UNLV under investigation for use of ‘racial preferences’ in educational activities

UNLV is one of 45 universities the U.S. Department of Education is investigating for its ties to a nonprofit that helps students from underrepresented groups obtain doctoral degrees, the agency said Friday.

The agency said the investigations come amid allegations that the institutions violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with The PhD Project, an organization that aims to give doctoral students guidance and networking opportunities but had limited eligibility based on race. Six other colleges are being investigated for awarding race-based scholarships.

“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a news release.

A spokesman for UNLV said three professors served as mentors with The PhD Project — two who no longer work there and the other, Patricia Navarro Velez, who died in the 2023 shooting at the university. Administration is aware of the investigation but could not comment further, the spokesman said.

“In accordance with the Nevada System of Higher Education policy, UNLV is committed to and will provide equality of educational and employment opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, age, color, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, genetic information, pregnancy, or veteran status,” the university said.

Friday’s move is part of a larger push from the Trump administration to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs, or DEI, in higher education. Trump officials have said these initiatives unfairly leave out white and Asian American students.

Doug Unger, president of the UNLV chapter of the Nevada Faculty Alliance union, said diversity is one of the best parts of being a professor at the university, where roughly 70 percent of students belong to a minority group each semester.

As a UNLV Graduate College professor of 34 years, Unger said he supports efforts to recruit students who may not otherwise apply for graduate programs. He’s personally chosen candidates for the university’s Creative Writing International Program — a process that focuses on evaluating writing samples.

“If they want to do a DEI investigation of the most diverse campus in the United States, we would welcome that,” Unger said. “What they’ll find is that we’re looking at a diverse pool of students and admitting based on quality and achievement first.”

A U.S News and World Report rating of campus ethnic diversity in 2025 listed UNLV among the six most diverse national universities.

Michael McDonald, chairman of the Nevada Republican Party, attended UNLV. He said the campaign to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs is a step in the right direction, saying those programs create division and racism.

“It’s pitting people against each other. We have to get away from that,” he said. “We’ve got to find ways to get back together, work together and make it right for everybody.”

A spokeswoman for Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo said his office would not comment on pending litigation or investigations.

What is The PhD Project?

The PhD Project, according to its website, has helped more than 1,500 students obtain their doctoral degrees in business since 1994.

Through mentoring, networking and special events, the program connects companies and universities with potential hires. Both corporate and university partners can promote open job positions to the organization’s network of more than 1,800 faculty and doctoral students as well as attend annual conferences.

In a brief statement, a spokesperson for The PhD Project said it’s recently changed who can benefit from its services.

“This year, we have opened our membership application to anyone who shares that vision,” the spokesperson said. “The PhD Project was founded with the goal of providing more role models in the front of business classrooms, which remains our goal today.”

The nonprofit didn’t respond to a clarifying question about what its requirements for membership had been before this year.

The Nevada System of Higher Education said it is working to understand the scope of the investigation and how to support the institution in addressing any concerns.

“NSHE remains committed to fostering vibrant campus communities that support the success of our students, faculty, and researchers. We will continue to support our institutions in navigating federal requirements while advancing their missions in service to Nevada,” the system said in a Friday statement.

UNLV, whose president resigned this month for personal reasons, has been recognized in the U.S. News and World Report’s Campus and Ethnic Diversity ranking. Its history department won a national award in 2020 for increasing the racial diversity of faculty and students.

In February, the university scrubbed a diversity scorecard from its human resources webpage meant to evaluate the diversity statements of potential faculty hires. As of Friday, it still has a diversity, equity and inclusion webpage that highlights resources for undocumented students and student diversity programs.

Mixed reactions to attacks on DEI

For Kamilah Bywaters, the Trump administration’s investigation into UNLV is bogus.

The UNLV doctoral candidate is finalizing her dissertation on special education and is an advocate for leveling the playing field for minority groups who aren’t generally given opportunities to achieve higher education. Bywaters said initiatives like The PhD Project are critical for increasing Black student participation.

Bywaters pointed to data that shows less than 2 percent of the U.S. population holds a doctorate.

Of doctorates granted in 2022, a record 7.5 percent of students who earned them were Black, just under half of what it would be if doctoral awards reflected the racial makeup of the country, according to the Journal of Blacks in Higher Education.

Bywaters lost her race for an open Clark County School District seat last year to a candidate who had been outspoken against the district’s anti-racism policy.

“DEI work is not about giving someone a free pass,” Bywaters said. “It’s about breaking down barriers that have, for decades, systematically kept people who are marginalized from being successful and able to participate equally.”

McDonald, of the Nevada GOP, said he has been disappointed in his school’s “anti, reverse-discrimination” policies, starting when it retired its Hey, Reb! mascot amid concerns the mascot channeled Confederate spirit even as the school has tried to distance itself from Confederate imagery associated with its original mascot, a wolf named Beauregard wearing a Confederate uniform, as well as 1968 football helmets bearing the Confederate battle flag.

During his time at UNLV, McDonald said everybody “got along and we found ways to help each other out.”

When a company, department or a government must implement quotas, “that’s where everything starts to come off the track,” McDonald said. They should give the person who is the most qualified the opportunity, while also providing training programs to give others an opportunity, he said.

Patrick Boylan, a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, applauded efforts to end diversity, equity and inclusion programs. He said DEI stands for “didn’t earn it” and is reverse discrimination.

“The best people should always be selected, no matter what they are or who they are,” said the regent, who also graduated from UNLV.

Boylan was under scrutiny in 2024 over comments he made about transgender athletes, with the Nevada Faculty Alliance calling for his resignation.

He called on diversity, equity and inclusion officers to either be moved to a different role or “throw them out,” and he wants the university to investigate all PhD programs and the scholars who benefited from them.

Contact Alan Halaly at ahalaly@reviewjournal.com and Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AlanHalaly and @jess_hillyeah on X. Review-Journal digital content producer Tony Garcia contributed to this report. The Associated Press contributed to this report.