Emphasizing a 151-year land-grant legacy as well as numerous recent initiatives and achievements that have expanded impact and renown of the University, President Brian Sandoval’s “State of the University” address on Monday made the case that it is time for the institution to take “our rightful place among the nation’s top public land-grant universities.”
“The University of Nevada has evolved from not only Nevada’s flagship university, but to a leader on the national stage,” Sandoval told an audience of about 450 in the Glick Ballrooms of the Joe Crowley Student Union. “We are a community unlike any other; a community that impacts the lives of Nevadans and lives around the world.
“The University of Nevada has evolved from not only Nevada’s flagship university, but to a leader on the national stage.”
“We are not only Nevada’s university – we are America’s university, taking our place among the nation’s leaders in research, engagement and service. We are embracing this moment to expand our teaching and research impact to catalyze new and exciting Nevada industries, while also stewarding a sustainable future for generations to come.”
Sandoval’s 58-minute address – he jokingly mentioned at the beginning of his remarks that there was plenty of coffee in the back of the Glick Ballrooms for the audience – touched on a number of key University milestones, some of which were at record levels.

The University’s 17th chief executive said the accomplishments were due to how the University has grown into a set of enduring values over the course of its history giving the institution “an ascendant power” to be “bold” and “innovating” and a leader among the nation’s best land-grant public universities.
“Throughout our 151-yeaer journey, the Wolf Pack has built a University grounded in deep pride, Nevada grit and selfless community,” Sandoval said.
Sandoval pointed to several recent developments that he said illustrated an important understanding about the campus’s upward trajectory. “At the University of Nevada,” he said, “we don’t wait for the future to happen. We make it happen.”
One example was the University’s record fall enrollment figures. Sandoval said first-year enrollment is up 8.7 percent over fall 2024, bringing the University to a record enrollment of 24,061, a figure that includes non-degree seeking students. Honors College enrollment has seen enrollment grow from 440 students in fall 2019 to 1,250 students in fall 2025.
“We are also at record multi-ethnic, Native American and Hispanic enrollment,” Sandoval said, adding that with the University now over the 25 percent enrollment threshold for students who are of Hispanic origin, “we will submit our formal application for federal recognition as a Hispanic Serving Institution, a strategic goal years in the making.”
The University, he said, will continue to make a concerted effort to improve student retention, which now stands at about 80 percent. He said there already are strong gains being made, with August’s NevadaFIT pre-semester program having seen its largest cohort ever while the “First in the Pack” program for first-generation students recording a 164 percent increase in participants over the past five years.

Sandoval also said the University must continue to find the best, and most accessible pathways to a college education for Nevada high school students. He cited the success of the Collegiate Academies, which now serve more than 40 Nevada high schools, with more than 8,000 students enrolled in the more than 40 college-credit courses.
“These students are part of our Wolf Pack Family and are living the dream of a college education,” Sandoval said.
The University also continues to increase educational opportunities for the state through its Nevada Online program, Sandoval said. The program has seen remarkable growth and is now “homegrown” in the sense that over the past few semesters it has moved away from contracting with outside entities to offer online degrees. Sandoval said the University’s effort to develop “our own, top-quality options” in the online space has netted some new 225 online courses as well as five new bachelor’s degrees, 11 minors and several certificates.
“And we will continue to expand our online offerings, including non-credit professional development opportunities, so that all Nevadans will have access to higher education, regardless of their location or life circumstances,” he said.
“We will continue to expand our online offerings, including non-credit professional development opportunities, so that all Nevadans will have access to higher education, regardless of their location or life circumstances.”
Sandoval noted growth and excellence in several programs that speak to the University’s ability to meet the needs of Nevada. In particular, he pointed to the School of Medicine’s Physician Assistant Studies program and the Orvis School of Nursing.
The Physician Assistant Studies program, Sandoval said, “… has soared to a number 21 national ranking in the 2025 U.S. News and World Report – an extraordinary achievement for a new program with only five graduating cohorts.” The Orvis School of Nursing will be introducing an inaugural class of 16 students for a BSN program the University’s Lake Tahoe campus in January 2027, Sandoval said: “This new program emphasizes service to rural and mountain communities, preparing nurses to practice in diverse and often under-resourced locations.”
In terms of research, Sandoval said University faculty have done record-setting work over the past year.
“For the 10th consecutive year, FY ’24 research expenditures reached a new institutional record – its highest ever – totaling $194.1 million,” Sandoval said. He added that R&D expenditures per faculty member rank the institution’s faculty among the “top 100 most productive in the country. And our total research funding for FY ’25 stands at $229 million,” he said.
32 University faculty have received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award since 2020, 18 current or emeritus faculty have been selected as fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and three current and five total Nevada faculty have been recognized by election into national professional academies. “This recognition of our faculty by their peers has established the national competitiveness of the University of Nevada, and these faculty members demonstrated that we are among the nation’s best land-grant universities,” Sandoval said.
To help encourage these important endeavors, Sandoval announced the creation of what he called the “Presidential Research Innovation, Scholarly Merit Program,” or “PRISM.” PRISM will be a faculty grant fund available to all faculty.
“This internal grant fund will allow faculty to apply for needed resources for their respective disciplines,” Sandoval said. “A formal announcement of the program will be released soon.”
The University’s reach is also being augmented by the growth of the campus’s physical footprint, Sandoval said. He pointed to the summertime opening of the John Tulloch Business Building, as well as plans to build out the University Way area through an affordable housing project called “600 University Way.” Located next to University Village, which is already providing affordable housing for faculty, staff and graduate students, 600 University Way will be a privately owned development for faculty, staff and graduate students with retail.
“Pending Regent approval, this housing complex will further extend the University footprint into downtown Reno,” Sandoval said. “The beauty of this partnership is that our University will not put one dollar into this development, and upon debt retirement in approximately 30-40 years, ownership will be turned over to the University.”
If approved by the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents, the project will begin construction in 2026 and will be ready for occupancy in 2028, Sandoval said.
Coupled with the recent groundbreaking for GSR Arena – the new home for the Wolf Pack men’s basketball team which should be ready for use at the beginning of the 2027 basketball season – as well as the construction of the Indoor Fieldhouse and practice turf project on the north end of campus which should be completed next August – Sandoval said the University is establishing “an anchor of activity that will bring us in line with other top universities across the country.”

