Dear Colleagues and Friends,
At this morning’s special meeting of the Board of Regents, I was entrusted with serving as interim president of the university we all consider home. I’m grateful to the Board and Chancellor Charlton, and of course to the entire 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ community, for giving me a chance to lead this institution that means so much to me and to all of us.
51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ has been my home for more than three decades. I arrived in 1992, full of professional ambition to make a mark on my discipline of clinical psychology. What I’ve gained since then – community, purpose, and an abiding love for this university – has far outpaced anything I imagined when I first walked through our doors.
I’ve had the privilege of serving in many leadership roles across campus. Each one has deepened my appreciation for the complexity and significance of our work and has taught me more about what it means to be part of this community. I’ve come to understand how the university operates, how its budget works, and, most importantly, just how much it matters in the lives of our students, faculty, staff, and the broader community.
What makes this role so meaningful to me is that my family and I are part of the community 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ serves. My wife Nancy, a proud Rebel alumna who earned a master’s degree from 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, recently retired after 32 years with CCSD, including 18 as principal of Nate Mack Elementary School. We raised our two sons here and have built lasting connections to this community.
As I step into this position, my focus is clear: I want to support our talented faculty, staff, and students in carrying out 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s mission. I’ve often said that my job is to create the conditions for others to succeed. I take that responsibility seriously and will work hard each day to make sure we keep moving forward with purpose and momentum in everything we do. I’ll also work to demonstrate why it’s crucial for 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ to have a seat at the table when important issues are being discussed, especially when they overlap with our mission.
The timing of this appointment comes just a few weeks before the end of the semester and commencement, and I look forward to working with all of you to finish the academic year strong and celebrate with our newest graduates. Over the summer, I’ll continue to build connections with our community and external partners, listening to what they hope to see from 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and identifying new opportunities for collaboration and support.
I will continue to advocate for 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ at the Nevada Legislature, which is scheduled to meet through early June. I strongly believe that no university in the country is more important to its hometown than 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ is to Southern Nevada. I’ll be working to share that message with legislators, community leaders, donors, and others who can help us carry our mission forward.
In spite of current headwinds, we’ll remain focused on growing our research enterprise as a Carnegie R1 institution and producing knowledge that improves lives and brings innovation to our region. In addition, we must keep investing in student success and in our academic programs. This was my focus as provost and will continue.
We’ll also continue to look for opportunities to improve the way we do our work. As provost, I began an operational excellence initiative to modernize our systems and improve our processes. It’s an ongoing process but as president I will build on that work, aiming to create efficiencies and set high standards across campus. Campus safety and security remain a top priority for me, and I am committed to being proactive about enhancing our safety-related practices, systems, and communication across all of our campuses.
In the fall, I’ll be launching a campus-wide listening tour to hear from faculty, staff, students, and others about what they hope to see in the next phase of 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s growth. We may use this input to revisit and refine our strategic plan. One thing I know with certainty is that our university is defined by the strength and rich diversity of our people. That will always be one of our greatest assets.
We still have a few more weeks together before the semester wraps up. I hope you’ll join me for our next All Hands meeting on the morning of Monday, May 5, where my leadership team and I will share more thoughts and hear from you directly.
Thank you for your continued dedication to 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ, and for all the ways you make our university what it is. Serving this university is one of the greatest privileges of my career. I look forward to working with all of you to grow our impact and shape the next great chapter in 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ’s story.
Warm wishes,
Chris Heavey
Interim President