About UNLV

UNLV Highlights

The information on this page highlights university achievements, community programs, faculty and student milestones, current institutional statistics, and more. This site will continually be updated as new information develops.

University

• U.S. News & World Report placed UNLV at No. 12 in its ranking of most popular national universities by yield — the percentage of applicants accepted by a college who chose to enroll at that institution in the fall. A national university is one that is research-oriented and offers degrees of all levels. The 2011 figures used in the ranking showed that of the 4,746 students who were accepted, a total of 2,870 actually enrolled — a yield of 60.5 percent.

• UNLV and the College of Southern Nevada began a new partnership in 2013 to provide CSN students with additional support as they move from the two-year college to the university. With two full-time transition advisors, the UNLV/CSN Transfer Partnership gives UNLV a permanent presence on the CSN Charleston campus.

• UNLV's newly updated campus master plan is framing the longtern growth and development of the university. The university has modified its Midtown UNLV vision and is in the early development stages of a multi-modal transit center in cooperation with the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada. UNLV is also in planning stages for UNLVNow, a proposed public/private partnership with developer Majestic Realty Co., that would include a mega-events center and student village on the northwest part of campus.

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Research

• An UNLV-led team of international scientists has uncovered new evidence linking early animal evolution to extreme climate change. A dramatic rise in atmospheric oxygen levels has long been speculated as the trigger for early animal evolution, but direct evidence has proven elusive to scientists. In an issue of the journal Nature, the research team for the first time offers evidence of a causal link between trends in early biological diversity and shifts in Earth system processes.

• UNLV microbiologist Dennis Bazylinski and an international team of researchers were the first to identify, isolate, and grow a type of magnetic bacteria that could one day contribute to the emerging biotech and nanotechnology industries. Their findings were published in the prestigious journal Science.

• UNLV doctoral students, Matthew Graham and Michael Webber, have discovered a new species of scorpion in Death Valley. The team named the scorpion Wernerius inyoensis because it was found in the Inyo Mountains.

• The UNLV International Gaming Institute is a non-profit academic and research facility which offers educational programs for professionals in the gaming and hospitality industries. The IGI offers state, national, and international regulatory and surveillance training programs. The International Gaming Institute was tapped this year to produce a series of in-depth reports weighing the pros and cons of developing an integrated casino-resort in the greater Toronto area.

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Community Outreach

• UNLV's new Office of Economic Development is connecting emerging research with business to spur economic recovery in Nevada. The office will help campus researchers protect and commercialize their intellectual property by offering assistance with patent protection, licensing opportunities, and the creation start-up businesses. It will also expand UNLV’s ties with local business by seeking partnerships connected to the university’s research strengths.

• The UNLV Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders (CASD) now offers comprehensive testing services for children and adults, thanks to a donation from the Dave Rice Foundation. Dave Rice, a UNLV alum and head basketball coach for the Runnin’ Rebels, and his wife, Mindy, pledged $100,000 to the center. The testing is available to the public on a sliding scale fee.

• Through its Adopt-A-School program, UNLV reaches out annually to nearly 2,000 students attending five local elementary schools whose student population is deemed to be at-risk. UNLV staff and athletes, cheerleaders, band members, and mascot Hey Reb! visit the schools to encourage the youngsters to read, to work hard, and to strive for a college degree.

• National Guard troops and veterans from all branches of the service who meet eligibility requirements receive free dental care from UNLV’s School of Dental Medicine through the Sergeant Clint Ferrin Memorial Clinic. A dental student started the clinic in memory of his brother, who died while serving in Iraq. It has received national recognition from the American Dental Association Foundation.

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Fundraising

• More than 8,500 donors contributed in excess of $38 million in private donations to the university through the UNLV Foundation last year fiscal year. The largest donor group — 45% of the total — was comprised of UNLV alumni.

• UNLV received a $15 million donation — one of the largest individual donations in its history — from the Ted and Doris Lee family to bolster business education. In return, the university renamed its business college the Lee Business School. The gift will fund 10 endowed professorships, a scholarship program, a lecture series, and a visiting professor program.

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People

• UNLV is one of 20 university teams chosen to participate in the U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon 2013, a highly competitive contest that attracts colleges from around the world. The UNLV team is now building the DesertSol, an energy-efficient and affordable home that they designed specifically for Mojave Desert Living. The home will them be transported and installed at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine, Calif., for the competition in fall 2013.

• Deirdre Clemente and her students curated an exhibit on Las Vegas fashion in the 1960s and ’70s for the Nevada State Museum. The collection of beaded gowns, fringed Helldorado Day apparel, and sequined jumpsuits runs through June. A historian specializing in 1920s fashion, she was also tapped as a consultant on the upcoming The Great Gatsby movie.

• Patricia Iannuzzi, UNLV’s dean of libraries, was named the 2013 Association of College and Research Libraries’ Academic/Research Librarian of the year. The annual award recognizes librarians who have made significant national or international contributions to the field in research and academic development. Iannuzzi has advocated for information literacy and student learning in higher education throughout her career.

• UNLV's official dance team, The Rebel Girls, edged LSU and Cincinnati to take first place at the 2013 College Dance Team National Championships, held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Center. Competing against powerhouses from the SEC, Big XII and Big Ten conferences, the Rebel Girls earned their first national team championship title. They have previously placed in the top five.

• Women's tennis junior Aleksandra Josifoska moved up to No. 20 in the national singles rankings after a 14-4 fall effort that included tournament victories over five players that are now ranked. It marked the highest ranking for a Rebel since former All-American Elena Gantcheva finished the season at No. 17 in 2006. In October, Josifoska became the first player in UNLV history to repeat as an ITA regional champion by easily winning the singles title.

• UNLV senior golfer Kevin Penner was one of just 17 student-athletes to be included on The Ben Hogan Award Watch List. The most prestigious award in men's college golf, The Hogan is presented annually to the top men's college golfer, taking into account all collegiate and amateur competitions during the past 12-month period.

• UNLV architecture professor Alfredo Fernandez-Gonzalez was named the 2012 Nevada Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. The awards recognize professors for their influence in the classroom and their commitment to undergraduate students. Fernandez-Gonzalez was selected from a pool of nearly 300 top professors nationwide.