# University of Nevada, Reno

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

## 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. 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 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

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:
* 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

For 2025, University of Nevada, Reno was ranked tied for 204th overall among national universities and tied for 113th among public universities in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.
In 2025, Forbes rated the University 167th overall among American universities while University of Nevada, Las Vegas by comparison ranked 286th. UNR was also ranked No. 74 for best public college and No. 36 "in the west".
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.

## Campus

The University of Nevada, Reno is the flagship institution of Nevada. 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.
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.

### 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.

### 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.

### 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. 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. In order to reduce energy use, UNR has installed solar panels on the Joe Crowley Student Union and built its first LEED accredited building. The University of Nevada has been ranked among the nation's most sustainable colleges, receiving an overall grade of "B+" on the Sustainable Endowment Institute's College Sustainability Report Card 2010.

## Athletics

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

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

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.
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

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2020 :
| Race and ethnicity | Total | Total |
| White | 55% | 55 |
| Hispanic | 23% | 23 |
| Other | 9% | 9 |
| Asian | 8% | 8 |
| Black | 3% | 3 |
| Foreign national | 1% | 1 |
| Native American | 1% | 1 |
| Economic diversity |||
| Low-income | 28% | 28 |
| Affluent | 72% | 72 |
The university has four official Student Media organizations: The Nevada Sagebrush, Wolf Pack Radio, Insight Magazine (formally Artemisia), and The Brushfire Literature & Arts Journal.

### Nevada Sagebrush

Nevada's editorially independent, monthly student newspaper is The Nevada Sagebrush. 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. The newspaper won the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award in 2008 and 2009.

### Wolf Pack Radio

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.

### Insight Magazine

The university also sponsors Insight Magazine, the university's photography and lifestyle magazine. Insight was previously known as Artemisia Magazine until summer 2008. Under the name Artemisia, the magazine served as the university yearbook since its inception in 1899.

### Brushfire Literature & Arts Journal

The Brushfire was created in 1950 to spread Literature and Arts with Nevada students.

## Film history

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