University of Nevada, Reno explained

University of Nevada, Reno
Image Upright:.8
Former Names:State University of Nevada (1874–1881)
Nevada State University (1881–1906)
University of Nevada (1906–1969)
Motto:Omnia Pro Patria (Latin)
Mottoeng:"All For Our Country"
Type:Public land-grant research university
Parent:Nevada System of Higher Education
Accreditation:NWCCU
Endowment:$458.0 million (2022)[1]
President:Brian Sandoval
Provost:Jeff Thompson
Faculty:1,082[2]
Students:20,718 (Fall 2020)
Undergrad:16,841
Postgrad:3,877
Campus:Large city
Campus Size:200acres
City:Reno
State:Nevada
Country:United States
Colors:Navy blue and silver[3]
 
Nickname:Wolf Pack
Sporting Affiliations:NCAA Division I FBSMountain West
Logo Upright:1.1
Free Label:Other campuses
Free:Incline Village
Free Label2:Newspaper
Free2:The Nevada Sagebrush
Module:
University of Nevada Historic District
Embed:yes
Nrhp Type:hd
Nocat:yes
Location:Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada
Built:1906
Architect:Multiple
Architecture:Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Empire, Jeffersonian Revival
Added:February 25, 1987
Area:290acres (entire campus)
40acres (historic district)
Refnum:87000135

The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, 1874, in Elko, Nevada.

The university is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education.[4] According to the National Science Foundation, the university spent $144 million on research and development in 2018, ranking it 139th in the nation.[5] The university has a medical school.[6] The university is also home to the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism. It has graduated six Pulitzer Prize winners.[7]

History

The Nevada State Constitution established the State University of Nevada in Elko on October 12, 1874. In 1881, it became Nevada State University. In 1885, Nevada State University moved from Elko to Reno.[8] In 1906, it was renamed the University of Nevada.

The University of Nevada remained the only four-year academic institution in the state of Nevada until 1965, when the Nevada Southern campus (now the University of Nevada, Las Vegas) separated into its own university. In 1969, the university's name was changed to the University of Nevada, Reno to distinguish from the new institution in Las Vegas.

Academics

Bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs are offered through:

Colleges

  • College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
  • College of Business
  • College of Education & Human Development
  • College of Engineering
  • College of Liberal Arts
  • College of Science
  • Honors College
  • National Judicial College
  • University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Schools

Centers

Nevada sponsors a center dedicated to Basque studies (Including the Basque language) due to the large Basque population in Northern Nevada.

In addition, the university maintains and sponsors many centers, institutes & facilities.

Libraries

The university and surrounding community is served by several campus libraries. The libraries are:

Rankings and reputation

Arwu N:134-154
Arwu W:501–600
Forbes:184
Usnwr Nu:195
Usnwr W:782
The Wsj:348
Wamo Nu:204

For 2024, University of Nevada, Reno was ranked tied for 195th overall among national universities and tied for 106th among public universities in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.[9]

In 2022, Forbes rated the University 184 overall among universities while University of Nevada, Las Vegas by comparison ranked 303rd. A significant and noteworthy jump in the rankings since Forbes analysis in years prior.[10]

For 2020, Washington Monthly ranked UNR 138th among 389 national universities in the U.S. based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.[11]

Campus

The University of Nevada, Reno is the flagship institution of Nevada.[12] [13] The campus is located just north of downtown Reno overlooking Truckee Meadows and the downtown casinos.

Early construction

The university's first building, Morrill Hall, was completed in 1887 and still stands on the historic quad at the campus' southern end. The hall is named after U.S. Senator Justin Morrill, author of the 1862 Land-Grant College Act.[14]

Lincoln Hall (all-male residence) and Manzanita Hall (all-female residence) were both opened in 1896. While Lincoln was under construction, boys were housed in the building which had previously held the now-defunct Bishop Whitaker's School for Girls, which had shuttered in 1894.

The Quad

The tree-lined Quad is located in the southern part of the campus, surrounded by Morrill Hall and the Mackay School of Mines. This quadrangle is modeled after Thomas Jefferson's at the University of Virginia.[15]

Herbarium

The herbarium at the University of Nevada, Reno is made up of the herbarium of the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station (College of Agriculture) and the herbarium of the Biology Department. They have operated as one unit since 1978. Among those who worked at the herbarium were Patrick Beveridge Kennedy and Amos Arthur Heller at the experiment station and Philip Augustus Lehenbauer, Dwight Billings, Hugh Nelson Mozingo, Ira La Rivers and William Andrew Archer at the biology department.[16]

Mackay Stadium

See main article: Mackay Stadium.

