David F. Damore, Robert E. Lang, Fatma Nasoz, William E. Brown Jr., and Caitlin J. Saladino
Abstract: Cooperative Extension is a partnership jointly funded by federal, state, and county governments that seeks to extend the services of the University of Nevada to Nevadans. As the original branch of Nevada’s land-grant institution, the University of Nevada, Reno has administered Cooperative Extension Service (CES) since the program’s inception over a century ago. However, as currently organized, CES has minimal presence in Southern Nevada and has failed to develop programming commensurate with Clark County’s contribution to the CES budget. In light of these deficiencies, we propose that CES in Southern Nevada be managed by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). As we detail, UNLV is already the most connected and active non-profit organization in the region. Most notably, the campus currently delivers a host of services and programs that are consistent with CES’s mission, despite receiving no funding to support these activities.