University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Encyclopedia
University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public, coeducational university
located in the Las Vegas
suburb of Paradise, Nevada
, USA. The 337 acres (1.4 km²) campus
is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the Las Vegas Strip
. 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
.
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
. Groundbreaking on the original60 acre (24.3 ha) site was in April 1956, and the university purchased a 640 acre (2.6 km²) site in North Las Vegas
for future expansion. 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 in the 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
, Donald C. Moyer.
In 1968, Nevada Southern was given equal status with its parent institution in Reno
, and the present name was approved by the Regents in January 1969, during a winter session and without input by representatives from the University of Nevada. During this time Nevada Southern University also adopted the southern "Rebel" athletics moniker and a mascot dressed in a southern Confederate uniform named Beauregard. The popular reasoning behind such a controversial moniker and mascot is that they did it to oppose the northern Union traditions and symbols of their northern rival, the University of Nevada. It was not long, however, before protests from NSU/UNLV students forced a slight change to their Confederate mascot, but the "Rebels" moniker remains to this day. Since its founding, the university has grown rapidly, expanding both its academic programs and campus facilities.
In 1969, the Board of Regents approved the new name of University of Nevada at Las Vegas and the abbreviation UNLV.
In 1973 Jerry Tarkanian
was hired as the men's basketball coach by UNLV's second president, Roman Zorn.
In 1981 Claes Oldenburg
's Flashlight sculpture was installed on the plaza between Artemus Ham Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre.
In 2004, UNLV opened its first regional campus on Shadow Lane, near the University Medical Center. The School of Dental Medicine is located on the Shadow Lane Campus.
In 2009, a $59.7 million Advanced Clinical and Research Training Center was constructed under architect Carpenter Sellers. This LEED equivalent building is expected to be completed by summer 2010. It will serve to consolidate the University of Nevada Health Sciences System programs through the shared use of classrooms, teaching labs, and simulated patient lab space.
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".
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.
, 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
.
Down Beat
Magazine, the internationally recognized industry standard trade publication for jazz music, recognized the work of the 2010 UNLV Jazz Ensemble as "Outstanding Large Jazz Ensemble Performance" among graduate college-level jazz bands in their annual Student Music Award issue of that year.
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.
An elementary school, Paradise Professional Development School, is located on campus and operated as a partnership between UNLV and the Clark County School District.
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.
Athletic facilities include Sam Boyd Stadium
, Thomas & Mack Center
(1983) , Cox Pavilion
, and Earl Wilson Stadium
.
In 1997 the Paul B. Sogg Architecture Building
opened.
In 2001, The 301000 square feet (27,963.8 m²), $58 million Lied Library
, named for real estate entrepreneur Ernst W. Lied, opened.
A new 135000 sq ft (12,541.9 m²) student union
and a new 188000 sq ft (17,465.8 m²) recreation center were both completed in 2007.
UNLV supports varsity teams in 17 different sports. The men's basketball team is referred to as the Runnin' Rebels
and the men's baseball team 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 only exception is the UNLV men's soccer team, which competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
.
The school's official colors of scarlet and gray can be traced to the late-1950s when UNLV adopted as mascot a wolf wearing a Confederate uniform. Scarlet and Gray were traditional colors of the Confederacy with its gray uniforms and red-based flag. UNLV's mascot is Hey Reb, the toned down version of the original mascot named Beauregard, which was a wolf character dressed in Confederate
hat and uniform. UNLV's Hey Reb mascot made his debut in 1983. He received his first makeover in 1997 and second in 2009. Named one of 12 All-American Mascots, he competed for the title of 2004 Capital One Mascot of the Year and made a strong showing by coming in second in online voting. No stranger to national television, Hey Reb has also appeared in two memorable ESPN SportsCenter commercials.
UNLV has many traditions in its athletic programs. Each year the men's football team plays the Nevada Wolf Pack
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 1970s–1990s, 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 a championship game. In that same game, UNLV became the first team to ever break 100 points in a championship game.
UNLV is also well known for its golf program. Led by coach Dwaine Knight, the UNLV Golf program has turned out PGA Tour pros such as Adam Scott, Chris Riley, Chad Campbell
, Ryan Moore, Skip Kendall
, Charlie Hoffman
, Bill Lunde
, and Andres Gonzales
. They won the NCAA National golf team championship in 1998.