Sandoval said the University was grateful for all of the support it has received from elected leadership stretching from Carson City to Washington, D.C. He noted that the University received more than $20.1 million in federal appropriations in the last year alone. In addition, planning funding for the Life Sciences Building to be located in the University Gateway, safety and security enhancement funding, graduate education funding, Nursing School funding, and one time funding to support operational expenses from the recently completed 83rd session of the Nevada State Legislature were also approved.
“And, as all of you are certainly aware, just because one legislative session has been successfully completed doesn’t mean that we sit and wait until the next session occurs,” Sandoval said.
To that end, he said, University administrators and the institution’s Government and Community Affairs team are already planning for the 2027 legislative session.
Points of emphasis based on University needs in a rapidly changing higher education landscape include a push to increase state support for the multi-million-dollar Knowledge Fund to increase funding for graduate student recruitment as well as recruitment of faculty and retention of existing faculty; full funding for faculty Cost of Living Adjustment; a proposal that would see the University cover approximately $1.5 million of state waivers with the state covering the remaining balance; support for the Wolf Pack Digital Initiative; online learning; graduate medical education; nursing education, support for more social workers; scholarships for Title 1 students seeking to attend the University; funding for grants-in-aid for Collegiate Academy teachers who seek master’s degree education; enhancing current funding for campus security and safety; and equal state funding with UNLV for athletic programs.
Sandoval also announced that in an effort to share “a lot of the positive news” about the University’s gains in all areas of its mission, Nevada-based R&R Partners has been retained by the University “to share this incredible story of achievement with the rest of the world.”
“How do we go from being the nation’s best-kept secret … the ‘Biggest Little University’ … to an institution that is known for its national presence and its global impact,” he said. “This work (with R&R Partners and the University’s Office of Marketing and Communications) will require all of us, our students, faculty, staff, alumni, supporters and friends, and the entire Northern Nevada community, to share who we are, why we love what we are doing, and why the world needs to take notice of the incredibly unique story of our great University. There will be more to come soon.”
In closing, Sandoval said the University’s enduring presence as a foundational pillar of life in Northern Nevada is needed more than ever today.
“What makes our University so special is that although we have always been rooted in tradition, we have grown and evolved to meet the needs of the moment, and of history,” he said. “We have joined in a common purpose to innovate and collaborate so that we can all realize a better future.”
“We are a group that does not exclude, but rather welcomes in our neighbors and friends. We support and embrace every person, who works, studies and lives on our campus. In a time where the dark corners of ugly division and name-calling are becoming more mainstream, The Wolf Pack Family chooses to follow a different path. We find the worth in every person, and see them for who they are – members of our Pack.”
He added, “We are a group that does not exclude, but rather welcomes in our neighbors and friends. We support and embrace every person, who works, studies and lives on our campus. In a time where the dark corners of ugly division and name-calling are becoming more mainstream, The Wolf Pack Family chooses to follow a different path. We find the worth in every person, and see them for who they are – members of our Pack.”