Almost time to celebrate 150!

October 02, 2023

The beginning of the University’s year-long 150^th anniversary celebration is fast approaching. The University has been planning a number of special events, with the kickoff this month, to commemorate this remarkable milestone. We now have a number of ways to come together as a community to celebrate the historic journey of the state of Nevada’s original land-grant institution, which opened its doors to seven students in Elko on Oct. 12, 1874.

Here is some information regarding the University’s sesquicentennial celebration:

• University 150^th anniversary license plates available: Starting today, Nevada residents can order official license plates or souvenir plates (non-legal license plates for decoration) from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles with the special University sesquicentennial logo. These plates will only be available to purchase for one year. The 150th plates are available to all motorists in Nevada as charitable plates. The starting cost of the 150th plate for a sequential option is $61 as an initial fee and $30 for annual renewal. Fees increase for personalized options.

In addition to supporting the Wolf Pack with school spirit, these plates will benefit Pack Provisions. Pack Provisions is the on-campus food pantry that serves the University of Nevada, Reno community. Sequential plates are available in stock at Nevada DMV offices and personalized 150th plates can be ordered online through the DMV Personalized License Plate Availability Search webpage.

• Business Building groundbreaking on Oct. 12 marks the yearlong kickoff: I will be joining College of Business Dean Greg Mosier for the College of Business Building Groundbreaking on Oct. 12 from 3-5 p.m. The event will be held at the future site of the new Business Building, which is located off University Way. The campus community is invited to attend. Please RSVP by Oct. 6.
• The 150^th Bash and UNLV Clash on October 12: Join ASUN, GSA, the Alumni Association and me on the Quad, Thursday, October 12 from 6-8 p.m. to celebrate the University’s birthday and kick off the Nevada/UNLV rivalry weekend. There will be food trucks, games, giveaways, a DJ, inflatables, Pack friendly business and campus partner tabling, appearances by Wolf Pack coaches, student athletes, cheer and spirit teams, and our pack of mascots. To close out the night there will be a fireworks show on the quad!
• Wolf Pack plays UNLV in rare October matchup: The Wolf Pack will meet UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 14 at Mackay Stadium to culminate the first week of sesquicentennial activities. The Mountain West Conference, which usually encourages rivalry games to be played at the end of the conference season, agreed to schedule this year’s rivalry game between the Wolf Pack and UNLV here in Reno just two days following our 149^thbirthday. Be sure to get your tickets soon!

Additional 150 resources include:

• Find out more about the University’s long and distinguished history through this University timeline from University Libraries, as well as this interactive timeline on the University’s 150 celebration website. 
• The latest news and information regarding the year-long celebration at the Nevada Today 150 news hub, “Celebrating 150 Years of History.”
• University Libraries has also prepared a Sesquicentennial Resource Hub that includes event support, locating materials, printing and more.

It is my sincere hope that the year-long sesquicentennial experience will be one that reaffirms the pride and commitment that we all feel for our University. The celebration should also be a time for all of us to look to the future, inspired by the extraordinary dedication and remarkable achievements of those who came before us.

Go Pack!

Sincere regards,

Brian Sandoval
President