University of Nevada , Reno The University of Nevada , Reno ( also referred to as University of Nevada , UNR , or simply Nevada ) , is a teaching and research university established in 1874 and located in Reno , Nevada , USA . It is the land grant institution for the state of Nevada . The campus is home to the large - scale structures laboratory in the College of Engineering , which has put Nevada researchers at the forefront nationally in a wide range of civil engineering , earthquake and large - scale structures testing and modeling . The Nevada Terawatt Facility , located on a satellite campus of the university , includes a terawatt - level Z - pinch machine and terawatt - class high - intensity laser system – one of the most powerful such lasers on any college campus in the country . It is home to the University of Nevada School of Medicine , with campuses in both of Nevada ' s major urban centers , Las Vegas and Reno , and a health network that extends to much of rural Nevada . The faculty are considered worldwide and national leaders in diverse areas such as environmental literature , journalism , Basque studies , and social sciences such as psychology . It is also home to the Donald W . Reynolds School of Journalism , which has produced six Pulitzer Prize winners . The school includes 16 clinical departments and five nationally recognized basic science departments . History . The Nevada State Constitution established the State University of Nevada in Elko , Nevada in 1874 . In 1881 it became Nevada State University . In 1885 , the 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 . The national economic crisis affected the University of Nevada Reno , which resulted in the vertical cutting of several programs rather than blanket across the board cuts , however ; the Fall 2011 semester saw the largest incoming class in the history of the University . Precise name . There is some debate over whether the university should be called UNR or Nevada . However , some claim that since it was the first university in the state , its historic name should be its official designation . Like Nevada , many other multi - campus public university systems such as the University of Michigan use this method . Similar to this the University of California ' s flagship campus of UC Berkeley is referred to as " California " or " Cal " , but only for sporting purposes . Several of the university ' s institutions retain the institution ' s traditional name , " University of Nevada , " including the alumni association , the student government , and the athletics department ( which refers to the university ' s teams simply as " Nevada , " a practice held since the late 19th century ) . When the University plays in sports against in - state rival , the University of Nevada , Las Vegas , the school ' s name is decided by the home team . When the game is held in Reno , it reads UNLV vs Nevada , however , if held in Las Vegas it reads , UNLV vs UNR . At the 2012 rivalry game at UNLV ' s Sam Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas , the score board read Rebels vs . Pack , completely avoiding the UNLV vs . Nevada ( or UNR ) debate . Academics . University of Nevada , Reno is ranked 181st amongst national universities nationwide as a Tier 1 University by U . S . News & World Report . Internationally , it is ranked among the world ' s top 500 universities . Bachelor ' s , master ' s , and doctoral programs are offered through : Centers . Nevada sponsors a center dedicated to Basque studies ( Including 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 . Within the College of Business at the University of Nevada , the part - time MBA program was ranked 21st in the United States by BusinessWeek as of 2009 . In 2012 the part - time MBA program is now ranked 4th in the United States by BusinessWeek . Methodology for this ranking is described by Business Week to be their most complex of MBA rankings . It ’ s based on separate measures of student satisfaction , academic quality , and post - graduation outcomes . This is a major accomplishment for Nevada as the part - time MBA program is now ranked above elite schools such as UC Berkeley ( Haas ) , Rice University , University of Michigan , and University of Washington to name a few . Only Carnegie Mellon , UCLA , and Elon are ranked above Nevada in this category . U . S . News & World Report ranks Nevada in the top 100 public institutions classifying them as Tier 1 . Campus . 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 . The Quad . The 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 . The northern end of the Quad contains a statue of John William Mackay ( namesake of Nevada ' s Mackay School of Mines , later renamed the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering ) , created by Mount Rushmore designer Gutzon Borglum . The Quad and the original campus buildings surrounding it have a listing on the National Register of Historic Places . Arboretum . Across the campus of the university exists the University of Nevada , Reno Arboretum , which was established in 1985 , contains a collection of trees , shrubs , flowers , ornamentals and native flora , including over 60 genera and about 200 species of trees , many with several cultivars present . Thirty - six mature elm trees line the Quad . Mackay Stadium . The football team plays at Mackay Stadium , The modern Mackay Stadium was completed in 1965 with a seating capacity of 7 , 500 . The facility has been expanded several times in the last 15 years and now seats 29 , 993 . Residential life . The University Of Nevada , Reno offers a variety of options to students who are willing to stay on - campus . There are 8 different resident halls which comprise living learning communities and substance free halls . The living learning communities houses students of similar academic interests . 