More than just a place where Nevada’s students can get their degrees and where faculty conduct critical high-level research, UNLV has long been a dedicated — and trusted — community partner. So much so that UNLV  is designated a community-engaged university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Each of these partnerships — whether they be with an individual, a private business, government entity, or nonprofit organization — is designed to educate, support, uplift, and enrich lives in our region and beyond. Spearheading many of these endeavors are Rebel students, who lend their newfound knowledge and expertise and, in return, gain valuable hands-on experiences.

Happy Campers Explore Wonders of Science

• Program: Rebel Science Camp
• Community Partner: Clark County School District
• Origins: 2017 to present

When Alison Sloat recognized that there was no formal science curriculum for elementary school students in the Clark County School District, she was puzzled. Then the College of Sciences professor quickly became inspired. 

That inspiration led Sloat to collaborate with CCSD on the wildly popular Rebel Science Camp. The program targets fifth-grade students enrolled in the district’s Title 1 schools (those in economically disadvantaged areas of Southern Nevada). 

On Fridays during the spring semester, about 70 of these youth take a field trip to the Maryland Parkway campus, where they spend four hours participating in interactive science-related activities led by College of Sciences students.

Each activity is real-world based, with science undergrads teaching their younger counterparts about climate change causes and solutions; water use and conservation; carbon footprint reduction; chemistry uses in everyday life; and the responsible use of Earth’s finite and renewable resources.

The fifth-graders are then encouraged to take the principles they learned on campus and actively apply them at school and home.

In return, UNLV students gain valuable job and leadership training while also developing teaching strategies and professional etiquette skills in a diverse context. College of Sciences students also learn about the importance (and impact) of community engagement.

The short-term goal of Rebel Science Camp is to supplement the general classroom science instruction that fifth-grade students receive, and promote critical thinking through interaction with different fields of science.

The long-range mission? Create a spark within the young students to want to someday attend college — and perhaps even pursue a career in science or another STEM-related field.

So far, the grand plan appears to be working. Assessment data compiled in 2024 revealed that 94% of the fifth-grade students who attended Rebel Science Camp expressed a desire to attend college.

Additionally, 58% of camp attendees said they were interested in pursuing a career as a scientist — a 14% increase compared with the interest level prior to attending the camp.

Pride Point: A bonus to the program is that it builds the resumes of the undergraduate leaders. Four former student leaders are now nearing completion of medical school; three have full-time environmental education jobs in the nonprofit sector; two are full-time high school science teachers; and six have entered or completed graduate school in STEM-related fields.

Sounding Off: “In addition to having the opportunity to step on a college campus, the camp’s engaging environment has sparked curiosity and excitement for science, inspiring many students to explore future opportunities in STEM fields,” says Angela Phelan, STEM strategist at Roger D. Gehring Academy of Science and Technology and CCSD’s Rebel Science Camp liaison. “This memorable experience has fostered in our students both learning and a passion for discovery.”

Bringing Peace of Mind to Nevada’s Rural Youth

• Program: UNLV PRACTICE Rural Youth Mental Tele-Health Program
• Community Partner: Communities In Schools of Northeastern Nevada
• Origins: August 2012 to present

With all the challenges that come with adolescence, it often can be difficult for  middle and high school students to succeed academically. Add in a mental or  behavioral health obstacle, and a teenager can become so overwhelmed that they may give up on school altogether. 

And when these situations arise in areas where mental health services are severely lacking, the struggle can compound exponentially.

It’s precisely why the UNLV PRACTICE Clinic — which gives master’s and doctoral-degree students in counseling and psychology the chance to gain real-world skills by offering low-cost mental health services to the community — partnered with Communities In Schools of Northeastern Nevada. 

Through the Rural Youth Mental Tele-Health Program, graduate student therapists and clinical doctorate students — under the supervision of licensed faculty and clinical experts — tend to the mental-health needs of middle and high school students in Elko and Humboldt counties. Both areas are served by Communities In Schools of Northeastern Nevada.

For more than a dozen years, these student practitioners — as many as 30 annually — have worked to help Communities In Schools achieve its primary mission: keep kids in school by providing necessary resources, from school supplies to tutoring to mental health support.

The program received a $270,000 grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration in 2023 to establish the Nevada Rural Communities Mental Health Outreach Program. That allowed the PRACTICE to double its capacity to serve youth in Elko and Humboldt counties. The grant was renewed in 2024, which would have allowed for further expansion, but the funding was rescinded in March. The program will continue but is unable to offer year-round services to the highest-need youth as planned.

That’s unfortunate news for students like a high-schooler who was recently referred to the program. The student experienced anxiety and depression symptoms so severe that they struggled to focus and often missed school. After regular therapy sessions with a supervised graduate student clinician, the high schooler began to implement coping techniques. The student’s anxiety symptoms decreased significantly, and their overall mood improved — as did their attendance and participation in classroom activities.

