Keith Whitfield

Keith Eric Whitfield is an American psychologist, educator and gerontologist that served as the President of University of Nevada-Las Vegas from August 24, 2020 to March 3, 2025. He became the 11th and first black president of the university when he was appointed on August 24, 2020. Prior to the position, he was the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and a professor of psychology at Wayne State University. 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.

Over the span of his career, Whitfield has authored or co-authored over 200 publications.

Early life and education Keith Whitfield was born in Fukuoka, Japan. Whitfield's father was stationed in Japan along with the rest of his family as a lieutenant colonel of the United States Air Force. 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. Whitfield graduated in Illinois before his family moved to New Mexico. He has an expertise in psychology of cognition and healthy aging, stress and aging among African Americans, and health disparities research. 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. 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.

President of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas 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. 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. Whitfield is also mediating between The Boring Company and their plans to build a Loop station at the school's campus. In January 2021, Whitfield announced the university was dropping its Hey Reb! mascot after perceived ties with the Confederacy.

Death of Nathan Valencia 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. The event was meant to raise money for Center Ring Boxing in Las Vegas.

President Whitfield responded to the incident by suspending Kappa Sigma from the campus. 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." Valencia's family later sued UNLV, Kappa Sigma, and other individuals and groups in February 2022.

Digital President Whitfield 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. 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.

Other positions 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. Whitfield is currently a member of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities' Coalition of Urban Serving Universities. Prior to their marriage, the two had met as professors at Penn State University. Whitfield and Burton have had four children.