University of Nevada, Reno

Public university in Reno, Nevada, U.S.

"University of Nevada" redirects here. For the other public research university in Nevada, see University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

University of Nevada, Reno

Former names

* State University of Nevada (1874–1881)
* Nevada State University (1881–1906)
* University of Nevada (1906–1969)

Motto| Omnia Pro Patria (Latin)

Motto in English

| "All for Our Country"
Type| Public land-grant research university
Established| October 12, 1874; 150 years ago (1874-10-12)

Parent institution

| Nevada System of Higher Education
Accreditation| NWCCU

Academic affiliations

* ORAU
* Space-grant

Endowment| $458.0 million (2022)[1]
President| Brian Sandoval
Provost| Jeff Thompson

Academic staff

| 1,082[2]
Students| 20,945 (fall 2022)[3]
Undergraduates| 16,973 (fall 2022)
Postgraduates| 3,972 (fall 2022)
Location|

Reno

Nevada

United States

39°32′16″N 119°48′50″W﻿ / ﻿39.53778°N 119.81389°W﻿ / 39.53778; -119.81389
Campus| Large city, 200 acres (81 ha)
Other campuses| Incline Village
Newspaper| The Nevada Sagebrush
Colors| Navy blue and silver[4]

Nickname| Wolf Pack

Sporting affiliations

| NCAA Division I FBS – Mountain West
Mascots|

* Alphie
* Wolfie Jr.
* Luna

Website| www.unr.edu

University of Nevada Historic District

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. Historic district

Location| Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada
Area| 290 acres (117.4 ha) (entire campus)
40 acres (16 ha) (historic district)
Built| 1906
Architect| Multiple
Architectural style| Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Second Empire, Jeffersonian Revival
NRHP reference No.| 87000135[5]
Added to NRHP| February 25, 1987

The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. 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 as a doctoral, R1 research university by the Carnegie Classification.[6] In 2018, the university spent $144 million on research and development according to the National Science Foundation.[7] Among its several schools and colleges, the unversity has a medical school and is home to the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism from which six Pulitzer Prize winners have graduated.[8]

## History

[edit]

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.[9] In 1906, it was renamed the University of Nevada.

The University of Nevada remained the only four-year academic institution in the state 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

[edit]

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

### Colleges

[edit]

* 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

[edit]

* Graduate School
* School of the Arts
* School of Earth Sciences and Engineering
* School of Journalism
* School of Medicine
* School of Nursing
* School of Public Health
* School of Social Research and Justice Studies
* School of Social Work

|

### Centers

[edit]

View of the Campus in front of UNR Knowledge Center

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

[edit]

UNR Matthewson-IGT Knowledge Center

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

* Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center (main library). Opened on August 11, 2008, it was a $75.3 million project which began in September 2005. It replaced the Getchell library.
* Basque Library (housed in separate section of the Knowledge Center)
* Special Collections and University Archives (3rd floor of the Matthewson IGT-Knowledge Center)
* DeLaMare Library (engineering, physical sciences, computer science, mining, and geology)
* Mary B. Ansari Map Library (housed in basement of DeLaMare)
* Savitt Medical Library
* Nell J. Redfield Learning and Resource Center (education library and resources)

### Rankings and reputation

[edit]

Academic rankings

National
Forbes[10]| 167
U.S. News & World Report[11]| 204
Washington Monthly[12]| 204
WSJ/College Pulse[13]| 348
Global
ARWU[14]| 601–700
U.S. News & World Report[15]| 779

In 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked UNR tied for 204th overall among universities nationwide and tied for 113th among public universities.[16] Also in 2025, Forbes ranked UNR 167th overall, 74th among public universities, and 36th among western universities.[17]

In 2020, Washington Monthly ranked UNR 138th out of 389 universities nationally based on its contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service.[18]

## Campus

[edit]

Manzanita Lake in the southwestern part of the campus. An older picture showing part of the campus in the foreground

The University of Nevada, Reno is Nevada's flagship institution of higher education.[19] The campus is located just north of downtown Reno overlooking Truckee Meadows and the downtown casinos.

