The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public, coeducational university located in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada, USA. The campus is located in Southeast Las Vegas, approximately east of the Las Vegas Strip. Ground breaking on the original site was in April 1956, and the university purchased a site in North Las Vegas for future expansion. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. The university has been deemed a "research-intensive university" by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

History and status

The first college classes which would eventually become the classes of UNLV were offered as the southern regional extension division of the University of Nevada, in 1951 in a classroom at Las Vegas High School. UNLV was officially founded by the Nevada Board of Regents as the Southern Division of the University of Nevada in 1957. The first classes were held on the current campus on the now historic post and beam Mid Century Modern Maude Frazier Hall designed by the award winning local architectural firm, Zick and Sharp. Twenty-nine students graduated in the first commencement ceremonies in 1964. In 1965, the Nevada Legislature named the school Nevada Southern University, and the Board of Regents hired the campus's first president, William Carlson. In 1968, Nevada Southern was given equal status with its former parent institution in Reno, and the present name was approved by the Regents in January 1969. Today UNLV is becoming one of the nation's leading metropolitan universities. Since its founding, the university has grown rapidly, expanding both its academic programs and campus facilities.

New initiatives

In 2005, the university received over $95 million in extramural research funding, about a 30 percent increase over the previous year. In addition, a fund raising campaign, "Invent the Future," passed $300 million in money collected in 2005, with the ultimate goal of raising $500 million. A new student union and a new recreation center were both completed in 2007.

In 2006, UNLV opened its first international campus in Singapore. The UNLV Singapore campus is housed on the 10th and 11th floors of the National Library of Singapore, a prestigious building comparable to the United States Library of Congress. The campus offers bachelor’s degree programs in Hotel Administration and Hospitality Management. UNLV Singapore is offering the college’s upper division courses, which include Hotel Administration, Hospitality Marketing, Food & Beverage Management and Hotel Law. Students may also earn an executive master’s degree in hospitality. And those students with an 4.0 grade point average will receive a full tuition reimbursement upon graduation and upon securing employment with a Fortune 500 company.

Sustainability

The University of Nevada- Las Vegas has created an Urban Sustainability Initiative that strives to implement sustainable practices both on campus and in the larger Las Vegas community. In addition to having two campus buildings in the process of LEED Silver Certification and one building in the process of LEED Gold Certification, UNLV has reduced its use of electricity and natural gas by 38 percent per square foot since 2001 by retrofitting older campus buildings. In the 2009 edition of the Sustainable Endowment Institute’s College Sustainability Report Card, University of Nevada-Las Vegas received a grade of “C.”

University of Nevada, Las Vegas has been affected by the Nevada System of Higher Education budget cuts approved by the state in 2008. Throughout the weekend of October 31 on the UNLV campus, along with the University of Nevada, Reno and Nevada State College, student government activists posted large, seven-foot-high particle board tombstones, reading "RIP Nevada Higher Education Funding" and things of a similar nature.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute criticized UNLV for spending $90 million on a new campus building called Greenspun Hall stating, "Why construct buildings at $780 a square foot if you can't afford to keep teachers in the classroom? Couldn't that money have been put to better use?"

In an effort to stop or at least reduce the budget cuts to UNLV and the rest of the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), rallies were held early 2009 to protest the situation. Tuition will be raised by 10% for fall 2009 as a partial measure to alleviate Nevada's financial hardship. Resources and amenities aiding students in their research and learning may be cut. Faculty and staff are also affected by Nevada's budget shortfalls. They remain worried about pay cuts, lost benefits, and job security.

Academics

UNLV offers over 200 programs of study in varying fields leading to bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees, which are taught by approximately 850 faculty members. Notable departments include the School of Architecture, School of Dental Medicine, College of Education, Graduate College, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, William S. Boyd School of Law and Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering.

The Atlantic Monthly recognized UNLV's English Department as having one of the nation's most innovative Master of Fine Arts programs and one of the top five doctoral programs in creative writing.

The Nevada Policy Research Institute has criticized the UNLV for low graduation rates claiming "A mere 41 percent of students attending the University of Nevada, Las Vegas graduate within six years. UNLV spent $16,537 per pupil in the 2006 academic year.

Campus

The main campus of UNLV is located on a 332-acre land grant in centrally located Paradise, Nevada.

Midtown UNLV is an ongoing private-public development along Maryland Parkway, a border street to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Development began in 2002 and the purpose is to expand the university to meet the demands of a major university in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The project is designed to improve the "front door" of the University by improving amenities for students and businesses along Maryland Parkway. The goals are to reduce vacant spaces, lower business turnover rates, as well as create new space for the University to expand. Additionally, the project aims to create new housing developments close to campus. Major funding is through state funding sources along with private donations.

The university has several facilities for the performing arts. The Judy Bayley Theatre, opened in 1972, seats 550 people and features a raked auditorium, a fully-rigged, proscenium stage, and a thrust-apron that can be used as an orchestra pit. The Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, opened in 1976, seats 1,832 patrons and includes a beautifully decorated lobby complete with a gallery wall of fine art. The Black Box Theatre can accommodate 120–175 non-fixed seats in arrangements for small recitals, lectures, dance, and other social events. Other facilities include the Alta Ham Fine Arts Complex, opened in 1982, and the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center, opened in 2001.

Athletic facilities include Sam Boyd Stadium, Thomas & Mack Center, and Cox Pavilion.

