Nevada State College looking to consolidate, expand

Except for one building covering an acre, Nevada State College is 508 acres of vacant Henderson land waiting for a campus.

But that will start to change for Nevada's fastest-growing higher education institution, said President Bart Patterson on Friday, announcing the
$61.5 million construction of two buildings totaling 100,000 square feet to open in the fall of 2015.

"We owe it to our students and faculty to continue to develop our campus," Patterson told 500 guests attending the college's 10th Anniversary Gala at Green Valley Ranch Resort.

The campus sits along Paradise Drive on Henderson's southern edge, near U.S. Highway 95, and consists of a 42,000-square-foot liberal arts and sciences building but no other permanent structures. Most class and office space - about 75,000-square-feet worth - is leased nearby in Henderson.

The new construction would add a three-story, 60,000-square-foot building to house the schools of nursing and education, providing several anatomy labs, more than a dozen classrooms, an auditorium, faculty and staff offices, and a media center, college spokeswoman Mandi Enger said.

Another 40,000-square-foot building would serve the student union and administration, providing student services departments, student study and activity spaces, and offices for administration, she said. 

The $61.5 million price tag covers not only construction but also furnishing the buildings, said Buster Neel, the college's vice president of finance and administration. To pay off the buildings, the college will redirect the $1.5 million that it has annually been spending on leases and student-paid fees. Those student fees include current fees for capital improvements and a new student-approved $125 fee for new buildings.

These two buildings are just the beginning of what will be 6 million square feet of facilities, housing, recreation fields and supporting infrastructure, according to the 2010 Master Plan for the public, four-year college, which offers 24 majors and minors. The Nevada Board of Regents and city of Henderson have approved the Master Plan.

Now a fledgling school of 3,200 students, Nevada State College started much smaller with 176 students in 2002. Year after year, the head count continually increased by an annual average of 39 percent.

Looking to the long-term, the school's planning for a 25,000-student head count, and it's "crucial" that the main campus facilities be completed within the "very near future," the Master Plan reads. After these two buildings are finished in 2015, the others on that list are the School of Business, a student wellness center, library and physical plant.

Contact reporter Trevon Milliard at tmilliard@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0279.