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On the fringes of the valley, north of the 215 Beltway and out where the land is still undeveloped desert, sits land that could hold the key to 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s future growth.

Back in the 1940s, the land was part of a small arms training facility for military members heading into World War II. Now, the site could educate the region’s leaders of tomorrow.

The proposed 51�Թ������ܿƴ� north campus covers a vast 2,085 acres — six times the size of 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s Maryland Parkway campus. It’s bordered by Pecos Road on the west, Lamb Boulevard on the east, and the 215 Beltway to the south with the Sheep Mountains rising up beyond its northern border. 

The land is owned by the federal government but is due to be transferred to the 51�Թ������ܿƴ� in the next few years for use as a future 51�Թ������ܿƴ� campus.

“As we think of the long-term growth and diversity of our community and our university, we have three goals,” says 51�Թ������ܿƴ� President Keith Whitfield. “One of our goals is to reach 40,000 students, another is to partner with the community, and another is to stimulate economic development in the region. We see this north campus as a powerful way to accomplish those goals.”

Decades in the Making

The idea to expand the university’s footprint into the northern end of the valley originated with talks between 51�Թ������ܿƴ� and the City of North 51�Թ������App in the early 2000s. The city wanted 51�Թ������ܿƴ� to have an academic, research, and economic development presence there, says David Frommer, associate vice president of Planning, Construction, and Real Estate for 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. 

Officials looked at various sites, settling on land that was owned by the federal government and managed by the Bureau of Land Management near the VA Medical Center. But before federal officials could consider the transfer, they required a solid plan for its use. The university got to work creating a vision for the land, bringing other stakeholders into the conversation, including Nellis Air Force Base, the Veterans Administration, and the region’s other higher education institutions.

The resulting master plan, approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) in 2006, included a comprehensive campus, a large research area, and recreation and residential areas.

“The original idea for the north campus was to create a space for both traditional campus offerings, as well as for large land-intensive research projects and programming that just aren’t feasible in an urban core.”

With that 2006 master plan in hand, then-Sen. Harry Reid and other members of Nevada’s congressional delegation could work on legislation supporting the federal withdrawal of land. In 2015, the Carl Levin and Howard P. Buck McKeon National Defense Authorization Act was passed, which, among other things, granted 51�Թ������ܿƴ� the 2,085 acres of land. That brought 51�Թ������ܿƴ�'s dreams of a north campus one step closer.

But first: Environmental cleanup.

From Military Training to Higher Education Campus

The future 51�Թ������ܿƴ� north campus won’t be the first educational facility at the site. In 1941, the U.S. War Department purchased 46,953 acres from the U.S. Department of the Interior to establish a training range for soldiers at the 51�Թ������App Bombing and Gunnery School.

Named the Nellis Small Arms Range, the land was used for weapons training by U.S. Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy personnel during World War II. Former Regent and 51�Թ������ܿƴ� alumnus Jack Lund Schofield, a decorated World War II veteran, even trained at the site. The site also served as an emergency drop area for dummy bombs, wing-tip tanks, and pylons, and a portion of the site was used as an explosive ordinance area. 

In the 1950s and 60s, the land was relinquished to the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the U.S. Air Force. 

“This piece of land is a reminder of the benefits of the federal government, given its history as a gunnery school that was opened in response to the impending war,” says Michael Green, chair of 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s History Department. “But it’s also a reminder of the negatives that come along with that type of training.”

Surveys of the site by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is responsible for munitions cleanup, have turned up evidence of .50 caliber bullets and other munitions debris. Before 51�Թ������ܿƴ�'s parcel can be transferred, the site must undergo environmental remediation. That work is currently underway and is being paid for by federal funds.

Room To Grow

Since its formation in 1957, 51�Թ������ܿƴ� has transformed itself from a small branch college into a thriving urban research institution. It’s no surprise that the university is outgrowing its Maryland Parkway home. The main campus covers about 320 acres, and 51�Թ������ܿƴ� has added various parcels surrounding that core over the years. 

“Originally when 51�Թ������ܿƴ� was formed it was south of town and it was assumed that 300 acres would be enough forever,” said Green. “51�Թ������ܿƴ� has come a long way in a hurry.”

51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s student enrollment topped 31,000 in fall 2024 while the fall-to-spring retention rate hit an all-time high of 95%. With all those students comes a need for more of everything else: faculty, classrooms, and support service space.

The main campus still has room for new and much-needed facilities. High on the master planning list now are new academic buildings for the Lee Business School and College of Fine Arts, as well as an expansion of the Student Union.  

“Anytime we build a new building, it generally replaces parking or green space or an existing low-density or end-of-life facility,” Frommer explains. However, the campus is basically land-locked, which changes the way it can grow. “So we need to find ways to replace those spaces and uses, which sometimes has an added cost to it. We also try to build no less than four stories, when possible, because we know there will be a day that comes when we won’t have a lot of land left to convert.”

51�Թ������ܿƴ� already has expanded into other areas of the valley strategically. The Shadow Lane campus, in the heart of the City of 51�Թ������App’ medical district, opened in 2004. It now houses 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s medical and dental schools as well as key facilities for nursing and other health-related programs. 

The Harry Reid Research and Technology Park, owned and managed by the 51�Թ������ܿƴ� Research Foundation, is home to 51�Թ������ܿƴ�’s Office of Economic Development. It’s located on the opposite side of the Interstate 215 Beltway from the North campus, in the southwest valley’s innovation district. 

