Nevada State College breaks ground on $54 million project

Nevada State College is hoping to open two new buildings by 2015 to expand its campus and vision for access.

“This is a historic day for Nevada,” Gov. Brian Sandoval said Jan. 16 at the groundbreaking ceremony for Nevada State College’s two new buildings. “The students are excited, the faculty is excited. This is the foundation of the future of our state.”

More than 100 people, including city and state officials, attended the groundbreaking ceremony at Nevada State College, 1125 Nevada State Drive.

Construction in the $54 million project is scheduled to last 14 months.

The project is funded mostly by student fees — a $150 charge is expected to be added starting in 2015.

Nevada State College President Bart Patterson said students were asked about their thoughts on the fees. He said about 75 percent of the student population voted for the increase.

“This shows a real special investment by the students,” Sandoval said.

On a 42,000-square-foot campus, the college was added in 2002 to the Nevada System of Higher Education as a second-tier school — nearly 4,000 students have graduated with bachelor’s degrees since it opened.

Part of its mission was to provide underserved student populations with access to secondary education opportunities.

Nearly half of its student population are first-generation college students.

Throughout the years, the college has received an influx of students.

During the ceremony, Deuvall Dorsey, Nevada State Student Alliance president, gave his address — via FaceTime — from the top of the McCullough mountain range, which students call Mount Scorpion in honor of the college’s mascot.

He talked about the growth he has seen at Nevada State.

“It has changed from when I first arrived in 2011,” he said. “You can measure the influx of students by cars you see in the parking lot or people in the library. It’s becoming more crowded.”

Sandoval said the additions benefit not only the students who plan to attend but also complement Nevada’s goal to better diversify the economy.

“We need an expanded workforce to meet the needs of the future,” he said.

He added that as UNLV expands to be a research-centered university, Nevada State will fit in by adding other bachelor’s degrees.

“As the college grows, so does the value of the degree,” Patterson said.

The first building in the expansion is a 66,500-square-foot facility for nursing and science that is slated to include a 250-seat auditorium, 17 general-purpose classrooms, two cadaver laboratories, 59 faculty and staff offices and the School of Nursing and School of Education administrative suites.

Nevada State College is also planning a 65,000-square-foot student activities and administration building.

The proposed space is expected to have an expanded library, a food court, a bookstore, conference rooms and a tutoring and testing facility.

“This helps triple the size of the campus and give students a better learning environment,” Sandoval said.

Currently, Nevada State College is split with classes at its main building and at the Water Street campus. The addition of the new buildings would help consolidate teaching to one campus.

Along with the groundbreaking, Nevada State College announced its $15 million capital campaign over the next two years.

It has already raised $3 million. Beverly and Jim Rogers, the former chancellor of the Nevada System of Higher Education, also have pledged a gift of land appraised at $5.8 million.

Patterson said some of the funds raised are expected to go toward scholarships.

For more information, visit nsc.

nevada.edu.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.