Volume 155 | June 12, 2026 | |
Business Affairs Bulletin
June 12, 2026
| | The inside scoop on the people and projects that support UNLV | |
- Department Highlight: Landscape, Grounds, and Arboretum Services
- Spotlight on Service
- Rebel Recycling Diverts 7.8 Tons of Material from Landfill During Move Out
- Celebrating Pride Month
- May New Hires
- May Promotions
- June Anniversaries
- Dates to Remember
| | Department Highlight: Landscape, Grounds, and Arboretum Services | | Photo credit: James Kearney | | |
Before most of the campus is fully awake, UNLV’s Landscape, Grounds, and Arboretum Services team is already at work.
Led by Grounds Superintendent James Kearney, the 40-person team cares for the outdoor spaces that shape the campus experience. “I get to help maintain an oasis in the desert for thousands of students and staff,” says Jose Jimenez, facility supervisor 2.
The team's work has two connected sides: the living and the non-living. The living side includes plants, turf, trees, and irrigation. The non-living side includes hardscape needs, such as outdoor cleanup and infrastructure. Each day, the crews start by checking building entrances, clearing debris, picking up trash, and emptying outdoor trash cans before moving into the day’s landscaping and grounds work—which is more complex than it might seem.
“I think people wonder, ‘How hard is it to mow grass and blow leaves?’” James says, laughing. “But when you really get into it, it’s pretty complicated.”
Caring for our campus requires a high level of expertise and dedication. Just a few details that the team handles include soil pH, fertilizer needs, plant nutrients, irrigation schedules, the heat, and other unforeseen challenges. That complexity is familiar to Yobany Vargas, grounds maintenance worker 5, who says the team often has to adjust in real time. “The weather and unexpected scenarios can alter a planned execution of a job site,” Yobany says, “but there’s always a way to finish what needs to be done.”
As UNLV continues moving toward desert-friendly landscaping, the work becomes even more specialized. “We had an area that always washed out and looked unkempt when it rained,” Jose says. “We transformed it into a riverbed that contained the water and also beautified the space with many desert plants. Big win!” He describes this as one of the projects he’s most proud of. Projects like these are beneficial for the environment—and they also increase the workload for the team. For example, a lawn can be maintained quickly with the right equipment, while desertscape requires individualized, hands-on care. Weeds are more visible in rocks versus grass, irrigating individual plants is more complex, and proper pruning takes time.
That doesn’t mean the team shies away from the work. Jose says the team leaders each have their own campus areas to maintain, but they do not hesitate to step in when a project needs more hands. “If there is a project that needs to get done in a specific area, they come together and plan it out and get the task accomplished, no questions asked.” Yobany agrees that the team is quick to come together when there’s work to do. “We just flow together well,” he says. “It makes the task at hand very easy.”
The team also protects long-term investments that cannot be easily replaced. James recalls a recent irrigation issue where a valve broke in the off position after being shut down for work. While the problem was invisible to most of campus, it created an urgent situation for the team. Many employees spent their entire work days hand-watering to keep plants and trees alive.
“It’s not an emergency to anybody else because they don’t see anything dying yet,” James says. “But to us, it’s a big deal.”
The stakes are high, and the replacement cost is only part of it.
“If we let some of these trees die, we set ourselves back 30 years,” James says. A new tree can be planted, but it would take decades to replace the real value of what was lost.
Some of those trees are especially difficult to replace. UNLV is home to 10 champion trees, the largest known trees of their species in Nevada. Those are:
- Heritage Oak Tree - along the Academic Mall near Grant Hall
- Weeping Camperdown Elm - near the Carlson Education Building
- Weeping Mulberry - near the Carlson Education Building
- Holly Oak - next to White Hall
- Yew Pine - against White Hall
- Mondell Pine - behind Carlson Education Building
- Chir Pine - outside Lilly Fong Geosciences Building
- Sissoo / Indian Rosewood - in the Barrick Museum parking lot
- Desert Willow - by the Research Administration Building
- Texas Olive - behind the paint shop (not a true olive, and should not be eaten)
The size and age of these trees reflect years of steady care, and protecting them is part of the team’s responsibility.
Additionally, UNLV has many fruiting plants including apples, pomegranates, and figs tucked into the landscape. A few of those trees have long histories and fond stories. Near Bigelow Physics, an apple tree sits in a round planter as a nod to Newton’s apple. Near Carlson Education Building, the champion weeping mulberry has become a campus favorite, known for its low, sheltering branches. Its nickname, for obvious reasons, is the “kissing tree.”
After spending time with the team, it becomes harder to see the campus landscape as a backdrop. The trees, turf, desertscape, fruiting plants, and clear walkways are all watched and cared for by people who are experts on what each area needs and what can happen if a problem goes too long without attention.
James says that when he was a student at UNLV, he did not think much about the landscapers. He had other things on his mind, like most students do. But the work is there, shaping the campus in practical ways: keeping it healthy through the heat, ready for the people who use it, and prepared to support the community every day.
Watch this short video below with fun facts about UNLV’s Landscape, Grounds and Arboretum Services team.
