When I speak with community groups, I often talk about the unique role UNLV — as a university with a city in its name — plays in the Las Vegas Valley. We are positioned as a metropolitan institution to both reflect and serve our community — not only by providing a bright and talented workforce, but also by dedicating resources to address issues unique to our region. We are a community teeming with one-of-a-kind human-made assets such as the Nevada Test Site, Nellis Air Force Base, and of course the world’s foremost hospitality laboratory that is the Las Vegas Strip. As you are aware, those assets have inspired opportunities at UNLV for innovative research in areas such as nuclear transmutation and public health, as well as in academic program offerings like entertainment engineering, which examines the blend of science and art at work in today’s high-tech attractions and performances.
Our amazing range of natural resources in the Southwest also provides tremendous learning opportunities — in biological and geological studies as well as in the exploration of alternative energy technologies that harness sun, wind, and water. It’s no wonder that UNLV is now well positioned as a leader in the field of arid lands research.
Southern Nevada’s more than 7 million acres of surrounding public lands provide an unparalleled backdrop — not only for these activities, but also for environmental stewardship, conservation, historic preservation, and recreation. Through the Public Lands Institute and the Southern Nevada Agency Partnership, UNLV is taking a central role in protecting our indigenous resources and in helping our community to discover, explore, and appreciate the natural wonders that surround us.
Having lived in very different environments in New York, California, and Ohio, even now in my 11th year at UNLV, I continue to be struck by the diversity and beauty of the Nevada landscape — from Lake Mead to Red Rock Canyon to Mount Charleston and beyond — as well as its wealth of historical and cultural information for our region. Together with our partner agencies, we are working to ensure that these amazing assets of our community continue to thrive. By creating educational and recreational opportunities for all ages, organizing volunteer programs, and continuing to study our desert ecology, we can instill a sense of ownership and pride for future generations.
We are extremely appreciative of the opportunity to serve as a coordinating hub for these activities and much more as provided by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act and look forward to expanding the efforts of our young Public Lands Institute well into the future. I hope that you will read about our activities with interest in this issue of UNLV Magazine, but will also take them as personal inspiration to get involved in the study, preservation, and — most of all — enjoyment of our wonderful Nevada public lands.
