University of Nevada Las Vegas
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

The following material draws upon the Planning Report 2011-2014 that UNLV has developed. This is part of the implementation of the 50-100 Planning Recommendations. In the next four years (2011-2014), UNLV will pursue a number of strategic objectives aimed at building on the many successes the institution has already achieved. With respect to research, the university has developed several strategic goals which target the environmental dimensions of sustainability. Water is one topic that will received attention. Over the 2011-2014 planning period, UNLV will be partnering with institutions such as the Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas Valley Water District, and local developers to pursue an International Hydro Research and Technology Park in Las Vegas. Creating a world class research and technology campus focused upon the hydro industry will expand Southern Nevada’s current economic model and create new, high paying jobs in an industry from which the state can export technologies. The campus will attract major national and international companies, groom local firms to be world-class players, and proliferate start-ups in the hydro industry. Some of the results will be the development of new products and technologies, an international forum for marketing hydro-related products, local job creation, and research opportunities for faculty at NSHE institutions. In the area of environmental science, the university restructured and revitalized the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies. Under new leadership, the center will continue to pursue a larger vision for environmental research, such as land-use dynamics, renewable energies, and water availability and quality. Greater emphasis has been placed on reorganizing the divisions within the HRC and increasing the center’s competitive grant funding through new research areas, better marketing, industrial support, and increased integration with UNLV academic colleges. In addition, UNLV is focusing its efforts on transformational, team-driven research that addresses community, statewide and regional issues such as water resources, public health, urban growth, social well-being, transportation, and renewable energy. Toward that end, assuming adequate funding, UNLV plans to make targeted faculty hires, expand existing research initiatives, and increase sponsored program funding in the following areas: 1. Renewable energy 2. Western climate change 3. Arid lands hydrology & water resources 4. Public health & translational research 5. Nanotechnology 6. Materials science 7. Radiochemistry 8. High pressure physics & chemistry 9. Transportation engineering 10. Integrative physiology 11. Biosafety & medical microbiology 12. Astrophysics 13. Environmental policy 14. Arid lands biodiversity & ecology 15. Nuclear forensics 16. Nuclear engineering 17. Radiopharmaceuticals 18. Accelerator center

In the knowledge that a diverse faculty is important in enriching the campus and in providing role models to our students, the university is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty and staff. Although much progress has been made in this area, the university seeks to achieve the goal of meeting or exceeding the national higher education labor market availability percentages for women and minorities. Additionally, the university will make efforts to increase the diversity of its student body while also increasing graduation and retention rates. UNLV has been planning for general education reform over the past two years and seeks to have a new outcomes-based curriculum implemented in Fall 2012 that will provide a value added education to our students.

The university is committed to supporting innovative research that translates into economic development for the State of Nevada. UNLV’s efforts to market its faculty’s intellectual property are currently focused on four areas with the greatest potential for commercialization: Radiochemistry, Nanotechnology, Electrical Engineering, and Security Technology. In the area of renewable energy, UNLV is focusing on solar energy and becoming a national center for excellence for solar energy deployment. The center is designed to employ research, policy analysis, and business outreach to support solar energy industry jobs, improve technology, develop pro-solar policies, and coordinate financial and intellectual resources. It will also prepare the future leaders needed to sustain a renewable energy economy. The center will have three clusters: Research and Development, Policy and Analysis, and Business Services. The university is also exploring with statewide partners the creation of a Biomedical Road Map, which will identify core competencies where research and investment should occur for the State of Nevada to thrive in the biomedical arena. This effort is a collaborative effort with the Nevada Biotechnology and Science Consortium, consisting of UNLV, the University of Nevada School of Medicine, the Nevada Cancer Institute, Desert Research Institute, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Nevada Commission on Economic Development.