{"id":431,"date":"2026-07-21T09:38:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/?p=431"},"modified":"2026-07-21T09:38:07","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T16:38:07","slug":"from-the-presidents-office-to-the-classroom-kim-nehls-champions-access-equity-and-innovation-in-higher-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/?p=431","title":{"rendered":"From the President\u2019s Office to the Classroom, Kim Nehls Champions Access, Equity, and Innovation in Higher Education"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"267\" src=\"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-34.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-34.png 400w, https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/image-34-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Originally posted: Jun. 26, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By: COE Communications Staff<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Higher education can transform lives. Just as Kim Nehls. Whether mentoring students or championing innovative initiatives, the inaugural recipient of the Higher Education program\u2019s Alumni of the Year shapes the future of higher education at UNLV and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Currently serving as the senior advisor to UNLV\u2019s president, Kim uses policy-driven research to develop strategies to strengthen student success and deepen community partnerships. \u201cMy cause is to get more students to and through higher education in Nevada,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m grateful to contribute to a field that shapes future leaders.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kim\u2019s favorite moments are the quiet ones\u2014a student finding their passion, a data point sparking a policy shift, a team working in sync to build something new. \u201cI love watching transformation happen,\u201d she said. \u201cHigher education is a powerful catalyst for change, and it\u2019s a privilege to be part of that process.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proud Rebel earned her doctorate in educational leadership in 2007, with a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/digitalscholarship.unlv.edu\/rtds\/2773\/\">dissertation<\/a>&nbsp;that drew top honors at both the college and university levels. Since then, her career has blended research, leadership, and service\u2014helping students thrive in higher education and creating better outcomes for their communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From her time leading the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) to co-teaching classes and mentoring future scholars, Kim\u2019s influence can\u2019t be contained to UNLV\u2019s campus. \u201cShe\u2019s an exceptional scholar and leader,\u201d said longtime colleague Doris Watson. \u201cKim is thoughtful, courageous, and always willing to lift others up, especially those from historically underrepresented backgrounds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When asked what advice she would share with current students, Kim offered, \u201cIf your journey is like mine, it won\u2019t be linear, but it will be meaningful if you lead with authenticity and heart. Surround yourself with people who challenge and inspire you, be curious, take risks, and ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally posted: Jun. 26, 2025 By: COE Communications Staff Higher education can transform lives. Just as Kim Nehls. Whether mentoring students or championing innovative initiatives, the inaugural recipient of the Higher Education program\u2019s Alumni of the Year shapes the future of higher education at UNLV and beyond. Currently serving as the senior advisor to UNLV\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[16,18],"class_list":["post-431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-educational-psychology-leadership-and-higher-education","tag-alumni","tag-awards"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":433,"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/431\/revisions\/433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/coenewscenter.sites.unlv.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}