University of Las Vegas

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Former names	University of Nevada, Southern Division (1957–1965) Nevada Southern University (1965–1969)
Motto	Omnia Pro Patria (Latin)
Motto in English	All For Our Country
Type	Public
Established	September 10, 1957; 59 years ago (1957-09-10)
Endowment	$230.8 million (2016)
President	Len Jessup
Provost	Diane Chase
Academic staff	1,000
Administrative staff	3,282
Students	29,702 (2016)
Undergraduates	24,715 (Fall 2016)
Postgraduates	4,278 (Fall 2016)
Doctoral students	710 (Fall 2016)
Location	Paradise, Nevada, U.S. Coordinates: 36°06′28″N 115°08′38″W / 36.10779°N 115.14376°W / 36.10779; -115.14376
Campus	Urban Main Campus: 358 acres (145 ha) North Campus: 640 acres (260 ha) Shadow Lane Campus: 18.2 acres (7.4 ha)
Colors	Scarlet, Gray
Nickname	Rebels
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I – FBS Mountain West Conference
Mascot	Hey Reb
Website	www.unlv.edu

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is an American public research university in the Las Vegas suburb of Paradise, Nevada. The 332-acre (134 ha) campus is about 1.6-mile (2.6 km) east of the Las Vegas Strip. The university includes the Shadow Lane Campus, just east of the University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, which houses the School of Dental Medicine— the only dental school in Nevada. In addition, UNLV's law school, the William S. Boyd School of Law, is also the only law school in the state.

The university is classified a "research-intensive university" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration is annually ranked among the top hospitality programs in the United States due to the university's proximity to the Las Vegas Strip. Its Thomas & Mack Center hosted the 2007 NBA All-Star Game, concerts, as well as lectures by Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev as part of various UNLV-affiliated lecture series.

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, Reno in 1959 in a classroom at Las Vegas High School. In 1955, State Senator Mahlon Brown "sponsored the legislation to provide $200,000 to construct the campus's first building" - Frazier Hall. Groundbreaking on the original 60-acre (24 ha) site was in April 1956, and the university purchased a 640-acre (260 ha) 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 on September 10, 1957. The first classes were held on the current campus in the post and beam Mid Century Modern Maude Frazier Hall designed by the local architectural firm, Zick & Sharp. Twenty-nine students graduated in the first commencement ceremonies in 1964.