### Early construction

[edit]

The university's first building, Morrill Hall, was completed in 1887 and still stands on the historic "Q" quadranagle at the campus' southern end. The hall is named after United States Senator Justin Morrill, author of the 1862 Morrill Land-Grant Acts.[20]

Originally single-gender occupancy, Lincoln Hall for male students and Manzanita Hall for female students were both opened in 1896. While Lincoln was under construction, male students were housed in the building which had previously held the now-defunct Bishop Whitaker's School for Girls, which had closed in 1894.

### The Q

[edit]

The tree-lined quadrangle, referred to as the "Q," is located in the southern part of the campus, surrounded by Morrill Hall and the Mackay School of Mines. It is modeled after the quadrangle at the University of Virginia.[21]

### Herbarium

[edit]

The herbarium at UNR is made up of the herbariums of the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station in the College of Agriculture and 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.[22]

### Mackay Stadium

[edit]

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[vague] and now seats 30,000.

### E.L. Wiegand Fitness Center

[edit]

UNR 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.[23][24]

### Sustainability

[edit]

Since its creation in the fall of 2008, UNR'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.[25] Significant efforts are made towards recycling and keeping the campus green. Many university buses run on biodiesel 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.[26] In order to reduce energy use, UNR has installed solar panels on the Joe Crowley Student Union and built its first LEED-accredited building.[27] It has been ranked among the nation's most sustainable colleges,[28] receiving an overall grade of "B+" on the Sustainable Endowment Institute's College Sustainability Report Card 2010.[29]

## Athletics

[edit]

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.

A Nevada Wolf Pack baseball player scores a run during a 2011 game in Los Angeles

### Men's basketball

[edit]

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 number five seed but was upset in the first round by former Big Sky Conference rival Montana. They began the 2006–07 season ranked 24th. 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

Nevada joined the Mountain West Conference in 2012.[30]

Previous conference memberships include:

* 1954–1968 – Northern California Athletic Conference
* 1969–1978 – West Coast Conference – (Independent for football)
* 1979–1991 – Big Sky (swapped conference affiliations with Gonzaga University, which has been without football since 1941)
* 1992–1998 – Big West
* 1999–2012 – WAC

## Student media

[edit]

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023[31] Race and ethnicity  | Total

|

White | 51%  | 51

Hispanic | 25%  | 25

Two or more races | 9%  | 9

Asian | 8%  | 8

Black | 3%  | 3

Unknown  | 2%  | 2

American Indian/Alaska Native | 1%  | 1

International student | 1%  | 1

Economic diversity
Low-income[a] | 26%  | 26

Affluent[b] | 74%  | 74

The university has four official student media organizations, including The Nevada Sagebrush, Wolf Pack Radio, Insight Magazine (formally Artemisia), and The Brushfire Literature & Arts Journal.[32]

### The Nevada Sagebrush

[edit]

Nevada's editorially independent, monthly student newspaper is The Nevada Sagebrush. Prior to 2004, the newspaper called itself simply the Sagebrush.[33]

The newspaper has won the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker Award seven times—in 2007,[34] 2008,[35] 2009,[36] 2010,[37] 2011,[38] 2012,[39] and most recently 2015[40] (as of June 2025[update]).

### Wolf Pack Radio

[edit]

Nevada's official student-run radio broadcast is Wolf Pack Radio. The station curates songs and creates radio shows for the student population on their official website. The station also partners with KWNK to broadcast the student-made radio shows on FM in the Reno area.[41]

### Insight Magazine

[edit]

The university also sponsors Insight Magazine, the university's photography and lifestyle magazine.[42] Insight Magazine was previously known as Artemisia until summer 2008. Under the name Artemisia, the magazine served as the university yearbook beginning in 1896.[43]

### Brushfire

[edit]

Brushfire, a literature and arts journal, was created in 1950 to promote humanties among Nevada students.[44]

## Notable alumni and faculty

[edit]

Main article: List of University of Nevada, Reno people

## Film history

[edit]

The University of Nevada's classically styled campus has served as the setting for many movies, including:[45]

* Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944)
* Margie (1946)
* Apartment for Peggy (1948)
* Mother Is a Freshman (1949)
* Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949)
* 5 Against the House (1955)
* Hilda Crane (1956)

