UNLV Shooting Victims Are Faculty Members
University of Nevada Las Vegas released the names of two faculty members who died during the on-campus shooting on Wednesday.
A message from the university said the two victims are Patricia Navarro-Velez, 39, and Cha Jan “Jerry” Chan, 64. The third victim is also a faculty member. However, the university said the third victim’s identity would be released once the next of kin is notified.
Patricia Navarro-Velez
According to Dr. Navarro’s biography on the UNLV website, she received her Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Central Florida. She also had a Master of Accountancy degree and a BBA in accounting.
President of UNLV Keith Whitfield said, “Dr. Navarro-Velez, an assistant professor of accounting, had devoted her career to educating the next generation of accountants. She joined UNLV nearly five years ago as a professor of accounting, where she primarily focused on teaching accounting information systems.”
Her biography states that her teaching interests were in accounting and information systems. She was also a Risk Assurance Manager at the PwC, an accounting firm, San Juan office prior to entering the world of academia.
Cha Jan “Jerry” Chan
Cha Jan “Jerry” Chang spent over 20 years of his academic career teaching at UNLV’s Lee Business School. He was an accomplished scholar with over 15 publications in academic journals, multiple presentations and conference proceedings, according to his website. He taught the next generation of information science and business workers.
Both of the victims’ Rate My Professor page flooded with comments of condolences and memories.
One student wrote about Dr. Navarro-Velez, “She is extremely caring about her students and provides insightful lectures.
Another former student wrote this about Dr. Chang, “Professor was hard but he made sure you were ready for the real world.” Anther entry said, “One of the kindest professors out there. RIP Professor, you will be missed.”
UNLV Shooting Victims: The Aftermath
President Whitfield said that yesterday “was the most difficult day in the history of our university. Words are still hard to come by as we’re only beginning to process the grief, loss, anger, and fear associated with Wednesday’s tragic campus shooting that took the lives of three of our cherished faculty members.”
For those who need any help or support during this time, please know that we are #VegasStrong. For any resources that you may need, contact the Vegas Strong Resiliency Center at 702-455-AIDE or at facofsouthernnevada.org.
