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. 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, 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. 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:
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 2022, University of Nevada, Reno was ranked tied for 263rd overall among national universities and tied for 132nd among public universities in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report.
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.
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.