A History of the University of Nevada, Reno
In 1864, the Constitution of the State of Nevada calls for the creation of a “State University” with instruction in Agriculture, Mechanic Arts and Mining. Ten years later, the University of Nevada, Reno was founded.
Since its inception in 1874 as the state of Nevada’s first university, the University of Nevada, Reno has delivered on the promise of providing the citizens of Nevada with a better future. As the state’s land-grant university, and ranked among the nation’s top research universities by the Carnegie Foundation, the University is known as a high-impact institution. Students and faculty are solving the pressing issues our time and providing new paths for the state’s next generation of leaders.
Over the past decade, the University has grown at a dynamic and record-setting rate, including student enrollment, number of National Merit scholars, student diversity, faculty achievement and productivity as well as infrastructure. The record growth of the modern University of Nevada, Reno, is in direct contrast to the first few decades of the University’s existence.