social Justice, UNLV Newsmakers 2020: Research and Economic Development, UNLV Newsmakers 2020: Politics, UNLV Newsmakers 2019: People, Newsmakers 2018: People

You Might Also Like

The Interview: Karlie Passey
Karlie Passey in front of "Rebels Make It Happen" banner on campus
People | December 1, 2025

The senior human resources business partner brings a small-town, big-heart strategy to her work helping fellow Business Affairs employees navigate processes.

We Are UNLV: Finding Your Community
student collage
People | November 21, 2025

Bite-sized stories of how friendship is a core element of the Rebel experience.

More about People