Dear Colleagues,

This morning, my leadership team and I hosted our traditional town hall in the Student Union to kickoff the fall semester at UNLV and welcome faculty and staff back to campus for a new academic year. And we have so much to look forward to this fall – from record enrollment to thriving research, community engagement, and economic development efforts campus wide. 

But nothing gave me more pleasure than welcoming back a member of the UNLV family who has endured the unimaginable over the past nine months to return to our campus and do what he loves so much – teaching students. 

On Dec. 6, economics professor Daraboth “Bot” Rith was shot and seriously injured during the tragic shooting on our campus that took the lives of three cherished UNLV faculty members. 

Bot’s story is one of strength, resilience, and recovery. It’s also a story of how – even in our darkest moments – we came together as a community to support one another. It’s hard to express in words how great it felt to welcome Bot back to UNLV this morning, but seeing him and his wife Dimanche (an employee in our Office of Online Education) on stage reminded me of the tremendous gift of the human spirit even in the face of incredible adversity. It also reinforced to me the importance of making the personal choice to live each day with gratitude and purpose in serving our UNLV community. Their presence also marked a significant milestone in our Rebel Recovery as we all continue to do our best to thoughtfully move forward. 

My deepest gratitude goes out to the officers who saved Bot’s life on Dec. 6, to everyone who supported Bot and his family during his recovery, and to those who wished him well while giving him and his family the grace and space to get to where they are today. 

I invite you to read (and watch a short video) about Bot’s inspiring journey back to UNLV. You can also view remarks from Bot and Dimanche from today's town hall on our YouTube page.  

Thank you for all you have done – and continue to do – to support our university and our continuing Rebel Recovery. 

Warm Regards, 

Keith E. Whitfield, Ph.D.
President