Katie M. Gilbertson Abstract: This report analyzes the Southern Nevada employment ecosystem by utilizing occupational clusters recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. The first section examines occupations in the tourism industry using three occupational clusters: hospitality and leisure; arts, audio/video technology and communications; and the transportation, distribution, and…

Jaewon Lim, Robert E. Lang, and Sabrina Wang Abstract:  In the 2011 report, “Unify, Regionalize, Diversify,” The Brookings Institution, SRI International, and Brookings Mountain West detailed Las Vegas’s experiences during and after the Great Recession, and identified the health and medical industry as a particularly potent opportunity for economic diversification – one that could…

Robert E. Lang and David F. Damore Abstract: Founded in 1957, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is now classified as a top research university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This is a major accomplishment. The Lincy Institute’s analysis of all 130 “Carnegie Doctoral Universities” (2018) with “very high research activity,” or R1 status, finds that…

Tripp Umbach Abstract: In August 2018, The Lincy Institute1 retained Tripp Umbach2 to provide consultation to evaluate and identify best practices for medical school facilities and development models as the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) and the community embarks on the development of a home for the UNLV School of Medicine. To complete this assignment, Tripp Umbach completed a…

David F. Damore, William E. Brown, Jr., and Robert E. Lang Abstract: This report analyzes 11 bills introduced during the 79th Session of the Nevada Legislature that proposed to reorganize, reform, and realign various aspects of the state’s higher education system. The analysis reveals the following: (1) despite bipartisan support for higher education reform, nearly all of the reform bills…

David F. Damore, Robert E. Lang, Fatma Nasoz, William E. Brown Jr., and Caitlin J. Saladino Abstract: Cooperative Extension is a partnership jointly funded by federal, state, and county governments that seeks to extend the services of the University of Nevada to Nevadans. As the original branch of Nevada’s land-grant institution, the University of Nevada, Reno has administered Cooperative…

Fatma Nasoz, Robert E. Lang, and William E. Brown Jr. Abstract: For more than a century, cooperative extensions and the land-grant universities have translated and extended research-based knowledge and provided non-formal higher education to their communities. Today, more than 80% of the nation’s population are living in urban areas (The World Bank, 2015). Challenges facing diverse…

Magdalena Martinez and David F. Damore Abstract: Nevada's educational outcomes – both K-12 and higher education – are woeful. The consequences of this for the state's present and future are myriad and alarming. Poor educational outcomes mean that the state receives little return on investment from current educational spending. High dropout rates and sub-par academic achievement fail to…

Tripp Umbach Abstract: The Lincy Institute releases an update on the return on investment (ROI) data for a UNLV School of Medicine (SOM). Lincy first presented this data from the consulting firm Tripp Umbach in 2013 as part of an analysis on the potential economic impact of a medical school in southern Nevada. The data shows that by the middle of the next decade, a UNLV SOM launched in 2017…

Augenblick, Palaich, and Associates (APA) Abstract: The Institute commissioned the PJ study as part of a review of Nevada’s school funding system. The review called for studies like this one to update the 2006 Nevada education funding adequacy study. This current study is an adequacy study examining the base cost and adjustments needed for students in Nevada to meet state standards. In the…

David F. Damore Abstract: During the 2013 legislative session, Nevada’s higher education funding structure was reformed. Yet, to date, there has been no comprehensive analysis of the impact of these policy changes. In “Held Harmless: Higher Education Funding and the 77th Session of the Nevada Legislature,” UNLV Political Scientist and Brookings Institution Nonresident Fellow David Damore…

Magdalena Martinez, David F. Damore, and Robert E. Lang Abstract: The Case for a New College Governance Structure in Nevada provides a governance model that integrates higher education with economic development. Specifically the authors, in response to a call for recommendations by the Committee to Study Community College Governance, identify governance models that are evidence based and…