Office of Government & Community Engagement News
The Office of Government & Community Engagement seeks to support, facilitate, and promote collaboration, partnership, and engagement between the university and its many communities.
Current Government & Community Engagement News
Annual event leverages the university's community partnerships to keep spirits merry and bright for thousands.
From City Hall to campus: UNLV's new director of advocacy champions policies to empower students and communities.
Students stepped out of the classroom and into the heart of lawmaking at Nevada’s 83rd Legislative Session.
The student-led delegation met with legislators, advocated for student issues, and learned more about the state's legislative process.
From hosting science field trips to delivering therapy services to rural areas, UNLV enriches the lives of Nevadans.
Kenny Varner, the 2025 Faculty/Staff Community Outreach Award winner, tackles the state's critical teacher shortage through the Nevada Forward Initiative.
Government & Community Engagement In The News
As the government shutdown eclipsed the one-month mark, the financial strain on our country only intensified. Nov. 1 signified the end of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for millions of Americans, making tasks like paying for groceries nearly impossible. That’s why Three Square, the largest food bank serving Southern Nevada, executed a food distribution event at Thomas & Mack Center to assist Las Vegans who are struggling. The care packages were put together by hundreds of volunteers, mostly comprised of UNLV students and staff.
Three Square Food Bank, in collaboration with UNLV, is stepping up its efforts to provide emergency food assistance to the community on Saturday. The initiative aims to serve up to 1,000 local households on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. Community members received a 60-pound box of shelf-stable items and fresh produce through convenient drive-thru lines. UNLV President Chris Heavey and Vice President of Government and Community Engagement Constance Brooks joined forces with hundreds of volunteers to assist the community during a critical time.
Three Square Food Bank partnered with UNLV, CSN, and two churches — TCMI Church in Las Vegas and Central Church in Henderson — to provide fresh produce and nonperishable goods.
Volunteers gathered at sites across the Las Vegas valley Saturday for the start of emergency food distributions planned during the lapse in SNAP benefits. Hundreds helped Three Square distribute food outside the Thomas and Mack Center at UNLV. Around 80 percent of volunteers at the distribution came from UNLV. Dr. Constance Brooks, vice president of government and community engagement for UNLV, said the lapse in benefits affects some of the university’s students.
The phones at Three Square Food Bank have been “ringing off the hook” from potential volunteers as the organization prepares for an influx of Nevadans seeking its services, said Beth Martino, the group’s president.
Take a walk on UNLV’s campus and you might see a knee-high white box on wheels branded with an orange Grubhub logo. The robots speed among students and faculty making their way across campus on a food run to a hungry recipient. These robots from Starship Technologies have made UNLV home for the past two years, but their food deliveries are limited to the university’s boundaries.