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
2. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

## References

[edit]

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 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
2. ^ "University of Nevada, Reno employee counts by year". Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
3. ^ "College Navigator - University of Nevada, Reno". National Center for Education Statistics.
4. ^ "UNR Visual Identity". Retrieved September 11, 2022.
5. ^ "National Register Information System – (#87000135)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
6. ^ Carnegie Classification. "University of Nevada". carnegieclassifications.iu.edu. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
7. ^ "Table 20. Higher education R&D expenditures, ranked by FY 2018 R&D expenditures: FYs 2009–18". ncsesdata.nsf.gov. National Science Foundation. Archived from the original on September 30, 2020. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
8. ^ "Patents and Innovation". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
9. ^ Doten, Samuel Bradford (1913). "XXII: Educational" (PDF). In Davis, Samuel P. (ed.). The History of Nevada. Reno: Elms. p. 504. Retrieved June 13, 2025. "So, in 1885, the Legislature authorized the removal of the University to Reno in Washoe County, where in 1886 the first building was constructed, and the work of instruction was begun under Messrs. Willis and McCammon."
10. ^ "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes. September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
11. ^ "2024-2025 Best National Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
12. ^ "2024 National University Rankings". Washington Monthly. August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
13. ^ "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
14. ^ "2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities". ShanghaiRanking Consultancy. August 15, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
15. ^ "2025-2026 Best Global Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. June 17, 2025. Retrieved June 17, 2025.
16. ^ "University of Nevada--Reno Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
17. ^ "University of Nevada, Reno". Forbes. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
18. ^ "2020 National University Rankings". Washington Monthly. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
19. ^ "Resources: University of Nevada, Reno". Nevada Department of Veteran Services. n.d. Archived from the original on June 13, 2025.
20. ^ Straka, Thomas (November 2009). "Ten things you didn't know about: Land-grant universities" (PDF). Nevada Silver & Blue. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 30, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
21. ^ The Lawn at the University of Virginia: Charlottesville, Virginia Archived June 24, 2020, at the Wayback Machine. American Planning Association. Retrieved 2020-06-22
22. ^ "History of the Reno Herbarium". University of Nevada, Reno NevadaTod. Archived from the original on December 22, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
23. ^ "UNR pleased that plans for engineering building at top of priority list". Reno Gazette–Journal. Archived from the original on September 4, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
24. ^ "E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center". University of Nevada, Reno. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2016.
25. ^ "Sustainability Committee Information". University of Nevada, Reno. Archived from the original on August 3, 2009. Retrieved June 5, 2009.
26. ^ "Campus Sustainability: Food". University of Nevada, Reno. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
27. ^ "Campus Sustainability: Energy". University of Nevada, Reno. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved August 14, 2011.
28. ^ "Nevada Today". University of Nevada, Reno. October 7, 2009. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
29. ^ "College Sustainability Report Card 2010". Sustainable Endowments Institute. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2009.
30. ^ "Fresno State, Nevada to remain in WAC until 2012". ESPN. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2013.
31. ^ "College Scorecard: University of Nevada-Reno". United States Department of Education. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
32. ^ "Nevada Student Media | Center for Student Engagement". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
33. ^ "130 years of student news: from 'The Student Record' to 'The Nevada Sagebrush'". University of Nevada, Reno. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
34. ^ "2007 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
35. ^ "ACP - 2008 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
36. ^ "ACP - 2009 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
37. ^ "ACP - 2010 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
38. ^ "ACP - 2011 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
39. ^ "ACP - 2012 Newspaper Pacemaker Winners". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
40. ^ "ACP - 2015 Newspaper Pacemaker". Associated Collegiate Press. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
41. ^ "The Station – Wolf Pack Radio". Retrieved November 26, 2024.
42. ^ "About – Insight Magazine". Retrieved November 26, 2024.
43. ^ Associated Students of the University of Nevada. (May 19, 2023). Artemisia, 2023. Retrieved from the Digital Public Library of America.
44. ^ "Time Line of the Associate Students of the University of Nevada". ASUN. Retrieved June 13, 2025.
45. ^ "Campus on the Hill: A walking tour of the University of Nevada". Delamare.unr.edu. Archived from the original on August 30, 2010. Retrieved November 7, 2010.