In February 2011, the Rebel men's swimming and diving team won their seventh 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.
Former Rebels in the entertainment world include:
UNLV has also produced numerous politicians, including:
Other notable alumni include:
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
located in the Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
suburb of Paradise, Nevada
Paradise, Nevada
Paradise is an unincorporated town in the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Clark County, Nevada, United States. The population was 223,167 at the 2010 census...
, USA. The 337 acres (1.4 km²) campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
is located approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. The institution includes a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada. The university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
has been deemed a "research-intensive university" by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching
Founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1905 and chartered in 1906 by an act of the United States Congress, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching is an independent policy and research center, whose primary activities of research and writing have resulted in published reports on every level...
.
History
The first collegeCollege
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
classes which would eventually become the classes of UNLV were offered as the southern regional extension division of the University of Nevada
University of Nevada
University of Nevada could refer to either of the universities in the Nevada System of Higher Education:* University of Nevada, Reno * University of Nevada, Las Vegas...
in 1951 in a classroom at Las Vegas High School
Las Vegas High School
Las Vegas High School is a public high school in unincorporated Sunrise Manor, Nevada, United States, and a part of the Clark County School District. It is the oldest high school in Las Vegas, originally opening in 1931 on what was originally the outskirts of town...
. Groundbreaking on the original60 acre (24.3 ha) site was in April 1956, and the university purchased a 640 acre (2.6 km²) site in North Las Vegas
North Las Vegas, Nevada
North Las Vegas is a city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, located in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The city was incorporated on May 16, 1946.-Geography:...
for future expansion. UNLV was officially founded by the Nevada Board of Regents
Nevada System of Higher Education
The Nevada System of Higher Education was formed in 1968 to oversee all state-supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. The name was changed in 2004. Two doctoral-granting research universities, one state college, four community colleges and one research institute comprise the...
as the Southern Division of the University of Nevada in 1957. The first classes were held on the current campus in the post and beam Mid Century Modern Maude Frazier
Maude Frazier
Maude Frazier was an American politician. She was the first female Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. Before entering politics, Frazier was a teacher, principal and school superintendent. She was a member of the Democratic Party...
Hall designed by the award
Award
An award is something given to a person or a group of people to recognize excellence in a certain field; a certificate of excellence. Awards are often signifiedby trophies, titles, certificates, commemorative plaques, medals, badges, pins, or ribbons...
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
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
, Donald C. Moyer.
In 1968, Nevada Southern was given equal status with its parent institution in Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, and the present name was approved by the Regents in January 1969, during a winter session and without input by representatives from the University of Nevada. During this time Nevada Southern University also adopted the southern "Rebel" athletics moniker and a mascot dressed in a southern Confederate uniform named Beauregard. The popular reasoning behind such a controversial moniker and mascot is that they did it to oppose the northern Union traditions and symbols of their northern rival, the University of Nevada. It was not long, however, before protests from NSU/UNLV students forced a slight change to their Confederate mascot, but the "Rebels" moniker remains to this day. Since its founding, the university has grown rapidly, expanding both its academic programs and campus facilities.
In 1969, the Board of Regents approved the new name of University of Nevada at Las Vegas and the abbreviation UNLV.
In 1973 Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian , also known as "Tark the Shark", is a retired college basketball coach known as one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history...
was hired as the men's basketball coach by UNLV's second president, Roman Zorn.
In 1981 Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg
Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor, best known for his public art installations typically featuring very large replicas of everyday objects...
's Flashlight sculpture was installed on the plaza between Artemus Ham Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre.
In 2004, UNLV opened its first regional campus on Shadow Lane, near the University Medical Center. The School of Dental Medicine is located on the Shadow Lane Campus.
New initiatives
In 2005, the university received over $95 million in extramural research funding, about a 30 percent increase over the previous year. Its fund raising campaign, "Invent the Future", reached its $500 million goal in 2009.In 2009, a $59.7 million Advanced Clinical and Research Training Center was constructed under architect Carpenter Sellers. This LEED equivalent building is expected to be completed by summer 2010. It will serve to consolidate the University of Nevada Health Sciences System programs through the shared use of classrooms, teaching labs, and simulated patient lab space.
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 LEEDLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
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".
