UNLV plans research campus in Summerlin

Eighty acres may not be enough for a UNLV satellite campus at Summerlin focusing on research and education, President Carol Harter said this morning.

Wednesday she told a gathering of higher education administrators at a planning retreat that the university is in the final stages of negotiating a deal with The Howard Hughes Corp. to acquire 80 acres near the intersection of West Charleston Boulevard and the Las Vegas Beltway that is now under construction.

Harter said she could not discuss the dollar value of the land deal, but did say the land would be acquired at a discount and that donations would help in the purchase.

She said no time frame has been set for the proposed Summerlin campus, which would provide space for private tenants who would collaborate with university researchers in such areas as aerospace and neuro-genetic engineering.

"We don't have a finished agreement with The Howard Hughes Corp. yet," she said, adding that a deal may be made within two months.

Harter said the university has been discussing the proposal with private industry for more than a year and that interest is so high that 80 acres may not be enough to hold everyone who would like to join in the project.

She declined to identify potential private tenants, but said the project has the capability to help bring new business to the state, helping to diversify the Nevada economy.

There also would be a strong emphasis on general education and teacher training at the campus.

"This contributes to having another location where we can jointly mount more teacher preparation," Harter said.

She said the Community College of Southern Nevada will be a partner in the undergraduate portion of the project while UNLV would go it alone in the research and graduate levels.

Community College of Southern Nevada President Richard Moore described the project as a joint venture, with his two-year institution being a full partner with UNLV.

"Our office will provide the first two years of education on that campus," Moore said. "We will be a full partner with UNLV."

Though Harter said she could not place a time frame on the project, Moore predicted construction will begin within five years.

Harter said the project is part of its long-range planning for community involvement.

UNLV offers classes in Henderson and has in the past said ultimately there will be satellite campuses all over the valley.

"We want a general education center for citizens in Summerlin who may not want to come onto the main campus," Harter said.

But the research area of the campus would go a long way toward meeting another major UNLV goal -- to become a research university.

To be considered in that category, a university must attract $15 million a year in competitive grants and graduate 50 doctoral candidates each year.

Currently, UNLV graduates about 25 doctorates annually and attracts about $11 million in competitive bids.

Harter said the university was going to establish a research foundation to help secure private funding of research.

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