UNR joins UNLV on prestigious research list after mistake fixed

The University of Nevada, Reno, has earned the designation as a top research institution along with UNLV, but was inexplicably left off the list published this week, officials said Friday.

Both schools have been designated “very high research activity” institutions, also called R1, by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. A list posted on Wednesday that included about 120 schools, including UNLV, did not name UNR. An updated list with 130 schools now includes both universities.

“This is a momentous accomplishment for UNR,” Nevada System of Higher Education Chancellor Thom Reilly said in a statement Friday. “We now have two doctoral-granting universities in our state that have reached the prestigious goal of becoming ‘R1’ research institutions. I believe this will attract significant academic talent to Nevada, which in turn will create opportunities for businesses and help Nevada’s economy grow.”

It wasn’t immediately clear why UNR and the other colleges weren’t included in the earlier listing. Calls to Carnegie were not returned Friday.

Carnegie researchers categorize doctoral universities in one of three ways: “very high research activity” institutions with at least $5 million in research expenditures; “high research activity” institutions, also with at least $5 million in research expenditures; and a new “doctoral/professional universities” category, institutions that report less than $5 million in research or don’t report such expenditures.

UNLV and UNR are the first public institutions in the state to reach the top tier. The designations will help pave the way for the universities to do more research.

In a statement, UNR President Marc Johnson said the recognition was a long time coming.

“This is the culmination of a quest that began years ago and was only made possible through the significant contributions of so many within our university community,” he said. “The honor of this classification is a tremendous achievement, but the commitment of our faculty to build research and graduate programs to earn this classification is what is important.”

Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Page took a similar view.

“This is wonderful news and I remain beaming with pride knowing UNR and UNLV have both been recognized as R1 research institutions,” he said in a statement. “This is the result of the hard work and dedication of (UNR) President Marc Johnson and his team, the faculty, staff, and especially the UNR students and community.”

Contact Meghin Delaney at 702-383-0281 or mdelaney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @MeghinDelaney on Twitter.