2025 Nevada Legislative Session
Southern Nevada’s economy generates nearly three-quarters of the state’s gross domestic product and a similar share of tax revenues that support communities statewide. Nevada’s continued prosperity depends upon a pipeline of talented, industrious, and innovative professionals – the type of graduates produced by UNLV.
Every day – in our labs and classrooms, and in neighborhoods throughout the Silver State – UNLV is fueling Nevada’s economic engine and workforce development. We’re proud of our home within the heart of a global destination, where our students, employees, and alumni build community, create partnerships, advance healthcare, and spark innovation that move the region forward.
Campus and Public Safety
In an increasingly uncertain world, ensuring that UNLV is a safe, secure, and welcoming place for students, employees, and visitors is an ongoing commitment and a top priority. More than $2.5M has been invested in campus safety and related facilities upgrades since December 2023, with another $1M in exterior lighting upgrades currently in progress. The university is appreciative of support from the Interim Finance Committee on these efforts and is now seeking additional investment from Governor Lombardo and the Nevada Legislature to further enhance campus safety through facilities and infrastructure upgrades, security and preparedness technology, and personnel.
Safety Matters
- Legislative investment will support efforts to improve access controls in campus buildings and classrooms – including key-access boxes for first responders – enhance campus lighting, and increase outdoor emergency phone locations on UNLV’s campuses.
- To modernize University Police Services’ (UPD) infrastructure, legislative support would strengthen campuswide video surveillance and computer-aided dispatch technology, and secure equipment to elevate emergency response and preparedness.
- UNLV is also seeking funds to add 10 full-time university police officers, 20 community officers, 10 student cadets and 8 video surveillance and/or dispatch professionals.
Health & Wellness
Nevada’s healthcare landscape faces significant challenges when it comes to access to care and improving health outcomes. Nevadans have some of the nation’s highest rates of chronic conditions, and access to mental health services is in short supply. These disparities are compounded by issues like limited healthcare infrastructure, a shortage of medical and mental health professionals, and barriers to accessing preventive and specialized care, particularly in underserved communities.
UNLV is uniquely positioned to address these pressing issues through its emerging Academic Health Center – a systemic approach integrating clinical care, interdisciplinary research, education, and community engagement from the university’s health sciences disciplines. This session, the university is seeking ongoing legislative investment in the nursing program, mental health personnel and initiatives, further build out of the academic health center, and Graduate Medical Education.
Graduate Medical Education (GME)
The fully-accredited Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV strengthens the fabric of Southern Nevada’s healthcare infrastructure every day. From clinical training in six core specialties to cutting-edge research, UNLV is educating the physicians who will help keep our citizens – and our economy – healthy for generations to come.
Retaining physicians is as important as cultivating them, and students who complete both their medical degree and graduate medical education (GME) in Nevada have an 80% chance of staying and practicing in the Silver State – nearly double the rate of those who complete just a medical degree here. Supplementing federal funding for GME is critical to keeping skilled physicians here at home.
Nursing Expansion Renewal
Recognizing that Nevada faces an acute nursing shortage, Legislators in 2023 unanimously passed SB375 to spur growth within that discipline. The UNLV School of Nursing, which is consistently among the most highly ranked in the nation, is preparing Nevada’s caregivers through its undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs. And UNLV-prepared nurses are committed to staying close to home – it’s estimated that more than 90% of bachelor’s grads and nearly 85% of those who earn their master’s work in Nevada when they complete their degree.
Community-Centered Care
- UNLV Health delivers specialty care to more than 150,000 residents each year at more than a dozen community clinics in Southern Nevada.
- Clark County School District students and their families receive no-cost healthcare through two school-based clinics in central and northeast Las Vegas.
- The School of Nursing gives students hands-on learning experiences through 187 community partnerships at nearly 300 clinical sites.
- To create opportunities for non-nursing college graduates to pursue nursing careers, the UNLV School of Nursing recently launched an accelerated second-degree bachelor’s program and a “direct entry” master’s degree program.
Mental Health Workforce
The demand for mental health services at UNLV and throughout the community outpaces available resources. UNLV is requesting support to increase mental health providers within the UNLV Student Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) program, as well as services offered by the UNLV PRACTICE community mental health clinic.
Academic Health Center
The vision for UNLV’s academic health center model, which integrates efforts from the university health sciences and related disciplines, is embedded in the university’s Top Tier strategic plan. In 2023, the State of Nevada invested $1.2M to spur development and operations, including hiring key positions. Legislative support this session will ensure that strategic initiatives related to academic health continue, including shared programs and resources.
Capital Projects
To keep pace with Southern Nevada’s explosive population growth and accompanying workforce needs, UNLV must expand existing facilities to prepare Nevada’s future leaders. Enrollment is at an all-time high, but aging buildings serving students in business, education, and the arts fall short of current demands and expectations for a top tier research university. UNLV is seeking funds for planning and pre-construction of new buildings for the Lee Business School, College of Education, and College of Fine Arts.