Athletics

UNLV Boasts varsity teams in 17 different sports. Commonly refered to as the Rebels, or Lady Rebels (Men's basketball is referred to as the Runnin' Rebels and Men's Baseball is referred to as the Hustlin' Rebels). The Rebels are a founding member of the Mountain West Conference, in the NCAA's Division I. The School's official colors are Scarlet and Gray. UNLV's Mascot is Hey Reb. The only exception is the UNLV Men's Soccer team, which competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

UNLV has many traditions in its athletic programs. Each year the Men's football team plays the University of Nevada, Reno in a football game called the Battle for Nevada. The Trophy for that game is the Fremont Cannon. Built by the Kennecott Copper Corp., Nevada Mines Division, the cannon is valued at more than $10,000 and is considered one of the best, and loudest, symbols of rivalry in college football.

UNLV is most known for its Men's Basketball Program. Made famous by Coach Jerry Tarkanian in the 1970's - 1990's, the Runnin' Rebels are the third most winning team in Division I basketball history by percentage, only behind Kentucky and North Carolina.(.713, 1037-418 through 2008) UNLV is well known for their 1990 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship by defeating Duke University 103-73, which was and still is the largest margin of victory in an Championship game. In that same game, UNLV became the first team to ever break 100 points in a Championship game.

In recent years, UNLV has returned to the National Basketball Spotlight under new head coach Mr. Lon Kruger. In 5 seasons with the Runnin' Rebels, the Rebs have won 2 Mountain West Conference Tournament Titles. In 2007, the Runnin' Rebels made the Sweet 16, and in 2008 the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, losing to the eventual National Champion, the University of Kansas.

UNLV is also well-known for its excellent golf programs. Led by coach Dwaine Knight, the UNLV Golf program has turned out PGA Tour pro's such as Adam Scott, Chris Riley, Chad Campbell, and Ryan Moore. At times they have been ranked #1 by one of the three college polls. They won the NCAA National golf team championship in 1998.

As of March 2008, the Rebel Men's Swimming & Diving Team has won 4 straight Mountain West Conference titles. Three Rebel swimmers competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics; Joe Bartoch and Richard Hortness represented Canada and Jonas Anderson represented Sweden.

Faculty

Notable faculty include Virko Baley, composer, conductor, and pianist; Dave Hickey, MacArthur Foundation fellow; Lawrence L. Larmore, theoretical computer scientist; Willard Hughes Rollings, historian; Murray Rothbard, Libertarian writer for the Las Vegas Review Journal; Tom Shires, pioneer of the use of saline in shock; Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate; Dina Titus, Nevada U.S. Congresswoman; Michael Tylo, soap opera actor; Douglas A. Unger, writer and author; and Clarence Gilyard, actor on Walker, Texas Ranger.

Alumni

UNLV has seen many of its former students go on to local and national prominence. This includes many athletes that have excelled at the collegiate and professional levels, including: Greg Anthony, Stacey Augmon, Chad Campbell, Randall Cunningham, Cecil Fielder, Larry Johnson, Ryan Ludwick, Shawn Marion, Keenan McCardell, Adam Scott, Reggie Theus, and Matt Williams.

Former Rebels in the entertainment world include Chris Cox , Guy Fieri, Jimmy Kimmel, Suge Knight, Kenny Mayne, Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo, Ronnie Vannucci, Eric Whitacre, and Anthony E. Zuiker.

UNLV has also produced numerous politicians, including U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley, U.S. Senator John Ensign, and Clark County District Attorney David Roger. Other notable alumni include Christian philosopher Francis J. Beckwith, President of Maloof Hotels and owner of the Sacramento Kings George J. Maloof, Jr., Flo Rida, and Leon Lett.

References

1. " History of UNLV," (accessed April 26, 2006)
2. Harter, Carol C, " State of the University 2005," (accessed April 26, 2006)
3. "Higher Priced Education" Nevada Policy Research Institute
4. http://savenevadastudents.org/
5. http://www.rgj.com/article/20090620/NEWS/906200339/1321/news
6. http://system.nevada.edu/Initiative/Proposed-B/Budget-Cut/04.28.09_Faculty-Recruitment---Reten.pdf
7. Las Vegas Sun, "[1]," (accessed August 2, 2007)
8. "A majority don't graduate UNLV or UNR within 6 years" Nevada Policy Research Institute [2]
9. http://npri.org/docLib/20091012_2007_Higher_Ed_spending_rank.pdf
10. http://www.unlv.edu/about/
11. http://midtown.unlv.edu/about.html
12. http://theatre.unlv.edu/theaters.html
13. http://pac.unlv.edu/venues_artemus.php
14. http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/trads/unlv-trads-colors.html
15. http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/trads/unlv-trads-hey-reb.html
16. http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/trads/unlv-trads-cannon.htmlhttp://unlvrebels.cstv.com/trads/unlv-trads-cannon.html
17. http://basketball.about.com/od/recordbook/a/winning-percent.htm
18. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament
19. http://unlvrebels.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/102909aaa.html
20. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_West_Conference
21. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_NCAA_Men%27s_Division_I_Basketball_Tournament
22. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain_West_Conference
23. [http://www.dinatitus.com/
24. [http://film.unlv.edu/bios/bio_tylo.html
25. Russell, Gregg. "Tabitha and Napoleon: Hip to Hip Hop." Studio Beat Fall 2006: 22-25.

External links

• UNLV homepage
• The Rebel Yell, student newspaper
• Official UNLV athletics site