UNLV Gets $6.2M for New Business School Building and Safety Upgrades

Governor Joe Lombardo has signed Senate Bill 427 into law, providing vital funding to higher education institutions in Nevada. The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is receiving $6.2 million for planning and design of the new Lee Business School (LBS), which will be a 108,000-square-foot building. The building will include modern classrooms, student service areas, a 175-seat auditorium, a four-level conference center, incubator space, a café, and meeting rooms.

Senator Fabian Doñate highlighted the law's significance in the context of the December 2023 campus shooting that claimed the lives of three UNLV professors. "Proud to share that SB 427 is officially signed into law. $6.2M will go to UNLV's Lee Business School to support a new building in the wake of tragedy. Additionally, UNR will also receive $6.2M for its new School of Life Sciences," Doñate posted to X (formerly Twitter).

Embed X post: https://x.com/fabiandonate/status/1933344963338899712

At UNLV, security enhancements have recently included an addition of $2.5 million in renovations to the current Frank and Estella Beam Hall, which opened in 1983. Added enhancements included renovations that added additional emergency phones, increased camera features, and an on-site security officer.

UNLV President Chris Heavey labeled the new building for the business school as a "hub for innovation and community," referencing its role in training future business leaders. The UNLV business school project is part of a long-term university initiative called "Gateway to Maryland Parkway" and would tie into UNLV's newly adopted master plan, the first since 2012, which proposes significant building upgrades, including a new university core and a proposed sports village.

UNLV is continuing to grow its physical footprint; recent projects include the Advanced Engineering Building and the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine. The $6.2 million in SB 427 funding should help to achieve these long-term aspirations and community needs after tragedy.