In an effort to stop or at least reduce the budget cuts to UNLV and the rest of the Nevada System of Higher Education
Nevada System of Higher Education
The Nevada System of Higher Education was formed in 1968 to oversee all state-supported higher education in the U.S. state of Nevada. The name was changed in 2004. Two doctoral-granting research universities, one state college, four community colleges and one research institute comprise the...
(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'sBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, master's
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
, and doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
degrees, which are taught by approximately 850 faculty members. Notable departments include the School of Architecture
UNLV School of Architecture
The School of Architecture is part of the College of Fine Arts at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board in October 1997...
, School of Dental Medicine
UNLV School of Dental Medicine
The UNLV School of Dental Medicine is the dental school of UNLV. The school is located on the Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of University Medical Center of Southern Nevada on Charleston and Shadow Lane, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The school enrolls, on average, 80 freshmen per year.-External...
, College of Education
UNLV College of Education
The College of Education is an academic unit of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas .Approximately 2,000 undergraduate students are enrolled in the college, with more than half pursuing majors in Elementary and Secondary education. An additional 800 students are enrolled at the graduate level...
, Graduate College
UNLV Graduate College
The Graduate College of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas was founded as the Division of Graduate Studies in 1964 by Nevada Southern University. Prior to 1969, UNLV was known as Nevada Southern University. It was not until 1972 that the Division of Graduate Studies would become the Graduate...
, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration
The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration at UNLV is consistently one of the highest ranked hotel and hospitality colleges in the nation. The school is named after William F. Harrah, the founder of Harrah's Entertainment....
, William S. Boyd School of Law
William S. Boyd School of Law
The William S. Boyd School of Law is a law school accredited with the American Bar Association. It is located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada and is the only law school in Nevada. The school is also home to the Wiener-Rogers Law Library, the Saltman...
, and Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering
The Atlantic Monthly recognized UNLV's English Department
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
as having one of the nation's most innovative Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
programs and one of the top five doctoral programs in creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
.
Down Beat
Down Beat
Down Beat is an American magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond" to indicate its expansion beyond the jazz realm which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chicago, Illinois...
Magazine, the internationally recognized industry standard trade publication for jazz music, recognized the work of the 2010 UNLV Jazz Ensemble as "Outstanding Large Jazz Ensemble Performance" among graduate college-level jazz bands in their annual Student Music Award issue of that year.
In 2006, UNLV opened its first international
International
----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
campus in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. 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.
An elementary school, Paradise Professional Development School, is located on campus and operated as a partnership between UNLV and the Clark County School District.
Campus
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
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
. 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.
Buildings
Performing arts facilities include the Judy Bayley Theatre (1972), the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall (1976), the Black Box Theatre, the Alta Ham Fine Arts Complex (1982), and the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center (2001).Athletic facilities include Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium
Sam Boyd Stadium is a football stadium located in Whitney, Nevada, an unincorporated community in the Las Vegas metropolitan area; the mailing address of the stadium is "Las Vegas". The stadium is named after Sam Boyd, a major figure in the hotel/casino industry in Las Vegas. The stadium consists...
, Thomas & Mack Center
Thomas & Mack Center
The Thomas & Mack Center is an arena, located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. For ring events, the capacity is 19,522, for basketball, the capacity is 18,776.-History:...
(1983) , Cox Pavilion
Cox Pavilion
The Cox Pavilion is a , multi-purpose indoor arena on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA, campus, connected to the Thomas & Mack Center, which serves as the home court for UNLV Lady Rebels women's basketball and volleyball programs as well as the annual NBA Summer League.Cox Communications...
, and Earl Wilson Stadium
Earl Wilson Stadium
Earl E. Wilson Baseball Stadium at Roger Barnson Field is a baseball stadium located on the northwest corner of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus in Paradise, Nevada. It has been the home field for the UNLV Hustlin' Rebels college baseball team since its opening in 1994...
.
In 1997 the Paul B. Sogg Architecture Building
UNLV School of Architecture
The School of Architecture is part of the College of Fine Arts at University of Nevada, Las Vegas. It is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board in October 1997...
opened.
In 2001, The 301000 square feet (27,963.8 m²), $58 million Lied Library
Lied Library
The Lied Library building, at 5 stories and , is the largest on University of Nevada, Las Vegas's campus in Paradise, Nevada. It was designed by Pugsley Simpson Coulter Architects...