The football team plays at Mackay Stadium. The modern Mackay Stadium was completed in 1966 with a seating capacity of 7,500. The facility has been expanded several times in the last 15 years and now seats 30,000.

E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center

The University of Nevada began construction of a new 108,000 square foot fitness center in June 2015. Named the E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center, it opened in February 2017. Students' use of the fitness center is included in annual tuition and fees. The fitness center has four floors and includes a gym with three basketball courts, areas for weightlifting, cardio training, fitness classes, stadium stairs and an indoor running track. The project had a $46 million cost.[17] [18]

Sustainability

Since its creation in the fall of 2008, the University of Nevada, Reno's Sustainability Committee has been gathering information on various aspects of campus sustainability and beginning the development of a plan for creating a more sustainable campus.[19] Significant efforts are made towards recycling and keeping the campus green. Many university buses run on bio-diesel fuels. The bicycle program has seen a significant increase in the number of bicycle users. The university's Food Services has made a commitment of 1% of the meal plan revenue to go towards funding sustainable initiatives on campus.[20] In order to reduce energy use, UNR has installed solar panels on the Joe Crowley Student Union and built its first LEED accredited building.[21] The University of Nevada has been ranked among the nation's most sustainable colleges,[22] receiving an overall grade of "B+" on the Sustainable Endowment Institute's College Sustainability Report Card 2010.[23]

Athletics

See main article: Nevada Wolf Pack. The university is simply called Nevada for athletics purposes. Its sports teams are nicknamed the Wolf Pack (always two words). They participate in the NCAA's Division I (FBS for football) and in the Mountain West Conference.

Men's basketball

See main article: Nevada Wolf Pack men's basketball. In March 2004, the Wolf Pack Men's basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history. The team earned a repeat trip in 2005 and beat Texas in the first round before falling to eventual national runner-up Illinois. The team returned for 2006 as a No. 5 seed but was upset in the first round by former Big Sky Conference rival Montana. They began the 2006–07 season ranked #24. The Pack's major star during this recent period of success was Nick Fazekas. In 2007, Nevada was ranked No. 9 in men's basketball, which is the highest ranking that Nevada has ever held.

Football

See main article: Nevada Wolf Pack football. The football team plays at Mackay Stadium. The modern Mackay Stadium replaced its predecessor and was completed in 1966 with a seating capacity of 7,500. The facility has been expanded several times in its history and now seats 30,000. In 2005, Nevada won a share of the WAC Title. The 2010 season saw Nevada at its best finishing the season ranked No. 11 in the AP and No. 13 in the BCS, stunning Boise State, 34–31, and costing the Broncos a possible shot at the BCS title, to win another share of the WAC title.

Conference affiliations

Nevada joined the Mountain West Conference in 2012.[24]

Previous conference memberships include:

Student media

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2020
Race and ethnicity[25] Total
White
Hispanic
Other
Asian
Black
Foreign national
Native American
Economic diversity
Low-income
Affluent
Nevada's editorially independent, weekly student newspaper is The Nevada Sagebrush. It comes out every Tuesday afternoon, and employs more than 40 people, 25 full-time. Prior to 2004, the newspaper called itself simply the Sagebrush.

The newspaper was given an Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award for work completed during the 2007–2008, 2008–2009, 2011–2012 and most recently, 2014–15, school years.[26] The newspaper won the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award in 2008 and 2009.[27]

Notable alumni and faculty

See main article: List of University of Nevada, Reno people.

Film history

The University of Nevada's classically styled campus has served as the setting for many movies, including:[28]

