The story
Beginnings
The first college classes, which eventually became the classes of UNLV, were offered as the southern regional extension division of the University of Nevada 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.
Nevada Southern University
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, who died in 2008 at the age of 88.
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 the need for input from representatives from the University of Nevada, Reno. 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. Soon, 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.
Evolution to UNLV
In 1969, the board of regents approved the name University of Nevada, 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.
The Center for Business and Economic Research was established in 1975 for research projects that assist in developing the Nevada economy and assist state and local agencies and private-sector enterprises in collecting and analyzing economic and market data.
In 1981, Claes Oldenburg's Flashlight sculpture was installed on the plaza between Artemus Ham Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre.
The Lied Institute for Real Estate Studies was established in 1989.
Read the full text
In 2001, Lied Library opened to the public. The final cost of the project was reported to be $55.3 million.
In 2002, the School of Dental Medicine opened to train students, and to offer low-cost dental care to residents.
In 2003, the Institute for Security Studies was established to address homeland security concerns. The Lynn Bennett Childhood Development Center opened.
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. Also, the School of Public Health was established in the Division of Health Sciences to address new and emerging public-health issues.
In 2005, construction began on the $113 million science and engineering building, which has 200,000 square feet of teaching space, laboratories, and high-tech conference rooms. The building, completed in 2008, was designed to support interdisciplinary research, draw students to high-demand fields such as electrical engineering, computer science, and environmental science, and attract national and international researchers. UNLV launched its first comprehensive campaign, Invent the Future, with the goal of raising $500 million by December 2008. Also, the Air Force ROTC program was established on campus.
In 2006, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents raised the minimum GPA to 3.0 for admittance to UNLV. UNLV opened its first international campus in Singapore, where the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration offered a bachelor's degree program in hospitality management. UNLV planned to end its partnership with the Singapore Institute of Technology by 2015, due to economic issues such as rising tuition in Las Vegas and the falling value of the U.S. dollar in Singapore.
In 2007, an expanded student union (with study and social lounges, eateries, a new ballroom, and a 300-seat theater) and a new student recreation center (with high-tech weight and fitness rooms, swimming pools, and a juice bar) opened in the fall. These facilities reflected UNLV's goal of becoming more student-oriented. The Greenspun College of Urban Affairs broke ground for the $94 million Greenspun Hall, which showcased the latest environmental and technological advancements and served as an anchor for "Midtown UNLV."
In 2011, UNLV's business college was formally renamed after a $15 million donation from the Ted and Doris Lee family, the Las Vegas real estate, hotel, restaurant, and casino investors.
In 2016, UNLV hosted the final presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. The Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies covered the debate on their local station, UNLV-TV. This featured a three-hour live broadcast of round-table student commentary, interviews, and coverage from the spin room inside the Thomas and Mack Center.
In 2017, UNLV shut down the only HIV clinic for children and pregnant women in the Southern Nevada region for ethical violations. UNLV later settled for $1.45 million related to improper charges made by principal investigator Echezona Ezeanolue to several federal research awards.
In 2018, UNLV President Len Jessup received unfavorable performance reviews from the system chancellor. Ethical concerns were raised when a $14 million donation was conditioned on his continual employment, but the UNLV Foundation Board of Trustees conducted an ethics investigation that uncovered no self-dealings by Jessup and the donor.
In 2019, UNLV renamed the School of Community Health Sciences as the School of Public Health.
Campus shooting
On December 6, 2023, a mass shooting occurred on campus when 67–year–old Anthony James Polito opened fire at the Frank and Estella Beam Hall and Student Union buildings. Polito, who had applied to be a professor at the campus but was rejected, killed three people and critically wounded a fourth before being fatally shot in a shootout with police.
One of the victims of the 2023 shooting, Patricia Navarro-Velez, was named as part of a federal investigation by the Department of Education into the school's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts alongside another professor who was no longer employed by the university. The investigation was part of the second Trump administration's efforts to remove DEI programs from within schools and government agencies. The school confirmed that Navarro-Velez was being investigated, and a spokesperson for the school said that she was part of the PhD Project, which is an organization which aims to recruit a "broader talent pipeline" into doctoral programs. On March 21, 2025, the Department of Education claimed that schools had violated the 1964 Civil Rights Act by partnering with the organization.
From Wikipedia’s article on University of Nevada, Las Vegas, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5