HENDERSON, Nev. – Today, Nevada State University brought together developers from across the country, local business leaders, government officials, and key stakeholders to officially launch its SMART Growth Initiative, setting the stage for accelerated campus growth in alignment with Nevada’s evolving educational and workforce landscape.
“We know that Nevada State University is the future of higher education in Nevada, and we must intentionally develop our campus to support the vital role we play in educating our community and developing the workforce that our state requires for its continued growth,” said Dr. DeRionne Pollard, President of Nevada State University. “The SMART Growth Initiative is a unique opportunity to build an innovative campus that benefits our students, the surrounding university community, and Southern Nevada.”
At its founding, the federal government granted land to the City of Henderson with the intention of building a robust, mid-tier institution of higher education. The current campus footprint accounts for 60 of those acres. The SMART Growth Initiative seeks to thoughtfully develop the remaining 452 acres of Nevada State’s campus in collaboration with the private sector, regional stakeholders, and the surrounding community.
More than 160 attendees learned more about the vision for Nevada State University, which is guided by the campus master plan that was most recently updated in 2023. Along with leadership from Nevada State University, representatives from WT Partnership, Nevada State Campus Lands Corporation, City of Henderson, and TSK Architects provided insights on the future development of Nevada State’s campus as well as the surrounding community
As laid out in its master plan, Nevada State projects the student population to grow to 20,000 by 2047. Accommodating this growth calls for new academic buildings, student housing, and other state-of-the-art facilities to foster innovation and collaboration with key industries in the region.
To facilitate this effort, Dr. Pollard formed the Nevada State Campus Lands Corporation (NSCLC) and convened a board of trustees with broad representation from finance, law, development, government, and non-profit administration to provide guidance on developing Nevada State’s campus in alignment with the university’s academic mission and the State’s workforce development goals. NSCLC bridges the gap between higher education and the private sector, helping Nevada State leverage mutually beneficial public-private collaborations and innovative advancements in procurement, design, and financing.
The initiative aligns seamlessly with recent efforts by the City of Henderson and the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada in the University Area Livable Centers Study, which was unanimously approved by the Henderson City Council. The study was a comprehensive review of a 1400-acre area that includes Nevada State’s 512-acre campus, 85 acres of vacant, City-owned land adjacent to the university, the Harry Reid Union Pacific Railroad Trail, and nearby residential neighborhoods and recognizes the current and future needs of the broader university community, ensuring that students, faculty, and neighbors will have dedicated spaces to live, learn, work, and thrive.
To learn more about Nevada State’s SMART Growth Initiative, please visit https://nevadastate.edu/smartgrowth/.
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About Nevada State:
Nevada State University (Nevada State), a four-year, independently accredited public institution, is a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). Nevada State places a special emphasis on the advancement of a diverse and largely under-served student population. Located on a developing 500-acre campus in the foothills of Henderson, Nevada, the institution was established in 2002 and has recently adopted ‘University’ in its name. Nevada State emphasizes high-quality instruction, exemplary service, engaging learning experiences, and innovation in support of Nevada’s growing workforce needs. Nevada State offers more than 65 majors and minors and continues to expand its physical campus and reach to students across the state. Committed to fostering a personal learning environment, students are taught by faculty who serve as mentors and guides in classrooms with an average class size under 25 students. Nevada State serves more than 7,200 students and has over 8,500 alumni, each representing a broad array of cultural and economic backgrounds. For more information, visit https://nevadastate.edu.