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In October 2025, we distributed our annual Business Affairs customer service survey. Many of our campus colleagues replied to the survey with notes of praise for our hard-working teams. See below for some highlights for Landscape, Grounds, and Arboretum Services.
“Through their consistent efforts, the Grounds team keeps UNLV’s campus clean, manicured, and inviting.”
“Grounds is great at collaboration and working with other vendors who are doing campus projects. They are responsive to immediate issues and do a great job in advance planning and design review of future projects.”
“They do a wonderful job maintaining the beautiful landscaping on our campus. Bravo!”
| | Rebel Recycling Diverts 7.8 Tons of Material from Landfill During Move Out | | Photo Credit: Josh Hawkins | | |
Every year when students move out of UNLV residence halls, they leave literal tons of unwanted items behind. Without intervention, those items would go straight into the trash and head out to the landfill.
Instead, Rebel Recycling places bins on each floor during move out and encourages students to donate any items they don’t want to take with them that can be recycled or reused. Common donation items include:
- Clothing
- Bedding
- Linens
- Shoes
- Non-perishable food
- Cleaning supplies
- Mini-fridges
- Small electronics
- Books
- School supplies
- Home decor
- Hangers
- Knick-knacks
When this program began in 1996, Rebel Recycling collected just a few hundred pounds of items and transported them using Sustainability Coordinator Tara Pike’s personal vehicle. This year, Rebel Recycling collected 7.8 tons of material! That is slightly above the average of the last 5 years (6.7 tons).
Where do all the collected items go? Some are recycled, while others are donated to appropriate charities or organizations. Some examples of organizations that accept these types of donations include:
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The Poppy Foundation: towels, blankets, paper towels, and laundry detergent
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A Path 4 Paws, The Animal Foundation, and other local animal rescues: comforters, pillows, sheets, and blankets
- Savers, or any local thrift stores: clothing, shoes housewares, home decor, books, toys, and other miscellaneous items
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UNLV Food Pantry: unopened, unexpired, non-perishable food items
Items are also listed on the O-Marche app for students, faculty, and staff to claim for free.
| | Photo credit: Becca Schwartz | | |
Pride Month began as a response to the Stonewall Uprising in June 1969, when patrons of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted a police raid and helped spark a broader movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) rights. The first Pride marches followed one year later.
For the UNLV community, Pride Month is a time to celebrate LGBTQIA people. It is also a reminder that belonging requires action—standing against discrimination, building community, and making room for others to live openly and safely.
For events and resources related to LGBTQIA identities and experiences, please see UNLV’s LGBTQIA Diversity page. For resources in the Las Vegas area, check out The Center.
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- Diego Requejado, Facilities Management
- Jarred Achong, Facilities Management
- Cienna Lurry, Parking & Transportation Services
- Conner LaGesse, Parking & Transportation Services
- Gisela Hoxhalli, Planning and Construction
- Kayla Lamatrice, Risk Management & Safety
- Kevin Santiago, Risk Management & Safety
- Eli Mazzocco, Facilities Management
- Tristan Hansen, Facilities Management
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- Cameron Gaetos, Facilities Management
- Aaron Mack, Facilities Management
- Hayat Salih, Facilities Management
- Joe Murray, Facilities Management
- Derek Castrellon, Parking & Transportation Services
- Stephen Schopf, Parking & Transportation Services
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Congratulations to the Business Affairs employees celebrating work anniversaries in June! Years of service have been determined using the UNLV hire date - first employment date without any breaks in service here at UNLV regardless of job type or full-time status.
If you notice an error in your listing, contact Heather Ortiz.
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- Josue Angulo-Fuentes, 1 year
- Kyler Haman, 1 year
- Emanuel Prado, 1 year
- Lam Nguyen, 1 year
- Karen Gonzalez, 1 year
- Edwin Cardona Cortez, 1 year
- Axel Quinonez, 2 years
- James Kennedy, 2 years
- Darnel Hill, 2 years
- Jordan Noles, 2 years
- Liz Davis, 2 years
- Tyson Munguia, 2 years
- Derrick Moore, 2 years
- Nidhi Shirodkar, 2 years
- Trevor Gilbert, 3 years
- Ricardo Malan, 3 years
- Elise Bunkowski, 4 years
- Samuel Villa, 4 years
- Gina Gamble, 4 years
- Thomas Curtis, 4 years
- Abel Escobedo, 4 years
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- Brandon Williams, 5 years
- James Martone, 5 years
- Pedro Diaz Roa, 7 years
- Lorena Giese, 7 years
- Haysam Selim Abdelhamid, 8 years
- Michael McVoy, 8 years
- Francisco Zavala, 8 years
- Lori Church, 9 years
- Julie Moos, 9 years
- Nicholas Carelli, 9 years
- Jorge Vargas, 10 years
- Ricardo Vigil, 11 years
- John Cupo, 12 years
- Doug Mcclement, 13 years
- Rob Howard, 18 years
- Chris Chavez, 18 years
- Alo Faleafine, 20 years
- Gustavo Gomez, 23 years
- Christina Burnam, 23 years
- Ruben Maldonado, 29 years
| | - June 19 - Juneteenth - Enjoy your day off!
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