UNLV's Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA) was recently named Affiliate of the Year by the organization's national advisory board, topping chapters from nearly 40 universities nationwide.

The award, announced during the BGSA's national conference last month in Chicago, is bestowed upon the chapter that best displays the organization's mission to enhance graduate student diversity and involvement on campus and provide meaningful opportunities for community outreach.

"This award is a testament to the strong graduate student leadership at UNLV," said Christine Clark, UNLV Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion. "It's also an example of the critical link between excellence and diversity at UNLV, which is made possible by strategic partnership building campus wide in support of diversity initiatives."

The BGSA at UNLV was organized in 2003 to provide programming and professional training opportunities for UNLV students, faculty, staff, and the community. With 25 active members, UNLV's chapter is regularly among the campus's most active student groups, hosting charitable fundraising drives and its annual Wellness Day each spring for UNLV students. The award marks the second time the UNLV BGSA has won the national organization's top honor.

Four representatives from UNLV attended the national conference through the UNLV Diversity Scholarship Fund. The fund is a partnership between the Office of the Vice President for Diversity & Inclusion and the College of Education's Workforce Education & Development Program and serves as a pipeline initiative for recruiting students committed to issues of diversity to careers in higher education, especially the professoriate.

The National Black Graduate Student Association is the largest interdisciplinary graduate student association in the nation, encompassing students from all academic disciplines. For more information on the BGSA, please visit www.nbgsa.org.