On Sept. 10, 1957, Southern Nevadans marveled as UNLV (then called Nevada Southern University) launched its first classes in a single building — the 13,000-square-foot Frazier Hall — which housed classrooms, offices, science laboratories, and a library. Surrounded by acres of untilled land, the new school served about 500 students, but more importantly, it stood as a symbol of pride and achievement, buoyed by planners who foresaw the value of education to the region’s citizens and economy.
Today, UNLV has more than 30,000 students and nearly 4,000 faculty and staff working in more than 100 buildings on campuses spread throughout Southern Nevada.
Even more remarkable are their achievements.
UNLV now holds the nation’s highest research classification – the gold standard and a distinction reserved for only the top 3% of universities — thanks to our faculty and students who are exploring topics in the basic sciences, areas of social, psychological, and physical health, and more. They are also connecting with industry and community partners, inventing new technologies, and making discoveries with major impact. UNLV continues to be recognized as a top university for veterans, serving 1,600-plus military-affiliated students. We also have Nevada’s only law and dental schools, and around this time last year I was honored to award UNLV’s first-ever M.D. degrees to our charter class of Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine graduates. The launch of the medical school itself is another testament to the resiliency and commitment of the community and our partnerships in Southern Nevada.
Why do these accomplishments matter? They’re indicative of an institution that doesn’t just aspire to be great. We’re already there, but there’s still much work to do to reach our full potential. Our future is that of a powerhouse research university that’s tangibly linked to a dynamic, innovative region.
Now, as we – hopefully, finally – emerge from the pandemic, we have an opportunity. This opportunity rests in thinking not just about getting back to where we were in February 2020, but instead about what we can do as a university and as a community to ensure our comeback is greater than our setback. The world has changed a lot in the past two years, and we should consider how we can embrace this change and emerge even stronger than we were before.
To get there, we’re working every day to build community by identifying needs and anticipating opportunities that will strengthen academic programs and community connections.
UNLV has a big role in Nevada’s economic renaissance. UNLV’s Black Fire Innovation at the 120-acre Harry Reid Research & Technology Park and our new Incubator at Hughes Center have emerged as places for research and industry to work together. Our Business School hosted the Lee Prize and we recently completed our inaugural President’s Innovation Challenge — two high-impact competitions driving new ideas that will build and diversify a post-pandemic Las Vegas economy.
Building community also means strengthening campus programs linked to community needs. The School of Public Health played a major role in mitigating the pandemic and supporting the state and the region. And prior to the pandemic, four of the six most in-demand Nevada occupations were tied to engineering fields. Earlier this spring, UNLV broke ground on an Advanced Engineering Building that will open in 2024, upping our capacity to train future professionals and support our region’s next economic boom.
We’ve also reinvigorated our commitment to the health and wellness of our residents — advancing health research and education through partnerships with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, substantially growing our undergrad nursing program, launching a new degree in occupational therapy, and introducing a dual MBA/MD. And, thanks to the incredible generosity of our partners at the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation, we’re anticipating completed construction on a new medical education building later this year.
Every day at UNLV, our people put their expertise to work through high-impact partnerships that solve challenges and create opportunity. And they’re committed to our students, helping them develop marketable skills to kick-start or advance their careers. This pays dividends for our state because more than two-thirds of our graduates continue to live and work in Southern Nevada, so their success is Southern Nevada’s success.
Building community for UNLV means being even more engaged with our partners, more nimble in responding to workforce needs, and laser-focused on developing even more innovation, new businesses, and dynamic educational experiences for our students. I believe in UNLV, this community, and our collective potential to create leaders who make a difference here every day.
It’s incredible to think back to 1957 and the people in that cramped, one-story building out in the desert along Maryland Parkway. All great cities have great universities. Those dedicated few, and countless people since at UNLV, have all worked toward an ideal that today has come to pass – Southern Nevada is a juggernaut, and UNLV is central to its continuing rise. Rebels make it happen!
Members of the editorial and news staff of the Las Vegas Review-Journal were not involved in the creation of this content.