University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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"UNLV" redirects here. For other uses, see UNLV (disambiguation).
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| Established | 1957 |
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| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $91.2 million |
| President | David B. Ashley |
| Faculty | 1,000 |
| Students | 31,000 |
| Undergraduates | 26,000 |
| Postgraduates | 5,000 |
| Location | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA |
| Campus | Urban 337 acres |
| Sports | Rebels |
| Colors | Scarlet and grey |
| Website | unlv.edu |
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public, coeducational university located in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, known for its programs in engineering, English, hotel administration, and management information systems. It is the major university of southern Nevada. The hotel administration program is widely recognized as the finest program in its class. The university is ranked in the category of Doctoral/Research Universities-Intensive by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
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[edit] 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 UNLV SUCKS 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, and twenty-nine students graduated in the first commencement ceremonies in 1964[1]. In 1965, the Nevada Legislature named the school Nevada Southern University, and the Board of Regents hired the campus's first president, William Carlson[2]. In 1968, Nevada Southern was given equal status with the University of Nevada, Reno, and the present name was approved by the Regents in January 1969. Today the University 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. UNLV now offers more than 190 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs.
In 2005, the university received over $95 million in extramural research funding, about a thirty percent increase over the previous year. In addition, a fundraising campaign, "Invent the Future," passed $300 million in money collected in 2005, with the ultimate goal of raising $500 million. A new 135,000-square-foot student union and a new 188,000-square-foot recreation center are both slated for completion 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.
In 2003, Gladys Knight tracked the majority of her recent Grammy-winning album at the UNLV Recording Studio, located on the campus. This recording session was engineered by professors Chuck Foley and Gil Kaupp, and included recording a large orchestra, big band wind section, a rock rhythm section, Gladys Knight, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, all simultaneously from the various rooms of the recording studio.
[edit] Academics
The university 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.
[edit] Colleges and Schools
- College of Business
- UNLV College of Education
- College of Fine Arts
- College of Liberal Arts
- College of Sciences
- Division of Health Sciences
- Graduate College
- Greenspun College of Urban Affairs
- Honors College
- Howard R. Hughes Engineering College
- School of Architecture
- School of Nursing
- University College
- William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
- William S. Boyd School of Law
[edit] The Campus
The 337-acre (1.4-km²) UNLV campus is located on Maryland Parkway in southeastern Las Vegas about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) east of the Las Vegas Strip. Ground breaking on the original 60 acre site was in April, 1956. UNLV has purchased a 640 acre site in North Las Vegas for future expansion.
[edit] Athletics
UNLV's 17 intercollegiate athletic teams are nicknamed the Rebels or Lady Rebels (the men's basketball team is typically referred to as the Runnin' Rebels; the baseball team is typically referred to as the Hustlin' Rebels). The name Rebels is derived from the school's original name, Nevada Southern University. The school's colors are scarlet and grey. UNLV is a member of the Mountain West Conference in the NCAA's Division I. UNLV's men's football team plays the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) for the Fremont Cannon each year in the Battle for Nevada. UNLV's men's soccer team competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.
In 1990, UNLV won the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship by beating Duke University by a record setting margin (30 points) of 103-73, becoming the first team to score over 100 in the championship game. Before becoming a basketball powerhouse in the late 70s, 80s and early 90s, UNLV was often referred to as "Tumbleweed Tech" due to its relative obscurity. Led by famed coach Jerry Tarkanian, the Runnin' Rebels were among the most exciting teams in the nation. They consistently were tops in the nation in categories such as points scored, turnovers forced, and most importantly - wins. Shortly after the national championship Tarkanian was forced out by then-president Robert Maxson. On November 26, 2005, for his achievements as coach of the Runnin' Rebels (he was 509-105 in 19 years as head coach), the basketball court at the Thomas & Mack Center was renamed Jerry Tarkanian Court. The turmoil was highly controversial and remains a hot button issue in Las Vegas to this day.
UNLV is also well-known for its excellent golf program. Led by coach Dwaine Knight, the UNLV Golf Program has turned out PGA pros such as Adam Scott, Chris Riley, and Chad Campbell. At times they have been ranked #1 by one of the three college polls. They won the NCAA National golf team championship in 1998. Ryan Moore is a noted amateur golfer currently enrolled in the program (as of 2005). He posted the best score for an amateur at the 2005 Masters Tournament by tying for 13th with a one under par. He stood beside Tiger Woods at the awards ceremony.
