Keith Whitfield

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Keith Whitfield
Whitfield in 2016
11th President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Assumed office
August 24, 2020
Preceded byMarta Meana (acting)
Len Jessup
Personal details
BornFukuoka, Japan
Spouse
Linda Burton
​
(m. 1994)​
Children4
Alma materTexas Tech University (PhD)

Keith Eric Whitfield is an American psychologist, educator and gerontologist that currently serves as the President of University of Nevada-Las Vegas. He became the 11th and first black president of the university when he was appointed on August 24, 2020.[1][2] Prior to the position, he was the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and a professor of psychology at Wayne State University.[3][4][5] Whitfield has also served various leadership positions at Pennsylvania State University and Harvard University, as well as positions within the American Council on Education, Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, and Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.[6][7]

Over the span of his career, Whitfield has authored or co-authored over 200 publications.[8] He was a member of the National Institute on Aging's National Advisory Council on Aging until his retirement from the council in 2022.[8][9]

Early life[edit]

Keith Whitfield was born in Fukuoka, Japan.[10] Whitfield's father was stationed in Japan along with the rest of his family as a lieutenant colonel of the United States Air Force.[11][12] After Whitfield's father completed his service in Japan and earned his degree at the University of Colorado, Boulder, the family moved across the United States.[11] In a 2023 interview with Mayor of Las Vegas Carolyn Goodman, Whitfield states his family moved to Colorado, Michigan, Virginia, Alabama, and Illinois before he graduated from high school.[13] Whitfield graduated in Illinois before his family moved to New Mexico.[13]

Education[edit]

Whitfield got his Bachelors of Arts from the Santa Fe College in 1984, obtained his Masters of Arts from Texas Tech University in 1987, and acquired his Ph.D. from Texas Tech University in 1989.[14][8][15] He has an expertise in psychology of cognition and healthy aging, stress and aging among African Americans, and health disparities research.[8] Whitfield completed his post-doctoral degree in 1992 at his father's alma mater, the University of Colorado, Boulder.[6]

Career[edit]

Early teaching[edit]

Whitfield first taught in 1989 as an assistant professor at McNeese State University before teaching at Pennsylvania State University from 1993 to 2000.[6] He would briefly teach at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before returning to Penn State in 2002.[6] He accepted a position as a research professor at Duke University in 2006 before working there exclusively come 2007.[6]

Duke University and Wayne State University[edit]

In 2011, he was appointed as the vice provost for academic affairs at Duke University.[16][17] While at Duke University, he held appointments as professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, research professor in the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development. He also was the co-director of the Center on Biobehavioral Health Disparities Research.[18] He became provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Wayne State University in 2016 before moving on to University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2020.[19]

President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas[edit]

In his first address as president of University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Whitfield introduced "Top Tier 2.0" as a roadmap for the university to improve its Carnegie R1 status.[20] During his time as president, Whitfield has shown his interest in creating additional partnerships with gaming companies for the university's research and technology park in August 2021.[21] Whitfield is also mediating between The Boring Company and their plans to build a Loop station at the school's campus.[22][23] In January 2021, Whitfield announced the university was dropping its Hey Reb! mascot after perceived ties with the Confederacy.[24][25]

Death of Nathan Valencia[edit]

On November 19, 2021, Nathan Valencia, a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity at UNLV, was put into a coma after participating in rival fraternity Kappa Sigma's off-campus "Fight Night" event.[26][27] The event was meant to raise money for Center Ring Boxing in Las Vegas.[26] According to Zoë Bernard of Rolling Stone, the event had a history of injuries, as it was "known for landing participants in the ER with broken noses and concussions."[27] Valencia collapsed 60 seconds after the fight had ended, in what was later determined to be a rotational injury to the head that caused a subdural hematoma.[27] Valencia died four days later on November 23.[26] The Nevada Athletic Commission unanimously passed "Nathan's Law" in December 2021 that would enforce emergency regulations for amateur boxing events.[28]

President Whitfield responded to the incident by suspending Kappa Sigma from the campus.[29][30] Whitfield expressed his sympathies to Valencia's family and declared that the university would be "committing all available resources to review the incident and determine how off-campus events like these can be as safe as possible."[30][31] Valencia's family later sued UNLV, Kappa Sigma, and other individuals and groups in February 2022.[32]

Digital President Whitfield[edit]

During Whitfield's 2022 State of the University Address, he announced the launch of "Digital President Whitfield", an artificial intelligence program that Whitfield stated would allow him to be available to students 24/7.[33] In an interview with KTNV-TV, developer Russ Logan, UNLV alum and member of the AI Foundation, said that Whitfield had spent five hours recording dialogue for the program.[33]

Other positions[edit]

Whitfield's first leadership position was as a fellow of Penn State University's Committee on Institutional Cooperation’s Academic Leadership Program from 2004 to 2005.[6] In 2012, he was a member of the Harvard Institute for Management and Leadership in Education.[6]

From 2016 to 2017, Whitfield was a member of the American Council on Education's Institute for new Chief Academic Officers.[6] Whitfield was also a member of the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges Institute for Leadership & Governance in 2020.[6][34] Whitfield is currently a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' Coalition of Urban Serving Universities.[7]

Works[edit]

Fighting for Your African American Marriage (2001) Jossey-Bass; ISBN 978-0787955519 written with Scott M. Stanley, Howard J. Markman, and Susan L. Blumberg