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 . A lot of 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 , Reno 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 . Student government . Associated Students of the University of Nevada . The Associated Students of the University of Nevada ( ASUN ) is made up of every undergraduate student at the University of Nevada and provides a vehicle , through elected officials , to voice student concerns . The ASUN was founded as the Athletic Association in 1898 and is composed of an Executive Branch , Legislative Branch and Judicial Branch . The current ASUN President , Huili Weinstock , oversees all three branches and appoints the lead positions of the Executive Branch . The Executive Branch of ASUN consists of the following student body officers – President and Vice President – elected by the undergraduate student body . Appointed members include the Director of Programming , Director of Clubs and Organizations , Director of Traditions , Director of Campus Unity , Director of Legislative Affairs , Presidential Assistant on Public and Campus Relations , Attorney General , and Chief of Staff . The Senate of the Associated Students was established in 1933 . The Senate is led by the Speaker of the Senate , and is the official voice of the undergraduate students on decisions regarding campus policies , programming , and money spent by the student government on student support services . The senate consists of 22 senators elected from each of the academic schools and colleges . ASUN Graduate Student Association . The Graduate Student Association ( GSA ) represents the graduate student population at the University of Nevada . The GSA consists of 25 Council Members and a 3 member Executive Council . The Council Members are elected from all of the colleges and schools throughout the university with graduate programs . The Executive Council includes the GSA President , Vice President of Internal Affairs , and Vice President of External Affairs , which are elected by the GSA Council Members . Athletics . Though often referred to as UNR within the state , 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 . Coach Mark Fox took over after Trent Johnson left in 2004 to coach at Stanford University . On April 3 , 2009 it was announced that David Carter would replace Fox who decided to leave Nevada for the same position at the University of Georgia . On March 1 , 2012 , the Wolf Pack basketball team won against New Mexico State University for the WAC title . Football . The football team , currently coached by Brian Polian , plays at Mackay Stadium . The modern Mackay Stadium was completed in 1965 with a seating capacity of 7 , 500 . The facility has been expanded several times in the last 15 years and now seats 29 , 993 . 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 . Other . Other successes have come in boxing ( four collegiate champion teams ) , rifle shooting , baseball , women ' s soccer and softball , swimming and diving , rugby and lacrosse . Rivalries . Annually , Nevada ' s football team plays its primary rival , UNLV , for the Fremont Cannon in the Battle for Nevada . Nevada currently enjoys a 23 – 15 lead in the series , after beating UNLV in 2012 , 42 – 37 , in Las Vegas , for the eighth straight year . Nevada also plays UNLV once a year in basketball , with UNLV currently leading the series 51 - 19 . Nevada ' s two out - of - state rivals , particularly in football , are Boise State and Fresno State . In 2012 , Nevada joined its rivals Boise State , Fresno State , and UNLV in the Mountain West Conference . Mascot . The Wolf Pack ' s mascot is an anthropomorphized wolf named Alphie , who took over the duties of cheering from his uncle , Wolfie , in 1999 . In 2007 , Alphie was joined by his younger brother , Wolfie Jr . In 2012 , Wolfie was named Mascot of the Year . Conference affiliations . Nevada joined the Mountain West Conference in 2012 . Previous conference memberships include : Student media . Nevada ' s editorially independent , weekly student newspaper is called " 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 won the Associated Collegiate Press Pacemaker award in 2008 and 2009 . It was also a finalist for a Pacemaker at the 2006 and 2007 ACP student journalism awards . It has won the best of show award at the fall 2005 , 2006 and 2007 ACP national conferences in its category ( weekly broadsheet at a four - year university ) . It was also nominated for an online ACP Pacemaker in 2008 . It ' s new web site , [ www . nevadasagebrush . com ] , which launched in the fall of 2007 , has also been recognized by the Center for Innovation in College Media for it breaking news packages , podcasts , videos and general innovation and Web presence . Many of The " Nevada Sagebrush " ' s former editors go on to work and take internships at newspapers and news organizations such as " The Washington Post " , " The Oregonian " , " USA Today " , " The Miami Herald " , " The Arizona Republic " and the Associated Press as well as dozens of local newspapers around the country . Insight Magazine is the only student - run magazine at the University of Nevada , Reno . Formerly Nevada ' s yearbook for nearly 100 years , " Insight Magazine " , has evolved into the second major publication circulating at the university . The first edition of Insight Magazine was published in September 2008 . It presents itself as a theme - based monthly magazine , providing photography , stories and graphics , in contrast to the weekly , newspaper - style of " The Sagebrush " . It is put out both in print and online . The online version , " UNRINSIGHT . com " , provides both support for the published stories and independent content . In its sophomore year , Insight Magazine has received national attention from major college media organizations , such as the Associated College Press and the College Media Advisers . Insight placed fifth for headline presentation in Best of Collegiate Design 2009 by the " College Media Advisers " . At the 2009 ACP Conference in Austin , Texas , Insight placed fifth in Best of Show for an audio podcast . Nevada ' s literary arts journal " Brushfire " was created by a group of students in 1950 . It is released once a semester and publishes original poetry , literature , and art by students and some faculty and community members . The university is also home to a student - run radio station , Wolf Pack Radio . The station broadcasts primarily through its website , although it comes through at 1700 AM . Starting in the Fall 2010 semester , Nevada broadcast journalism students started " Wolf Pack Week , " a 30 - minute television newscast that is shown around campus . Future episodes will air on PBS in Reno and Las Vegas . There are other independent student publications on campus ( although they have stopped publishing regularly since 2006 ) , including " The Nevada Blue " and the " Pack Patriot " . Greek life . Professional Fraternities Film history . The University of Nevada ' s classically - styled campus has served as the setting for many movies , including :