Wynn Resorts and its CEO Craig Billings have established a $2 million endowment to create the Craig S. Billings Endowed Scholarship for the Children of Wynn North America Employees.
The fund will support the children of qualifying employees at Wynn Resorts’s entities in North America who are pursuing undergraduate degrees at UNLV’s Lee Business School, Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering, or William F. Harrah College of Hospitality.
The first scholarships will be awarded for the fall 2027 semester, 30 years after Billings graduated from UNLV with a degree in accounting.
Drawing on his own experience balancing work and school, Billings said he worked with UNLV to create a program designed to help those students with the need for financial assistance stay on track academically, while preparing for careers in fields critical to southern Nevada’s workforce.
“It is such a privilege to be a colleague of the dedicated employees at the Wynn Resorts entities in North America. So many of those folks work tirelessly every day, delivering the Wynn experience, in part to do what all parents strive to do – allow their children to achieve more,” Billings said. “Having obtained an undergraduate degree at UNLV that prepared me so well for my future studies and career, I cannot think of a better way to help my colleagues than to assist in the education of their children.”
UNLV President Chris Heavey said the scholarship reflects the shared values of the university and Wynn Resorts.
“For many students, the greatest barrier to earning a degree is not ability or ambition, but access,” Heavey said. “This scholarship helps remove that barrier for the children of employees at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor, enabling them to persist in their studies, fully engage in their education, and complete a UNLV degree that can shape the trajectory of their lives. We are deeply grateful to Craig and Wynn Resorts for their leadership and vision.”
More than 90 percent of UNLV undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, yet funding gaps can still create barriers to enrollment and degree completion, Heavey said. This scholarship is designed to help close those gaps, allowing students to focus on learning and career preparation. Recipients will be eligible for support through graduation, with funding available for up to 140 undergraduate credit hours per recipient.
UNLV Foundation Interim Executive Vice President Tiffany Vickers said the scholarship reflects a long-standing partnership between the university and Wynn Resorts. “Craig and Wynn Resorts have been consistent supporters of UNLV and our students,” Vickers said. “This program expands access to a UNLV education for Wynn’s employees’ families and reflects a shared commitment to students, community, and opportunity.”
