After leading UNLV through the pandemic and the 2023 on-campus shooting, Keith Whitfield announced late Monday he is stepping down as president effective at the end of that day. 

Whitfield said in a message to the UNLV community he needs to devote more attention to his mother and a grandson, who are both dealing with health challenges. 

“I know this news — and the timing of it in the middle of the semester and state legislative session — may come as a shock to some of you, but this is a decision I have been considering for a while now,” he said in his statement. ”Once my decision to leave was final, it did not seem fair to the university or any of you to draw out my departure.”

Executive Vice President and Provost Christopher Heavey will serve as the officer in charge, a role that allows him to exercise the powers of the president until an acting, interim or permanent president is appointed by the Board of Regents, Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Patricia Charlton and Board of Regents Chair Amy Carvalho said in a Wednesday joint letter. Heavey applied for the role during the university’s previous presidential search.

Heavey has been at UNLV for more than 30 years and has served in various leadership roles. In addition, he’s a tenured professor of psychology. 

Heavey said in a Tuesday statement the university’s momentum “will not slow” amid the transition period and school leaders will advocate for UNLV during the Nevada legislative session. He said UNLV will also maintain its focus on serving as a “pillar of progress” despite challenges and uncertainty for higher education. Colleges are navigating a murky landscape amid President Donald Trump’s call to defund universities promoting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and other potential cuts.

Charlton, Carvalho and Board of Regents Vice Chair Jeffrey Downs are expected to reach out to faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members in the coming weeks to determine the next steps and whether to appoint an acting or interim president. 

Whitfield was named UNLV’s 11th president in July 2020 following the sudden resignation of former President Len Jessup in 2018. Whitfield was the university’s first Black president.

Whitfield cited record student enrollment — nearly 40,000 students last fall, the highest total in university history and 6 percent increase from the previous year — and improved campus security measures following the December 2023 shooting as some of his accomplishments. 

He faced criticism last year from a former major donor, the Engelstad Foundation, which accused UNLV’s leadership of treating them and other donors “poorly.” Last year, Regent Byron Brooks berated Whitfield for meeting with a pro-Palestine student group. A Jewish student represented by failed GOP gubernatorial candidate and Reno lawyer Joey Gilbert and Sigal Chattah filed a federal lawsuit against UNLV, the Board of Regents and Whitfield, accusing them of not taking action against antisemitism and discrimination on campus. 

UNLV has had seven presidents in the last three decades, compared with UNR, which is on its fifth during that time period. Read more about UNLV past presidents:

Keith Whitfield

2020-2025

• Whitfield was UNLV’s seventh president in 20 years. 

Marta Meana 

2018-2020

• Meana, who wasn’t interested in taking the role permanently, served as UNLV’s acting president prior to Whitfield’s hiring. 
• During her tenure, the university achieved record graduation and retention rates, and hit its high mark for enrollment. 

Len Jessup 

2015-2018

• Jessup, who went on to lead Claremont Graduate University in California, faced pressure to resign amid a negative performance review and several ongoing issues with the university, including fundraising for the UNLV medical school and the reuse of dental devices at the university dental school.

Donald Snyder

2014-2015

• Snyder served as an acting president for a year and served, on a volunteer basis, as a presidential adviser. 
• He was also a former dean of the UNLV Harrah College of Hospitality. 

Neal Smatresk

2009-2014

• During his tenure, Smatresk secured important donations, including $12.6 million from the Engelstad Foundation. 
• He announced he was resigning in late 2013 to serve as the president of the University of North Texas and be closer to his family. 

David Ashley

2006-2009

• Ashley, UNLV’s eighth president, was demoted to faculty after he was criticized for skipping alumni events, not returning calls from important higher education figures and for going against the Board of Regents’ budget plan, which called for larger cuts for UNLV compared with UNR and instead independently lobbying the Legislature.

Carol Harter

1995-2006

• Harter was UNLV’s longest serving and first female president. 
• During her 11-year tenure, she oversaw the construction of 17 buildings and the creation of dozens of graduate programs, including UNLV’s School of Dental Medicine and the Boyd School of Law.
• In 2006, Harter stepped down from the presidency to assume charge of the Black Mountain Institute, which she founded with philanthropist Beverly Rogers. The institute served as an international think tank to advance literacy and cross-cultural dialogue.
• Harter died in November 2023 at the age of 82.

This story was updated on 3/4/25 at 6:20 p.m. to include a statement from UNLV Executive Vice President and Provost Christopher Heavey.