Commitment to DEI Required If You Want to Work at UNLV

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), by Do No Harm’s count, has more than two dozen healthcare-related instructional positions that require a commitment to DEI in some form or fashion. 

These positions span several different schools at UNLV, including the School of Medicine, the School of Nursing, the School of Public Health, the School of Integrated Health Sciences, and the School of Dental Medicine.

For example, the position of “Surgery- Surgical Oncology, Assistant/Associate Professor” at the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine requires applicants to “demonstrate support for diversity, equity and inclusiveness.” 

Similarly, the role of Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics at the School of Public Health demands support for “diversity, equity, and inclusiveness.”

Additionally, many postings require applicants to adhere to “Campus Values” that include concepts like “equity,” “compassion & inclusion,” and more.

So, not interested in DEI? Then you need not apply.

Do No Harm has previously documented UNLV’s activities related to DEI; in 2023, the school initially refused to hand over key information regarding their commitments to DEI in response to a public records request by Do No Harm.

What is surprising is that, just earlier this month, UNLV went to painstaking lengths to “erase” references to DEI on its website. Those webpages now produce a “page not found” error message:

Critically, in a statement, UNLV noted they have “not ended” DEI programs but merely “modified” the “organizational structures supporting them” in order to “build a climate of engagement and collaboration among all members of the university community.” 

So UNLV made it appear as if they were doing the right thing, but in reality it is nothing more than a reframing of verbiage.

All of this comes on the heels of UNLV being investigated earlier this year for using “racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities.” 

Put simply, UNLV has a long track record of embracing DEI wholeheartedly. 

Instead of simply scrubbing its website, UNLV should actually distance itself from DEI. There is no better place to start than getting rid of ideological litmus tests for DEI in its hiring practices.