External links

Notes and References

  1. As of June 30, 2022. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Endowment Market Value, and Change* in Endowment Market Value from FY21 to FY22 . . February 17, 2023 . February 17, 2023.
  2. Web site: University of Nevada, Reno employee counts by year. July 9, 2021. July 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709191501/https://www.unr.edu/hr/about/employee-counts. live.
  3. Web site: UNR Visual Identity. September 11, 2022.
  4. Web site: Carnegie Classification . University of Nevada . carnegieclassifications.iu.edu . February 21, 2016 . September 11, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180911081746/http://carnegieclassifications.iu.edu/lookup/view_institution.php?unit_id=182290 . live .
  5. Web site: Table 20. Higher education R&D expenditures, ranked by FY 2018 R&D expenditures: FYs 2009–18 . ncsesdata.nsf.gov . . 26 July 2020 . September 30, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200930141919/https://ncsesdata.nsf.gov/herd/2018/html/herd18-dt-tab020.html . live .
  6. Web site: University of Nevada School of Medicine. Medicine.nevada.edu. November 7, 2010. February 14, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050214101051/http://med.unr.edu/. live.
  7. Web site: University of Nevada, Reno. About - Journalism. Journalism.unr.edu. October 23, 2013. August 19, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150819211010/http://journalism.unr.edu/about/. live.
  8. Web site: Training Session for Inkblot Employees. 18 (on page 15). February 28, 2013. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304193125/http://www.unr.edu/Documents/student-services/student-activities/policies/InkblotMarketingManual.pdf. dead.
  9. Web site: University of Nevada--Reno Rankings . U.S. News & World Report . March 7, 2023.
  10. Web site: Business . Forbes . America's Top Colleges . Forbes . 2023-01-01.
  11. Web site: 2020 National University Rankings . Washington Monthly . October 6, 2020 . September 1, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200901051024/https://washingtonmonthly.com/2020college-guide/national . live .
  12. Web site: Office of the President | University of Nevada, Reno. April 20, 2012. Unr.edu. November 21, 2016. March 15, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170315190339/http://www.unr.edu/president. live.
  13. Web site: Tuition and Fees at Flagship Universities over Time - Trends in Higher Education - The College Board. Trends.collegeboard.org. November 21, 2016. April 2, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402003859/https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-fees-flagship-universities-over-time. live.
  14. News: Straka. Thomas. Ten things you didn't know about: Land-grant universities. November 2009. Nevada Silver & Blue. August 2, 2011. May 30, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100530133042/http://www.unr.edu/silverandblue/archive/2009/fall/NSB_Fall_2009_WEB_36.pdf. live.
  15. https://www.planning.org/greatplaces/spaces/2014/thelawn.htm The Lawn at the University of Virginia: Charlottesville, Virginia
  16. Web site: History of the Reno Herbarium . University of Nevada, Reno NevadaTod . December 22, 2019 . December 22, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191222224639/https://naes.unr.edu/reno_herbarium/history.aspx . live .
  17. News: UNR pleased that plans for engineering building at top of priority list. Reno Gazette–Journal. April 22, 2016. September 4, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220904184623/https://www.rgj.com/story/news/education/2016/04/21/unr-pleased-plans-engineering-building-top-priority-list/83357262/. live.
  18. Web site: E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center. University of Nevada, Reno. April 22, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905151852/http://www.unr.edu/facilities/planning-and-construction/campus-construction/wiegand-fitness-center. September 5, 2015. dead.
  19. Web site: Sustainability Committee Information. University of Nevada, Reno. June 5, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090803125259/http://www.unr.edu/sustainability/committee/index.html. August 3, 2009. dead.
  20. Web site: Campus Sustainability: Food. University of Nevada, Reno. August 14, 2011. November 12, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111112115004/http://environment.unr.edu/sustainability/campus-life/food.html. live.
  21. Web site: Campus Sustainability: Energy. University of Nevada, Reno. August 14, 2011. November 12, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111112120642/http://environment.unr.edu/sustainability/energy/index.html. live.
  22. Web site: Nevada Today. October 7, 2009. University of Nevada, Reno. November 7, 2010. May 30, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110530032243/http://www.unr.edu/nevada-today. live.
  23. Web site: College Sustainability Report Card 2010. Sustainable Endowments Institute. October 14, 2009. May 10, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170510230637/http://greenreportcard.org/report-card-2010/schools/university-of-nevada-reno.html. live.
  24. News: Fresno State, Nevada to remain in WAC until 2012. October 28, 2010. ESPN. October 23, 2013. September 13, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170913044150/http://www.espn.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5735144. live.
  25. Web site: College Scorecard: University of Nevada-Reno. United States Department of Education. May 8, 2022. June 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220614171259/https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?182290-University-of-Nevada-Reno. live.
  26. Web site: ACP - 2015 Newspaper Pacemaker . studentpress.org . . 9 April 2023 . en . 2015.
  27. Web site: Nevada Sagebrush nominated for Pacemaker award. Reynolds School of Journalism. University of Nevada, Reno. August 14, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20101007100530/http://journalism.unr.edu/latestnews/app-news/0/185/nevada-sagebrush-nominated-for-pacemaker-award/. October 7, 2010. dead.
  28. Web site: Campus on the Hill: A walking tour of the University of Nevada. Delamare.unr.edu. November 7, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100830040811/http://www.delamare.unr.edu/CampusOnAHill/. August 30, 2010. dead.