80th Legislative Session: NSHE Highlights
The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) will receive a 10.88 percent increase in state funding for the 2019-21 biennial budget compared to the current biennium.
NSHE also received $162 million in Capital Improvement Projects and $35.1 million enhancement requests during the 80th session of the state legislature.
The $162.1 million allocated for capital improvements, including $70.7 million for the College of Southern Nevada and Nevada State College’s shared new health and sciences building, $55.8 million to construct Nevada State College’s new education building, and $20 million toward a new University of Nevada, Las Vegas engineering building.
The budget also added $15 million for deferred maintenance projects, $458,193 for the Great Basin College Welding Lab expansion, and $105,000 for the Western Nevada College Marlette Hall refurbishment.
Funding was also secured for the merit-based Millennium Scholarship and for the Nevada Promise Scholarship that allows for nearly free tuition to NSHE’s community colleges.
The state approved budget also includes $14.3 million for UNLV’s School of Medicine, to ramp up its staffing levels to full capacity. This brings the public investment in the medical school to more than $70 million so far.
“On behalf of the Board of Regents, I want to thank Gov. Sisolak and our state legislators for directing this funding to help Nevada’s eight public higher education institutions,” said Chair Kevin J. Page. “This money will go a long way in helping our more than 100,000 students successfully complete their goals and improve access to our system.”
Chancellor Thom Reilly added that the funding will be going to help develop workers for Nevada’s growing economy.
“The budget approved by the governor and state legislators shows they recognize the importance of graduating more and more highly skilled workers to meet the demands of Nevada’s growing business and industry community,” Reilly Said.
