NSU plans satellite campuses in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas

Editor's note: Este artículo está traducido al español.

Nevada State University wants to grow, and officials there have their sights set on two places: the Las Vegas Medical District and North Las Vegas.

Amber Lopez Lasater, officer in charge at the Henderson-based university, detailed this week to the Clark County Commission in an information session NSU’s plans to establish satellite campuses in Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, with help from the two jurisdictions.

University leadership also has its eyes on Clark County, bringing plans to commissioners for feedback.

“The school was something that was a hard-fought enterprise,” said Commissioner Jim Gibson, who was Henderson mayor in the early 2000s when the school was first being considered. “You’ve come a long way, (and) 7,500 students is an amazing accomplishment. You can count on me to help get through some of the ruts in the road that you’ve discovered today.”

Commissioner Tick Seger-blom said he would “welcome” an opportunity to discuss a satellite campus in his East Las Vegas district near Boulder Highway or Nellis Boulevard.

Institution grows quickly

The university, originally called Nevada State College, launched in 2002 to bolster workforce development in nursing and education. Classes were initially taught in a single building.

Now, the university sits on more than 500 acres at the foot of Mount Scorpion near I-11 and Wagon Wheel Drive with several academic and student life buildings, as well as The Village Student Housing. Its enrollment has more than doubled from 3,364 students in 2015 to 7,414 last spring, according to university data.

DeRionne Pollard, who served as university president for four years before recently leaving to head the American Association of Community Colleges, led the institution through a period of growth marked by improved retention and graduation rates.

The university achieved several key milestones: securing institutional accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, expanding concurrent enrollment partnerships with high schools throughout Southern Nevada, rebranding as Nevada State University, and launching new athletic programs in women’s flag football and men’s track.

Though 49% of the school’s population is high school students enrolled in dual-credit programs, most of Nevada State’s other students take in-person classes on the Henderson campus. Officials found that many students “are scattered all across the valley,” and some travel around two hours each way to attend classes because they use alternative forms of transportation, like the bus.

It’s one of the reasons why the institution was eager to pair with the cities of Las Vegas and North Las Vegas to develop satellite campuses.

“We are on an upward trajectory at Nevada State,” Lopez Lasater said. “I think the numbers speak for themselves, but when we think about growth, when we think about Nevada State University as an option for students, we see those numbers continue to project up.”

Southern Nevada also has a strong need for child health services, ranking last in the nation for youth mental health services and 47th for child well-being. NSU officials said they feel the university can fit in places like the medical district, which needs local graduates to fill industry positions, and the city of North Las Vegas, which has “a unique opportunity to expand higher education access,” she said.

Medical district campus

The first satellite campus will be located in the Las Vegas Medical District off Charleston Boulevard and offer four degree options — speech language pathology, educational psychology, nutrition and kinesiology. Nutrition and kinesiology are new programs.

The university has named the project the Juvenile Allied Health Education Center and Clinic, with plans to house four community health clinics aligned with the university’s degree programs under one roof. The facility will also include traditional classrooms and faculty offices, while providing experiential learning opportunities for students both within the NSU clinic and at neighboring practices in the medical district.

As part of the partnership, Las Vegas will provide full rent coverage for two years, followed by 50% rent support from years three to five, along with $50,000 in annual grants and introductions to medical district health care providers.

The university expects to launch operations at the center by spring 2026. It projects to bring 500 students over 60 courses per term and serve 250 patients per week.

News of the medical district campus wasn’t well received by all of the commissioners.

Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick — who sits on the state’s Patient Protection Commission — expressed frustration with university officials not involving University Medical Center in discussions on a satellite campus in the medical district. UMC is operated by the county.

Kirkpatrick additionally said “less than 1%” of NSU’s student population comes from her working-class district, questioning the university’s outreach efforts to educate residents about opportunities in higher education.

“District B is going to be the working class and do the work, and dig the ditches, and build the buildings because you guys don’t think that they matter, and it bothers me. It just 100% bothers me,” she said.

North Las Vegas plans

The second campus would be situated in a 30,000-square-foot, three-story building constructed within the North Las Vegas Gateway Village at the intersection of North Lake Mead Boulevard and North Las Vegas Boulevard.

Lopez Lasater told commissioners the site would allow Nevada State to provide “select academic programming” such as courses, degree pathways and workforce development. It is also planned as an all-inclusive student access hub with recruitment, advising, financial aid, tutoring and career services available there.

Beyond traditional classrooms and faculty offices, the North Las Vegas site will feature high-tech interactive teleconferencing rooms, community event spaces, online learning access points, and comprehensive enrollment and academic support services, officials said.

The North Las Vegas Redevelopment Agency is providing rental assistance to the university for the first five years, representing approximately $7.5 million in support. NSU has also secured $2.5 million in state legislative funding and $250,000 in philanthropic donations for the venture. The project is tentatively scheduled to open in fall 2027.

The campus is expected to serve over 2,500 students and 240 courses per term, Lopez Lasater said.