On Saturday, December 9th, the UNLV Runnin' Rebels won a significant road game at (ranked #20 in the nation at the time) University of Nevada, Reno 58-49. It was the first time UNLV had won a game on the road vs. a ranked opponent since they won at the University of New Mexico 86-74 on Feb. 25, 1991, the year UNLV finished 34-1 under coach Jerry Tarkanian with a loss to Duke University in the NCAA championship game. UNLV was ranked #1 at the time, and the University of New Mexico #2.
[edit] Athletic facilities
[edit] The Performing Arts Center
The Performing Arts Center includes the following facilities:
- The Judy Bayley Theatre - Opened in 1972, the theatre 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, the hall seats 1,832 patrons, and includes a beautifully decorated lobby complete with a gallery wall of fine art.
- The Alta Ham Fine Arts Complex - Opened in 1982.
- Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center - Opened in 2001.
- The Black Box Theatre - A flexible space, it can accommodate 120–175 non-fixed seats in arrangements for small recitals, lectures, dance, and other social events. It was the largest wire grid in North America at the time of its construction.
[edit] Notable alumni
[edit] Athletics
- Larry Johnson -former NBA basketball player
- Stacey Augmon - NBA basketball player (currently an unrestricted free agent)
- Greg Anthony - former NBA basketball player
- J.R. Rider - former NBA basketball player
- Keon Clark - former NBA basketball player
- Shawn Marion - NBA basketball player with Phoenix Suns
- Marcus Banks - NBA basketball player with Phoenix Suns
- Louis Amundson - NBA basketball player with Sacramento Kings
- Randall Cunningham - former NFL football player
- Ickey Woods - former NFL football player
- Keenan McCardell - NFL football player with San Diego Chargers
- Anton Palepoi - NFL football player with Arizona Cardinals
- Todd Stottlemyre - former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Ryan Moore - PGA golfer
- Mike Mintenko - Canadian butterfly swimmer
[edit] Other notables
- Anthony E. Zuiker - Creator and executive producer, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: New York
- Robert Kevin Rose - Former co-host of TechTV's The Screen Savers and co-founder of Digg
- George J. Maloof, Jr. - President of Maloof Hotels
- Francis J. Beckwith - American philosopher and Baylor University professor.
- Eric Whitacre - Noted composer of choral and instrumental music
- Greg Wright - Professional poker player
- Jimmy Kimmel - Comedian and talk show host
- Ronnie Vannucci Current drummer for the Las Vegas band The Killers
- Kenny Mayne - ESPN SportsCenter anchor
- William Macbeth - President of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino
- Shelley Berkley - Current US Congressional Representative for Nevada's 1st District
- Suge Knight - Founder of Death Row Records
- Guy Fieri - Celebrity Chef
- Lindsay Hartley - Actress, "Passions"
- Dino - singer and music producer
- Kendall Wilson - Author of various children's books and famous singer (She is rumored to be engaged with Greg Wright)
[edit] Notable faculty
- Wole Soyinka - Nobel laureate, African poet and playwright
- Dave Hickey - MacArthur Foundation fellow (Oct. 2001), art critic and cultural theorist
- Hans-Hermann Hoppe - Anarcho-Capitalist and Austrian School economist from Peine, West Germany
- Michael Tylo, longtime soap opera actor (Guiding Light, The Young and the Restless)
- Michel Hugo, noted cinematographer ("Mission Impossible" (TV Series), "Hart To Hart", "Dynasty")
- Hal Rothman, Distinguished Professor (History), former department chair, prolific writer on Las Vegas and environmental history
- Murray Newton Rothbard - Former Distinguished Professor, and notable Austrian economist
- Dave Loeb - Chairman of Jazz Studies Department. Well-known jazz and studio pianist and arranger ("Family Guy", "American Dad", "Dallas", "Hill Street Blues", "Quantum Leap", "Harlem Nights", The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, etc.)
- Clarence Gilyard Jr. - Texas Ranger on the TV Show "Walker, Texas Ranger" from 1993-2001.
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ "History of UNLV," (accessed April 26, 2006)
- ^ Harter, Carol C, "State of the University 2005," (accessed April 26, 2006)
[edit] External links
- UNLV homepage
- UNLV CSUN Student Government
- The Rebel Yell, student newspaper
- UNLV libraries
- UNLV Special Collections
- Official UNLV athletics site
- UNLV-TV
- USNews.com: University of Nevada–Las Vegas
- UNLV Map
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