, named for real estate entrepreneur Ernst W. Lied, opened.
A new 135000 sq ft (12,541.9 m²) student union
Student activity center
A student activity center is a type of building found on university campuses. In the United States, such a building is more often called a student union, student commons, or student center...
and a new 188000 sq ft (17,465.8 m²) recreation center were both completed in 2007.
Athletics
UNLV supports varsity teams in 17 different sports. The men's basketball team is referred to as the Runnin' Rebels
UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball
The UNLV Runnin' Rebels are a NCAA Division I men's basketball team who play at the Thomas & Mack Center in Paradise, Nevada. Their most recent appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2011 when they received an at–large bid to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, earning an 8-seed in...
and the men's baseball team is referred to as the Hustlin' Rebels. The Rebels are a founding member of the Mountain West Conference
Mountain West Conference
The Mountain West Conference , popularly known as the Mountain West, is the youngest of the college athletic conferences affiliated with the NCAA’s Division I FBS . The MWC officially began operations in July 1999...
, in the NCAA's
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division I. The only exception is the UNLV men's soccer team, which competes in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation
The Mountain Pacific Sports Federation is a college athletic conference whose member teams are located in the western United States. The conference participates at the NCAA Division I level.-History:...
.
The school's official colors of scarlet and gray can be traced to the late-1950s when UNLV adopted as mascot a wolf wearing a Confederate uniform. Scarlet and Gray were traditional colors of the Confederacy with its gray uniforms and red-based flag. UNLV's mascot is Hey Reb, the toned down version of the original mascot named Beauregard, which was a wolf character dressed in Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
hat and uniform. UNLV's Hey Reb mascot made his debut in 1983. He received his first makeover in 1997 and second in 2009. Named one of 12 All-American Mascots, he competed for the title of 2004 Capital One Mascot of the Year and made a strong showing by coming in second in online voting. No stranger to national television, Hey Reb has also appeared in two memorable ESPN SportsCenter commercials.
UNLV has many traditions in its athletic programs. Each year the men's football team plays the Nevada Wolf Pack
Nevada Wolf Pack
The Nevada Wolf Pack are the collegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nevada, Reno, consisting of 16 varsity teams. Though often known as UNR within the state, the university is simply called Nevada for athletics purposes; its sports teams are nicknamed the Wolf Pack...
in a football game called the Battle for Nevada. The trophy for that game is the Fremont Cannon
Fremont Cannon
The Fremont Cannon is the trophy awarded to the winner of the Battle for Nevada, a college football rivalry game between the University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas . The trophy was built in 1970 and is a replica of a 19th century Howitzer cannon that accompanied...
. 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
Jerry Tarkanian
Jerry Tarkanian , also known as "Tark the Shark", is a retired college basketball coach known as one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history...
in the 1970s–1990s, 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
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
by defeating Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
103-73, which was and still is the largest margin of victory in a championship game. In that same game, UNLV became the first team to ever break 100 points in a championship game.
UNLV is also well known for its golf program. Led by coach Dwaine Knight, the UNLV Golf program has turned out PGA Tour pros such as Adam Scott, Chris Riley, Chad Campbell
Chad Campbell
David Chad Campbell is an American professional golfer.-Early years and amateur career:Campbell was born in Andrews, Texas and grew up in west Texas. He was a member of a strong junior college men's golf squad during the years he played at Midland College...
, Ryan Moore, Skip Kendall
Skip Kendall
Jules I. "Skip" Kendall is an American professional golfer.Kendall was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He has three Nationwide Tour victories, and finished runner-up in PGA Tour tournaments on four occasions....
, Charlie Hoffman
Charlie Hoffman
Charles R. "Charlie" Hoffman was a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives, representing the 62nd District since 1997. He previously served as Majority Caucus Chair....
, Bill Lunde
Bill Lunde
William Jeremiah Lunde is an American professional golfer who currently plays on the PGA Tour.Lunde was born in San Diego, California. He played at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and was part of the 1998 team that won the NCAA Championship. He turned professional in 1998.Lunde played on the...
, and Andres Gonzales
Andres Gonzales
Andres Gonzales is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He has attained some popularity due to his unorthodox appearance and prolonged attempts to contact fellow golfer Tiger Woods via Twitter...
. They won the NCAA National golf team championship in 1998.
