RENO — As students line up for freshly made sandwiches at the Joe Crowley Student Union, they are participating in one of University of Nevada, Reno’s creative public-private partnerships.

The innovative partnership between the University’s College of Business and the Port of Subs corporation is earning revenue for the college while serving as a learning lab for business students. The program, developed by the college’s Nevada Small Business Development Center, recently received the top honor in the “Excellence in Partnership Develop-ment” category at the summit of the University Economic Development Association, a national organization creating links between institutions of higher education and economic development partners.

“Students in two courses, one a traditional classroom course and the other a hands-on internship course, use the Port of Subs business venture to learn business-management skills,” said Sam Males, state director of the Nevada Small Business Center at the University.

When the restaurant opened in January 2008, it had the highest opening-week sales of any of the 158 Port of Subs franchise locations. Monthly sales are now more than double what was anticipated before the restaurant opened.

John Larsen, a 1972 UNR graduate and chief executive officer of Port of Subs, has served on the Nevada Small Business Development Center advisory board since 1987.

The national association recognized another of the university’s programs, the Community Business Matching Model, at the summit for assisting the communities of Laughlin, Nev., and Bullhead City, Ariz., after a major employer with a payroll of more than $20 million closed its doors. The program, part of the Center for Economic Development, was a finalist in the “Excellence in Economic Development Research” category.

Faculty from the university’s Cooperative Extension unit and College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources worked to develop strategies to mitigate regional job losses, taking into account the community’s desires, as well the goals of the business community. Faculty identified ways to improve local spending, business retention and quality of life.

“It was really rewarding, and the recognition by the association was great,” said Thomas Harris, the center’s director. “The University of Nevada, Reno was the only university to win two awards.”

“During these tough economic times, the University of Nevada, Reno isn’t just relying on public funding and student fees to run its programs,” university provost Marc Johnson said. “We are exploring more ways to create partnerships with the community to help support our missions, as well as benefit our communities.”