In April 2024, the Research Foundation announced a new agreement to develop a 34-acre media production complex at the park with Gardner Nevada Tech Park Studios. That project is subject to the passage of the Nevada Film Studio Infrastructure Act to be introduced during the 2025 Nevada Legislative Session. 

Green offers a historian’s perspective on all this growth: “You start small, and you keep thinking big. The university’s growth has been well planned, but with the speed at which this town is growing, you can’t always plan that far in advance. It sometimes depends on what you’re given, and you must react to the growth around you.”

That's what administrators did back in 2006 with North 51�Թ������App land. And now, 51�Թ������ܿƴ� President Keith Whitfield has big plans for those 2,000+ acres.

“We were given this incredible gift,” Whitfield says. “As we expand this university, just think of all the possibilities we could do out there versus on the main campus. We’ve only been an [Carnegie] R1 institution for six years, and at the rate of our growth since then, it makes you wonder if that land will even be enough.”

The North Campus Vision

The university will focus first on developing 500 acres, he says, keeping in mind the needs for educational services for the university’s military-affiliated students as well as a sports rehabilitation and aquatic center. Whitfield also wants to explore how the land could be used for housing, particularly for graduate students and non-traditional students with families. 

“It’s hard for those students to live in dorms, plus housing is just really expensive right now,” he says, “so let’s build something for them that would be more affordable and accommodating.”

But as 51�Թ������ܿƴ� continues to rise as a top-tier research institution, the north campus will provide an incredible opportunity for land-intensive projects.

Frommer points to areas of strength for 51�Թ������ܿƴ�, like transportation and water conservation. “This is just hypothetical, but let’s say the College of Engineering received grant funds for road safety research and needed to build a test road,” Frommer says. “It would be extremely difficult to build that type of facility in the middle of an urban campus like the Maryland Campus. But it becomes a possibility at the north campus.” 

Whitfield believes the research capabilities of the north campus will attract new and diverse faculty, particularly those focused on issues important to Western lands.

“Having this land at our fingertips creates longer-term impacts,” says Whitfield. “Researchers and professors are going to want to come to 51�Թ������ܿƴ� because of the possibilities the north campus offers. 

Partners in the Neighborhood 

One of the original guiding principles for the north campus master plan was to strengthen the  relationship between the public and private sectors and between the university and government agencies. That principle hasn’t changed in the decades since the project started.

The university’s largest partner on the project is, naturally, the City of North 51�Թ������App. The city is in the process of acquiring the land directly to the west of the north campus. It also owns a parcel on the opposite side of the 215. 

“We have a lot of similarities in what we’re envisioning for what that part of the valley could look like,” Whitfield says. “When I first talked to Mayor [Pamela] Goynes-Brown about it, I mentioned we’d like to include something healthcare related, and she’s like, ‘That’s what we want.’ When I mentioned we want to create affordable housing, she said ‘That’s what we want.’ 

“If we hadn’t dreamed big enough before, having Mayor Goynes-Brown as a partner has made us think how we can supersize this project,” Whitfield says. 

Goynes-Brown adds, “The 5,000 acres are a blank canvas that provides a unique opportunity to transform our region and state. The City of North 51�Թ������App is excited to continue our efforts with 51�Թ������ܿƴ� to help unlock the potential for this area and create a new applied laboratory of exploration and municipal government policymaking — where data can turn into action.”

What Comes Next

So, the north campus has been talked about for years, but when could those big ideas become a reality? 

The required remediation work is expected to be completed in the next few years. The date is not firm because remediation is complex and subject to ongoing site evaluations and review of the conditions. Meanwhile, the university is working with the BLM on the technical agreements and processes required as part of the land transfer.

Next up would be overhauling that original 2006 master plan. 

“The old master plan, which was thoughtful, wasn’t designed for someone like Mayor Goynes-Brown, who has such an incredible vision for the area,” says Whitfield. “We need a new vision for how our pieces of land could work together.”

As with any master plan, the university plans to convene a series of working groups to gather stakeholder input. It will hold open houses and town halls for the general public to provide input. Once a draft north campus master plan is available, it would be presented to the Nevada Board of Regents for final approval, which could happen as early as 2027.

“You have to have the ‘why’ first before you start planning the ‘what’,” says Frommer. “Then — with direction from university leadership and the community on what they want to see, what supports the needs of 51�Թ������ܿƴ� and the community, and what is feasible to develop and operate — you work on the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ through the master plan.”

The ‘why’ for Whifield is pretty clear. 

“There’s a long game to this gift we’ve been given,” he says. And that’s to position 51�Թ������ܿƴ� for its continued rise as a top-tier institution. “This university is the prototype for what every public, urban university can and should do. The north campus can help us set the bar even higher.”

Proposed Timeline for North 51�Թ������App Campus

2002: 51�Թ������ܿƴ� and City of North 51�Թ������App partner to explore potential sites for a campus in the northern valley.

2004: A site north of I-215 is chosen and receives approval from education and municipal leaders.

2006: 51�Թ������ܿƴ� prepares a north campus master plan, with input from regional stakeholders.

2007: Nevada’s congressional delegation begins work on special legislation to transfer the land to the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). 

2015:  The Carl Levin and Howard P. Buck McKeon National Defense Authorization Act is signed into law, granting 51�Թ������ܿƴ� 2,085 acres of land in North 51�Թ������App.

2016: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) begins land remediation study.

2020: USACE releases report on remediation needed at the site prior to conveyance to NSHE.

2021-current: Remediation continues.

Estimated 2026/2027: After the remediation work is fully completed, the 2,085-acre site can be formally transferred to NSHE and 51�Թ������ܿƴ�. 

Estimated 2027: Completion of updated north campus master plan.