College president’s dreams coming true

Friday, Sept. 7, 2007 | 7:28 a.m.

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Nevada State College President Fred Maryanski has long harbored big dreams for the college's 550 acres in Henderson.

And now, when he talks about his hopes for a K-8 school on the property or a medical clinic, he can show you exactly where they'll go.

With a more detailed master plan in place for the property and the college's liberal arts and sciences building under construction, Maryanski's dreams are growing tangible.

The college, which opened on Sept. 3, 2002, with 176 students and 20 employees, is celebrating its fifth anniversary with 2,161 students, 219 faculty and staff and an $18.4 million budget.

And now Maryanski is laying the groundwork for the next 20 years, when the campus is expected to serve 25,000 students.

Funding for the K-8 school, to be run by the Clark County School District, is expected to be sought in a 2008 construction bond measure, and Maryanski is in talks with Henderson and private companies to develop a medical clinic alongside the renovated vitamin warehouse where Nevada State got its start. Both facilities will serve the community while providing a handy training ground for the college's students, not quite half of whom are future teachers and nurses.

Maryanski envisions the grand entrance of the campus to mesh town and gown, with retail and food service mixed in with academic buildings and office space. Think academia-meets-The District. Eventually, there will be faculty and student housing on the site.

College officials are debating whether to hire one developer or more to buil d the mixed-used facilities.

By leasing space for retail, food services and housing, the college will generate revenue and tax income to help fund the academic buildings. The college won approval from Nevada lawmakers this spring to redirect tax revenue in the area surrounding the college to help develop the property. College officials also formalized their development agreement with Henderson.

Nevada State College graduated its first 13 alumni in 2004, and has since graduated 453 more, including 117 in teaching and 271 in nursing. Accredited in 2006, Nevada State offers 36 degree programs, including a master's degree in speech pathology and applied science degrees that build off the technical degrees offered by the state's community colleges.

Although based in Henderson, the college has partnerships with all four of the state's community colleges to help their students earn bachelor's degree s . The college offers bachelor's degrees to students in Elko, Carson City and Reno as well as in Southern Nevada.

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