Since taking the post as president of the University of Nevada, Reno in 2012, Marc Johnson has seen the population of the school grow from about 18,000 to 21,000 students.
Johnson credits efforts to focus on experiential learning and the quality of the educational experience for the growth in the student population.
"We're getting a very strong reputation across the state of Nevada and in Northern California especially," Johnson said.
He said UNR is a chance for students from Clark County to "go away for college" but still use their Millennium Scholarship in the state. About 30 percent of the student population is from Clark County.
However, that growth has brought challenges in everything from student housing to food services and classroom space.
But Johnson said it goes beyond those traditional challenges. He said the way students learn now has changed.
“But we have a changing nature of education for this generation of students," he said, "That is not just putting 400 students in a classroom and talking at them. We need experiential learning spaces.”
The university is working not only to modernize current facilities but to create more square footage that accommodates how students learn today.
UNR hopes to get the funding for that extra space when the Legislature convenes this winter. It, along with the other seven schools in the Nevada System of Higher Education or NHSE, are pushing lawmakers to continue to fund specific projects for more students.
UNLV is seeking the next set of funding for its medical school and biological engineering program. UNR is looking to expand its advanced manufacturing research programs.
“That’s very important as we grow in our enrollment as we try to make an impact from an educational and research standpoint,” he said.
Advanced manufacturing has become extremely important to Northern Nevada as several high tech industries have moved to the area. Most notably Tesla set up its gigafactory in Sparks.
Johnson said the university has been quick to respond to the needs of those emerging industries.
“Our curriculum continually changes to make sure that the graduates that come out of here will be specifically prepared to go into jobs in these new industries,” he said.
And it is not just manufacturing, blockchain technology is now part of the computer sciences department. Renewable energy and drones are part of the Engineering Department.
All of the efforts by the university to improve the level of research has paid off. UNR recently achieved the prestigious R1 research status from the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.
Marc Johnson, president, University of Nevada, Reno