In February 2011, the Rebel men's swimming and diving team won their seventh 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:- Maile ChapmanMaile ChapmanMaile Chapman is an American novelist and short story writer. She is currently a Schaeffer Fellow in Fiction at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Her first novel Your presence is requested at Suvanto was published by Graywolf Press in 2010 and was short-listed for the Guardian First Book Award...
- Hans-Hermann HoppeHans-Hermann HoppeHans-Hermann Hoppe is an Austrian School economist of the anarcho-capitalist tradition, and a Professor Emeritus of economics at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.-Academic career:...
- Michel HugoMichel HugoMichael Hugo was a French-born American cinematographer and academic. His film and television credits included Dynasty, Melrose Place and Mission: Impossible. In 2001, Hugo became a professor at the film department of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.Hugo was born in Paris on 13 Jan 1930...
- Claudia KeelanClaudia Keelan-Life:Keelan, who was born in Anaheim, California, is a graduate of Humboldt State University and the Iowa Writers' Workshop. She is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently Missing Her , and has published poems widely in magazines and journals, including The American Poetry Review,...
- Lawrence L. LarmoreLawrence L. LarmoreProfessor Lawrence L. Larmore is a theoretical computer scientist, and a professor at University of Nevada Las Vegas. He is best known for his work with competitive analysis of online algorithms, particularly for the k-server problem. His contributions, with his co-author Marek Chrobak, led to the...
- Donald RevellDonald RevellDonald Revell is an American poet, essayist, translator and professor.Revell has won numerous honors and awards for his work, beginning with his first book, From the Abandoned Cities, which was a National Poetry Series winner. More recently, he won the 2004 Lenore Marshall Award and is a two-time...
- Willard Hughes RollingsWillard Hughes RollingsWillard Hughes Rollings was a scholar of Native American history and of the Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand....
- Murray RothbardMurray RothbardMurray Newton Rothbard was an American author and economist of the Austrian School who helped define capitalist libertarianism and popularized a form of free-market anarchism he termed "anarcho-capitalism." Rothbard wrote over twenty books and is considered a centrally important figure in the...
- Wole SoyinkaWole SoyinkaAkinwande Oluwole "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian writer, poet and playwright. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature, where he was recognised as a man "who in a wide cultural perspective and with poetic overtones fashions the drama of existence", and became the first African in Africa and...
- Randall StoutRandall Stout-Early life and education:Born and raised in Tennessee, Stout has a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Tennessee and a Master of Architecture from Rice University.-Career:...
- Dina TitusDina TitusAlice Costandina "Dina" Titus is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. She is a member of the Democratic Party. She previously served in the Nevada Senate and was that body's minority leader from 1993 to 2009....
- Michael TyloMichael Tylo-Career:Among his numerous soap opera roles, he is best known for his portrayal of Quinton Chamberlain on Guiding Light. He played the role from 1981 to 1985 and again from 1996 to 1997. He was half of the very popular supercouple Quint and Nola, with the role of Nola played by actress Lisa...
- Douglas A. UngerDouglas Unger- Life and work :Unger was born in Moscow, Idaho. He received a BA from the University of Chicago in 1973 and a MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa in 1977....
- Richard WileyRichard WileyRichard Wiley is an American novelist and short story writer whose first novel, Soldiers in Hiding won the 1987 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. He has published five other novels and a number of short stories ....
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 AnthonyGreg AnthonyGregory Carlton Anthony is an American former National Basketball Association basketball player and former personality on the ESPN family of networks. He is currently an analyst for CBS's college basketball coverage...
- Stacey AugmonStacey AugmonStacey Orlando Augmon is a retired American professional basketball player, formerly in the NBA. He gained the nickname "Plastic Man" due to his athletic ability to "stretch"...
- Chad CampbellChad CampbellDavid Chad Campbell is an American professional golfer.-Early years and amateur career:Campbell was born in Andrews, Texas and grew up in west Texas. He was a member of a strong junior college men's golf squad during the years he played at Midland College...
- Randall CunninghamRandall CunninghamRandall W. Cunningham is a former American football quarterback.After playing college football at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, he was selected in the second round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles, with whom he remained through the 1995 season...