Lee Business School
The Lee Business School is UNLV’s largest academic unit, serving more than 4,200 students through highly-ranked degree and certificate programs in disciplines ranging from entrepreneurship and economic research to real estate, finance, accounting, marketing, and risk management. A new building is needed now to keep pace with student demand, growth in innovation, and to support existing and emerging industry/community partnerships.
College of Education
UNLV’s College of Education carries the torch of knowledge to the next generation of Nevadans by producing educators, academic researchers, and clinical/service professionals. The college, which currently enrolls more than 3,100 students, produces more teachers than any program in the state and offers the nation’s largest university-based apprenticeship program for aspiring educators. Enrollment has grown more than 40% in the past five years, and a new facility will support continued growth and tackle a growing statewide teacher shortage.
College of Fine Arts
The UNLV College of Fine Arts is among the largest in the nation, offering undergraduate and advanced degrees to more than 2,600 current and future professionals who spur the region’s creative economy and support the world’s entertainment capital. A new facility will provide modern spaces for academic, creative, and research excellence. It will replace UNLV’s oldest operational building, Grant Hall, which is outdated and with deferred maintenance needs that exceed its current value.
Student Success
UNLV is committed to the academic and personal success of its students, from the moment they step on campus for orientation, throughout their time on campus, and into their chosen careers. Nearly a third of UNLV’s undergraduates receive Pell Grant support, and half will be the first in their immediate family to earn a four-year degree. Ensuring students are equipped to succeed is a continuing priority – from basic needs and financial support to access to the latest learning tools and technologies.
Fee Waiver Support
To fulfill the provisions of AB262 from the 2021 Nevada Legislative session and AB150 and AB279 from the 2023 session without passing the costs along to other students, UNLV is seeking funding to offset the cost of fee waivers for qualifying Native American and Military Veteran students.
Food and Housing Insecurity
Roughly 1 in 5 UNLV students lacks consistent access to enough food, which impacts their personal health and academic performance. A number of UNLV students also face housing insecurity. Through efforts like the UNLV Food Pantry, the UNLV Support Team, and the HOPE Scholars Program, students get the help they need to ensure their basic needs are met so they can focus more fully on their studies and achieve academic success.
Immersive Learning
UNLV is pioneering a revolution in education through immersive learning initiatives that empower students to engage, create, and connect in transformative ways. This includes leveraging the power of virtual reality and interactive storytelling to change how students engage with everything from biology and hospitality to engineering, architecture and the arts. Legislative support will speed the process for content development, offset licensing and maintenance costs, and ensure students have access to related tools and resources.
Additional UNLV Priorities
State support for UNLV ensures that Nevada residents have access to a top tier public research university in their own backyard. That translates to high-quality academic, professional and workforce development programming; accessible community service and cultural activities; and innovative research and economic development initiatives that respond to and anticipate the needs of our dynamic region. And an investment in UNLV pays dividends: every state dollar invested in UNLV generates nearly $8 in additional economic activity throughout Southern Nevada.
Information Technology Infrastructure
The university’s technology infrastructure is in need of modernization to meet current and future requirements and enhance digital security measures, which involves replacing and/or upgrading network equipment, servers, WiFi network, and data management tools. Plans also include creating a statewide Security Operations Center with the University of Nevada, Reno to address cybersecurity challenges and foster a more secure digital ecosystem.
University Research Growth
UNLV research works for Nevada. Through academic and research partnerships, UNLV is answering the profound questions of our time, improving the health and well-being of our residents, and enriching the cultural and intellectual vitality of our communities. UNLV is seeking one-time funds to supplement grant support for a functional MRI facility in Brain Health; and recurring support to bolster research infrastructure and interdisciplinary research programming.
Boyd School of Law
UNLV is home to Nevada’s only public law school. While that is a great point of pride and supports the university’s state-wide mission, it is also a great responsibility. The Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic at the UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law offers crucial pro bono legal services to Nevada residents and vital hands-on experience for law students needed to enter the legal profession. Legislative support would ensure these programs continue and grow, and additional funds would bolster student success initiatives within the school.
College of Education: K-12 Teacher Pipeline
The College of Education produces more teachers than any program in the state and offers the nation’s largest university-based apprenticeship program for aspiring educators. Despite this, Nevada’s educator workforce faced an average of 2,700 vacancies from 2021 to 2023. UNLV is seeking an investment in Nevada’s K-12 teaching pipeline through support of the College of Education’s successful alternative licensure programs, the Nevada Teacher Advancement Scholarship for current educators, and the Rebel Start Academy for high school students interested in pursuing careers in education.
Contact
UNLV Office of Government & Community Engagement
Constance Brooks, Ph.D.
Leonardo Benavides, Esq.