Pride Point: It’s all about expanding capacity for all of Nevada with home-grown practitioners. Once the student therapists graduate, they can become licensed mental health interns and then independent professional mental health practitioners in Nevada — a state where such professionals are in short supply.

Sounding Off: “This partnership has grown into a vital resource for rural students facing mental health challenges,” says Michelle Paul, executive director of UNLV PRACTICE and assistant vice president of mental & behavioral health training in the Department of Psychology. “In the 2023-24 academic year alone, we expanded services by 56%, with a 67% increase in therapy hours delivered. Thanks to enhanced infrastructure, shared resources, and additional state funding, more than half of participating students no longer reported clinically significant symptoms by year’s end — evidence of the profound impact this collaboration is having on youth and their futures.”

A Reason to Smile

• Program: Seal Nevada South and Oral Health Education Program
• Community Partner: Clark County School District
• Partnership Origins: 2001 to present

Nothing lights up a room quite like a young child flashing a toothy ear-to-ear smile.

Unfortunately, a child’s socioeconomic background can prevent them from receiving the proper dental care needed to maintain that smile.

That’s where the UNLV School of Dental Medicine and its students step in.

For more than two decades, the dental school and the Clark County School District have collaborated on the Oral Health Education Program (and, since 2011, the Seal Nevada South component).

Through the outreach initiatives, School of Dental Medicine students offer much-needed free dental services and instruction to young students who don’t receive regular dental care. The students, who range in age from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, primarily attend local Title 1 schools (those in economically disadvantaged areas). However, upon CCSD approval, the program can expand to children at other schools.

In addition to providing oral health screenings, dental sealants, and fluoride varnish treatments, UNLV predoctoral dental students and postdoctoral dental residents share oral hygiene instruction and nutritional guidance. There’s also an education component designed to teach kids how to better care for their teeth.

The Seal Nevada South and Oral Health Education Program is led by Dr. Christina Demopoulos, a professional dentist and professor of biomedical sciences at the School of Dental Medicine. Along with three additional faculty and one staff member, Demopoulos oversees the 180 students who participate each year.

Those students gain hands-on opportunities to practice their craft along with a better appreciation for their community’s dental needs.  

And the support doesn’t end with initial cavity fills and oral screenings. In fact, CCSD students who don’t have an established dental provider can schedule follow-up care at the School of Dental Medicine — including, if needed, sedation for more serious procedures.

It’s all made possible through diversified funding from the State of Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Liberty Dental Plan and a five-year federal grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration that approximates $1.5 million.

Pride Point: During the 2023-24 academic year, the dental school provided nearly $1 million in pro bono services to hundreds of Clark County School District students attending schools that participate in the Seal Nevada South and Oral Health Education Program. 

Sounding Off: “We’re extremely grateful to the UNLV School of Dental Medicine for consistently addressing special considerations for vulnerable Clark County School District student populations,” says Sheri McPartlin, chief nurse for CCSD Health Services. “The school’s collaborative work to combat barriers in monitoring oral disease and prevention has resulted in high-quality dental care being delivered to our students.”

Striking Back Against Hunger

• Program: UNLV Farmer’s Market
• Community Partner: Three Square Food Bank
• Origins: February 2022 to present

As Southern Nevada’s population has grown, so too has the need to feed the less fortunate. 

Enter the UNLV Farmer’s Market, which channels student volunteerism into supplementing the resources of Las Vegas’ leading community food pantry, Three Square Food Bank.

Each month, as many as 50 students work the Farmer’s Market, distributing 6,000 to 10,000 pounds of food — and offering nutritional information — to those dealing with food insecurity. 

Now in its fourth year of operation, the UNLV Farmer’s Market started as a student project and is now a permanent offshoot of the campus’ own food pantry, which serves students and employees. The Farmer’s Market is aimed at residents who live directly around the main campus. This strategy helps Three Square meet its mission to distribute food within specific Southern Nevada ZIP codes. 

And because students and the UNLV Food Pantry handle the planning and execution for the Farmer’s Market, Three Square is able to spread its resources further.

Although the Farmer’s Market is relatively young, it has already grown to the point where more than 30 UNLV units have become involved and are helping to expand resource offerings. Also joining the effort each month: multiple local healthcare organizations, which bring additional services and information to the community.

Pride Point: As of April 2024, the UNLV Farmer’s Market had fed nearly 13,500 individuals from more than 4,000 households.

Sounding Off: “This pantry is a testament to the university’s commitment to uplifting our community beyond education, by providing basic needs that allow all neighbors to thrive,” said Marissa Shoop, Three Square’s vice president of programs and partner services. “Our partnership with the UNLV Farmer’s Market brings us one step closer to a future where no one goes hungry.”