February was a month of excitement at UNLV. The San Manuel Band of Mission Indians gifted $9 million to UNLV’s William F. Harrah College of Hospitality as well as the William S. Boyd School of Law — a historic agreement to bring a tribal gaming emphasis to the world’s leading hospitality school and bolster the nation's only master's program in gaming law. Additionally, UNLV political science and history professors commented on Nevada’s 2020 Democratic Caucus to prominent national and international news outlets.
On the research front, a study by UNLV public health researchers found that drivers of flashy cars are less likely to yield to pedestrians. Experts across campus also offered their expertise to the intensifying conversation around COVID-19, the coronavirus outbreak that is spreading internationally.
Below are just a few stories of UNLV’s people and programs that made headlines in Nevada and beyond last month.
Historic Gift to Enhance Tribal Gaming Education
In February, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians gifted UNLV with $9 million in a historic agreement to support course development and an endowed chair at the William F. Harrah College of Hospitality. The gift will also provide curricular, faculty, and program support at the William S. Boyd School of Law. The agreement is a stepping stone for the blending of tribal gaming into the world’s leading hospitality and gaming program along with adding an emphasis of tribal gaming to the country’s only master’s degree program in gaming law.
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SBC Americas, CDC Gaming Reports, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Las Vegas Sun, Gaming Today, The Nevada Independent, KSNV-TV: News 3
Love is in the Air
Valentine’s Day was one to remember this year, thanks in part to historians and experts at UNLV. From the holiday’s true beginnings, to why humans kiss, UNLV professors spanning multiple departments offered insight on topics surrounding this Hallmark holiday.
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19th-century pop culture expert Elizabeth Nelson spoke to BYU radio and KSNV-TV: News 3 about the true history of Valentine’s Day
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Anthropology experts Shelly Volsche and William Jankowiak’s research was featured in a Yahoo Style UK article about why humans kiss.
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Katherine Hertlein, a professor in the Couple & Family Therapy program at the UNLV School of Medicine, spoke to The AAMFT Podcast and Mashable about online dating.
2020 Presidential Caucus
The 2020 Nevada democratic caucuses took place on Feb. 23, and professors at UNLV were called upon by major news outlets to give their insight on all things politics. From the importance of pronouncing Nevada correctly, to the results of the Las Vegas debate, UNLV experts were featured prominently in the conversation.
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How the Iowa Caucus affected the Nevada Caucus
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The Significance of Nevada in the 2020 Presidential Race
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Las Vegas Debate Preview and Highlights
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2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates visit UNLV
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What is the Correct Way to Say Nevada?
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Voter turnout on Day of Caucus
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NPR (twice), Salon, Las Vegas Sun
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Culinary Union’s Role in the Election
Expensive Car = Rude Driver?
Coronavirus: Separating Facts from Myths
As of March 4, COVID-19 has spread to 78 countries, including the U.S., prompting the World Health Organization to raise its risk assessment of the virus to “very high.” With concern over the virus spreading, several UNLV experts have been called upon by a variety of news outlets to provide their expertise on both the virus and its impact on businesses and the economy.
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Center for Business and Economic Research Director Stephen Miller on how the fear of coronavirus is affecting the global economy:
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Public Health professor Brian Labus provided information about the coronavirus, along with tips on how to prevent the spread of the virus:
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The Conversation, Forbes, Nature, Las Vegas Review-Journal (also features Brian Hedlund), The Verge, Vegas PBS, The Week
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Gaming historian David Schwartz spoke about the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on Las Vegas:
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Dr. Evelyn Montalvo Stanton of the UNLV School of Medicine said the key is to educate parents on the symptoms of the coronavirus:
General Expert Roundup
- Hospitality professor Mehmet Erdem spoke to The Washington Post about hotel-room Bibles.
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Brandon Eddy, Couple & Family Therapy Program professor, offered his expertise to Fatherly on how dads go through a second puberty.
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The New York Times quoted Lincy Institute and Brookings Mountain West director Rob Lang about Nevada’s growth following the Great Recession.
- Public health professor Brian Labus weighed in on how to prevent the flu in Business Insider.