- Cecil FielderCecil FielderCecil Grant Fielder is a former professional baseball player who was a noted power hitter in the 1980s and 1990s. He attended college at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas . He played with the Toronto Blue Jays , Detroit Tigers , New York Yankees , Anaheim Angels and Cleveland Indians...
- Joe Hawley
- Larry Johnson
- Ryan LudwickRyan LudwickRyan Andrew Ludwick is a Major League Baseball right fielder. His brother Eric played four seasons in Major League Baseball as a pitcher.-High school, college, and minor leagues:Ludwick attended Durango High School in Las Vegas, Nevada....
- Shawn MarionShawn MarionShawn Dwayne Marion is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion...
- Keenan McCardellKeenan McCardellKeenan Wayne McCardell is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League and current wide receivers coach for the Washington Redskins. He was drafted by the Redskins in the 12th round of the 1991 NFL Draft...
- Adam Scott
- Reggie Theus
- Matt Williams
Former Rebels in the entertainment world include:
- Chris Cox (DJ)Chris Cox (DJ)Chris Cox is a dance music producer, remixer, and DJ from USA and has worked on over 400 records. He has had a total of 40 Billboard dance chart number ones as part of the hitmaking remix team Thunderpuss, and others with Pusaka and as a solo artist. He was nominated for a Grammy in 2004 for his...
- Guy FieriGuy FieriGuy Fieri is an American restaurateur, author, television personality, and game show host. He co-owns five restaurants in California and is widely known for his television series on the Food Network....
- Jimmy KimmelJimmy KimmelJames Christian "Jimmy" Kimmel is an American television host and comedian. He is the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, a late-night talk show that airs on ABC. Prior to that, Kimmel was best known as the co-host of Comedy Central's The Man Show and Win Ben Stein's Money...
- Suge KnightSuge KnightMarion "Suge" Knight, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Black Kapital Records and co-founder and former CEO of Death Row Records. Death Row Records rose to dominate the rap charts after Dr. Dre's breakthrough album The Chronic in 1992. After several years of chart successes for artists including...
- Kenny MayneKenny MayneKenneth "Kenny" Wheelock Mayne is a sports journalist and comedian for ESPN.-Sports career:A native of Kent, Washington, Mayne is a former honorable mention junior college All-American quarterback in 1978 at Wenatchee Valley Community College in Wenatchee, WA...
- Tabitha and Napoleon D'umo
- Ronnie Vannucci
- Eric WhitacreEric WhitacreEric Whitacre is an American composer, conductor and lecturer. He is one of the most popular and performed composers of his generation. In 2008, the all-Whitacre choral CD Cloudburst became an international best-seller, topping the classical charts and earning a Grammy nomination...
- Anthony E. ZuikerAnthony E. ZuikerAnthony E. Zuiker is the creator and executive producer of the American television show CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He produces all three editions of the CSI franchise: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY...
UNLV has also produced numerous politicians, including:
- U.S. Congresswoman Shelley BerkleyShelley BerkleyRochelle "Shelley" Berkley is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999, and a candidate for U.S. Senate. She is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life, education, and legal career:...
- U.S. Senator John EnsignJohn EnsignJohn Eric Ensign is a former United States Senator from Nevada, serving from January 2001 until he resigned amid an investigation of an ethics violation in May 2011...
- Clark CountyClark County, Nevada-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
District Attorney David RogerDavid RogerDavid Roger is the current District Attorney of Clark County, Nevada. He was born in Oakland, California in the summer of 1961. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when he was a teenager along with his family where he graduated from Bishop Gorman High School in 1979. He then majored in Business at the...
Other notable alumni include:
- Christian philosopher Francis J. BeckwithFrancis J. BeckwithFrancis J. "Frank" Beckwith is an American Christian philosopher, scholar, debater, and lecturer. Beckwith advocates in the areas of social ethics, legal philosophy, philosophy of religion, intelligent design and the Christian countercult movement. Currently, he is the associate director of the J.M...
- President of Maloof Hotels and owner of the Sacramento KingsSacramento KingsThe Sacramento Kings are a professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California, United States. They are currently members of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
George J. Maloof, Jr.George J. Maloof, Jr.George J. Maloof, Jr. , also credited as George Maloof Jr. of the Maloof Family, is the son of Colleen and George J. Maloof, Sr...
External links
- UNLV homepage
- The Rebel Yell, student newspaper
- Official UNLV athletics site