## External links

[edit]

Wikisource has the text of the 1905 New International Encyclopedia article "Nevada State University".

* Nevada portal

* Official website
* University of Nevada Athletics website
* Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. NV-18, "University of Nevada (Site Plan), Evans, Virginia & Ninth Street, Reno, Washoe County, NV", 1 measured drawing
* HABS No. NV-18-A, "University of Nevada, Reno, Dairy Building, North of East Ninth Street, Reno, Washoe County, NV", 20 photos, 10 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
* "Nevada, University of" . Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.

* v
* t
* e

University of Nevada, Reno

Located in: Reno, Nevada

Academics|

* College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources
* College of Business
* College of Education
* College of Engineering
* College of Liberal Arts
* College of Science
* Graduate School
* National Judicial College
* School of the Arts
* School of Community Health Sciences
* School of Earth Sciences and Engineering
* School of Journalism
* School of Medicine
* School of Nursing
* School of Social Research and Justice Studies
* School of Social Work
* University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

Athletics|

* Football
* Mackay Stadium
* Battle for Nevada
* Boise State–Nevada football rivalry
* Lawlor Events Center
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* William Peccole Park
* Baseball
* Mountain West Conference

Campus|

* Arboretum
* Fleischmann Planetarium
* Historic district
* Morrill Hall

Student life|

* People
* Black Rock Press
* Insight Magazine
* The Nevada Sagebrush
* Wolf Pack Radio

Traditions|

* Hail to our Sturdy Team
* History

* Founded: 1874
* Students: 21,353
* Endowment: 306.6 million

Links to related articles

* v
* t
* e

Education in Washoe County, Nevada

K-12

Washoe
County
SD|

| K-12|

* Gerlach

|

HS|

* Damonte Ranch
* Galena
* Hug
* Incline
* Robert McQueen
* North Valleys
* Reno
* Edward C. Reed
* Spanish Springs
* Sparks
* Earl Wooster
* Academy of Arts, Careers and Technology

K-8|

* Mount Rose

Elem.|

* Veterans Memorial STEM

BIE-contracted|

* Pyramid Lake Schools (6-12)

Charter|

* Coral Academy of Science

Private|

* Bishop Manogue High School
* Excel Christian School

Other

Tertiary|

* University of Nevada, Reno
* template

Library System|

* Downtown Reno Library
* Gerlach Library
* Former Sparks Branch

* v
* t
* e

Nevada colleges and universities

Nevada System of Higher Education

Four-year|

* Great Basin College
* Nevada State University
* University of Nevada, Las Vegas
* University of Nevada, Reno

Two-year|

* College of Southern Nevada
* Truckee Meadows Community College
* Western Nevada College

Post-graduate|

* Desert Research Institute

Private institutions

Non-profit|

* National University, Henderson
* Roseman University of Health Sciences
* Sierra Nevada University
* Touro University Nevada

For-profit|

* Career College of Northern Nevada
* DeVry University
* Everest College
* Pima Medical Institute
* University of Phoenix

* v
* t
* e

Mountain West Conference

Full members|

* Air Force Falcons
* Boise State Broncos1
* Colorado State Rams1
* Fresno State Bulldogs1
* Nevada Wolf Pack
* New Mexico Lobos
* San Diego State Aztecs1
* San Jose State Spartans
* UNLV Rebels
* Utah State Aggies1
* Wyoming Cowboys

Future members|

* Grand Canyon Antelopes2 3
* UC Davis Aggies
* UTEP Miners3

Associate members|

* Hawaii Rainbow Warriors4
* Northern Illinois Huskies3
* Colorado College Tigers5
* Washington State Cougars6 1

Championships & awards|

* List
* Baseball
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball
* Women's soccer

History|

* 2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment
* 2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment

* 1leaving in 2026
* 2non-football
* 3joining in 2026
* 4becoming full member in 2026
* 5women's soccer
* 6baseball and women's swimming

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Czech Republic
* 2
* 3
* Israel

Geographic|

* MusicBrainz place

People|

* Trove

Other|

* IdRef

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template