Closing the Gap: Improving the Health of Minority Elders in the New Millennium (2004) Gerontological Society of America; ISBN 978-0-929596-07-5 written with David R. Williams

The Health of Aging Hispanics: The Mexican-Origin Population (2007) Springer Press; ISBN 978-0-387-47208-9 written with Jacqueline Lowe Angel

Focus on Biobehavioral Aspects of Health in Later Life (2010) Springer Press; ISBN 978-0-8261-0614-8

Handbook of Minority Aging (2013) Springer Press; ISBN 978-0-8261-0964-4 written with Tamara A. Baker

Personal life[edit]

Whitfield married his partner Linda Burton, a professor of sociology and ethnographer, in 1994.[35] Prior to their marriage, the two had met as professors at Penn State University.[10] They would later work together at Duke University prior to divorcing.[10][36] Whitfield and Burton have had four children.[10][35] Burton later became the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare in 2019.[37]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Sadler, John (2020-09-20). "Q+A: UNLV president talks pandemic, student success, diversity - Las Vegas Sun Newspaper". lasvegassun.com. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  2. ^ "Regents name Keith Whitfield as new UNLV president". The Nevada Independent. 2020-07-23. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  3. ^ "New UNLV President appointed by NSHE". FOX5 Las Vegas. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  4. ^ "Keith E. Whitfield, PhD - College of Social Work | University of South Carolina". sc.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  5. ^ "Board of Governors honors Professor Sobel with dean emeritus title". School of Medicine News. 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i "CURRICULUM VITAE: Keith E. Whitfield, Ph.D." (PDF). University of Colorado, Denver.
  7. ^ a b "USU Leadership". APLU. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  8. ^ a b c d "Keith E. Whitfield | News Center | University of Nevada, Las Vegas". www.unlv.edu. 15 September 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  9. ^ "National Advisory Council on Aging Agenda — Sept. 7-8, 2022". National Institute on Aging. September 8, 2022. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d "Married With Degrees". Duke Today. 2007-08-20. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  11. ^ a b "Black History Maker: Keith E. Whitfield, UNLV's first Black President". KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas. 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  12. ^ "Keith Whitfield Will Be the First Black President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas". The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. 2020-07-27. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  13. ^ a b Whitfield, Keith (2023-06-28). "Meet UNLV President Dr. Keith Whitfield". Hello Mayor (Interview). Interviewed by Carolyn Goodman. Las Vegas.
  14. ^ "Keith E. Whitfield | Duke School of Medicine". medschool.duke.edu. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  15. ^ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/35322315_Young_and_old_adult_subject_performance_on_pictorial_priming_and_different_feature_types_using_the_visually_degraded_stimuli_task
  16. ^ "Keith Whitfield Named Vice Provost for Academic Affairs". today.duke.edu. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  17. ^ "University of Nevada Las Vegas Hires First Black President". Diverse: Issues In Higher Education. 2020-07-24. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  18. ^ "University of Nevada Las Vegas Hires First Black President". Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  19. ^ Filbrandt, Jack (23 July 2020). "'Truly an honor:' Provost Whitfield voted UNLV president". The South End. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  20. ^ "UNLV President Keith E. Whitfield Delivers First State of the University Address". University of Nevada, Las Vegas. 28 January 2021. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  21. ^ "Gaming incubator Black Fire viewed as UNLV's contribution to Nevada's economic diversification". The Nevada Independent. 2021-08-17. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  22. ^ https://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=42143.0;attach=2054988 [user-generated source]
  23. ^ "UNLV could get station on Boring Co.'s Vegas Loop". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  24. ^ Gaydos, Ryan (2021-01-21). "UNLV drops 'Hey Reb!' mascot over perceived Confederate ties". Fox News. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  25. ^ "UNLV drops 'Hey Reb!' mascot, keeps Rebels sports nickname". AP NEWS. 2021-01-20. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  26. ^ a b c Grantham-Philips, Wyatte. "20-year-old college student dies days after participating in fraternity 'Fight Night'". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  27. ^ a b c Bernard, Zoë (2023-06-04). "Death at a Frat-Boy Fight Night". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  28. ^ "'Nathan's Law:' Commission passes emergency boxing regulations". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  29. ^ "UNLV suspends Kappa Sigma fraternity chapter, pending review of student death after boxing match". KLAS. 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  30. ^ a b Hutchinson, Bill (December 1, 2021). "Homicide ruled in Nevada student's death after fraternity's 'fight night'". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  31. ^ "UNLV releases report after death of student involved in boxing match". Las Vegas Review-Journal. 2022-05-17. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  32. ^ "I-Team: Family of student who died after boxing match names UNLV, fraternity, and others in lawsuit". KLAS. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  33. ^ a b "UNLV president goes virtual with A.I. tool". KTNV 13 Action News Las Vegas. 2022-02-26. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  34. ^ "Keith Whitfield, Ph.D." AGB Institute for Leadership and Governance in Higher Education. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  35. ^ a b Whitfield, Keith E.; Markman, Howard J.; Stanley, Scott M.; Blumberg, Susan L. (September 12, 2001). Fighting for Your African American Marriage (1 ed.). Jossey-Bass. pp. xi–xii. ISBN 978-0787955519.
  36. ^ Pfeiffenberger, Sylvia (2006-10-26). "Keith Whitfield: The Health of Older African Americans". Duke Today. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
  37. ^ Gordon-Feierabend, Lev (2019-06-26). "Linda Burton named dean of UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare". The Daily Californian. Retrieved 2023-09-04.
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