UNLV will join the City of Las Vegas and two other local partners to participate in a new peer-learning cohort led by the National League of Cities.
The goal of the initiative is to explore ways to remove barriers to student success by addressing such issues as housing, food, and transportation insecurity, as well as child care, mental health, and digital access needs.
The City of Las Vegas was one of 13 municipalities from across the nation selected to engage in the league’s Community of Practice, which will provide monthly peer-to-peer virtual learning opportunities for both the city and its community partners. In addition to UNLV, the city is collaborating with two the College of Southern Nevada and United Way of Southern Nevada on this initiative.
The Southern Nevada team will join in discussions of the various basic-needs issues that often prevent college students from successfully completing postsecondary degrees, certificates, or other credentials.
Participants in the community will receive tailored technical assistance from the league’s staff and national experts to help advance the city’s efforts in supporting local students’ pursuit of education.
UNLV’s Office of Community Engagement will coordinate the university’s participation, which will include representatives from Student Affairs and the Provost’s Office. Additional details and opportunities for campus discussion will follow as the Community of Practice progresses.
“We are grateful to the City of Las Vegas for including UNLV, and we look forward to working with our wonderful partners on this opportunity,” said Sue DiBella, executive director of Community Engagement. “Through collaboration – and learning from the successes in other communities – we can begin to address some of the systemic issues that challenge our students’ success and hinder Southern Nevada’s workforce development goals.”
The Southern Nevada partners involved in this initiative are particularly interested in addressing housing insecurity as a basic-needs challenge, DiBella said. Data collection is also a priority for the group.
This cohort program runs through September 2021, with additional support offered through 2022. It is supported by ECMC Foundation.
For more information, contact the Office of Community Engagement.
