Strength: Very Strong

Across every group, there was strong pride in UNLV as an affordable, diverse, and community-centered university. Students, faculty, and staff repeatedly described UNLV as a place that changes lives, especially for first-generation, underrepresented, and nontraditional students. They highlighted how UNLV creates opportunity not just for individuals, but for families and communities across Southern Nevada. UNLV’s deep connection to Las Vegas and Southern Nevada is widely seen as one of our greatest strengths and a key differentiator nationally.

Strength: Very Strong

Across all input, there was unanimous commitment to student success. At the same time, many shared that the systems supporting students are under strain. Common concerns included:

• Understaffed student-facing offices (advising, financial aid, tutoring, libraries)
• Fragmented processes that force students to navigate silos and complex systems
• Insufficient graduate-specific and professional-school supports
• Growing student needs (financial insecurity, mental health, safety and belonging)

Written feedback reinforced the message that student success is inseparable from faculty and staff capacity and the systems they utilize. Many respondents stressed that supporting students effectively requires sustained investment in the people, infrastructure, and spaces that serve them.

Strength: Very Strong

Faculty and staff spoke candidly about workload, burnout, and uncertainty. While there is pride in what we have accomplished with limited resources (“doing a lot with very little”), there is concern that current expectations are not sustainable. Retention, morale, and long‑term workforce stability emerged as shared concerns across both verbal and written input. Participants also raised questions about equity across roles, job security, retention, and specifically:

• Chronic understaffing and long hiring timelines
• Burnout from constant change and administrative load
• Perceived inequities across roles (tenure-track/non-tenure-track, classified staff/administrative faculty, health sciences units)

Many expressed loyalty to UNLV and a desire to stay, but they emphasized the need for clearer advancement pathways, more efficient systems, and long-term investment in people.

Strength: Very Strong

A strong sense of community and connection emerged as a central theme throughout the tour. Participants expressed pride in UNLV as a place where people from diverse backgrounds come together with a shared purpose, and many described belonging and connection as core to their UNLV experience.

At the same time, many shared that this sense of connection has weakened. Across roles and campuses, participants described fragmentation — feeling siloed, disconnected from decision-making, or unsure how their voices are included. Faculty and staff noted fewer opportunities for collaboration and informal interaction, while the medical and dental schools described feeling physically and culturally distant from the main campus.

We heard that participants want earlier and more meaningful involvement in decision-making, better cross-campus communication, and clearer alignment around priorities. There is a strong desire to strengthen a true One UNLV culture through clearer communication, inclusive processes, and intentional opportunities to bring people together across units and campuses.

Strength: Strong

Across groups, there was frustration with processes that feel overly complex. Faculty and staff described systems that are time‑consuming, difficult to navigate, or misaligned with the realities of teaching, research, clinical practice, and student support. Examples of difficult processes spanned HR, research administration, promotion systems, hiring, contracts, and approval systems.

Survey respondents frequently cited administrative burden as a key challenge, reinforcing what was heard in live sessions — that UNLV’s ambition and growth are outpacing the effectiveness of its current internal systems. However, participants expressed hope for implementing more nimble systems that support innovation, collaboration, and timely action.

Strength: Strong

Students, faculty, and staff consistently emphasized the importance of academic quality and meaningful learning. 

Participant feedback specifically noted:

• Anxiety about AI’s impact on learning, integrity, and credentials
• A desire to preserve liberal arts, general education, and critical thinking
• A need for clearer standards in online education
• Concern about graduates being genuinely prepared for careers and life

Many want UNLV to lead thoughtfully in this space, protecting the integrity and value of a UNLV degree while adapting responsibly to change.

Strength: Moderate–Strong

Faculty and graduate students shared enthusiasm for UNLV’s research growth and community-connected work. At the same time, they noted uneven research support and infrastructure, administrative barriers, and missed opportunities to tell the full story of ongoing research and innovation at UNLV.

Participants also identified a lack of recognition and meaningful support for applied and community-based projects and partnerships. Across these groups, there is strong interest in reducing red tape, supporting early-stage ideas (seed funding, pilot projects), and translating innovation into visible impact.

Strength: Moderate

A recurring theme was that UNLV often undersells itself. Participants believe we have powerful stories — about access, excellence, resilience, and community impact — that aren’t being consistently amplified. Both listening sessions and survey responses emphasized the need for a clearer, shared narrative about who UNLV is, what it stands for, and why it matters. Across all groups, participants expressed interest in stronger branding, more effective storytelling, and empowering students, faculty, staff, and alumni to serve as UNLV ambassadors.

A large number of participants encouraged the selection of a mascot that is inclusive and represents who we are.

Strength: Moderate

The physical environment plays a large role in how people experience UNLV. Participants raised concerns about space constraints, safety, housing, parking, the areas surrounding campus, and campus infrastructure. Health sciences and nursing space needs were especially prominent. 

At the same time, there was optimism about the potential to reimagine and improve campus spaces and adjacent areas in ways that support learning, belonging, and community engagement.