UNLV Athletics had a record 151 student-athletes earn the 2024-25 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete Award, surpassing the department's previous record of 147 set in 2021. Student-athletes must have competed at least two semesters or three quarters at the member institution while maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better to be eligible. With this new record, Rebel athletes continue demonstrate their excellence, both on and off the field.

Founded in 2006 by UNLV President Emerita Carol C. Harter, BMI has brought writers from all walks of life to Las Vegas and cultivated future generations of creative writers in Southern Nevada. Noteworthy writers and scholars who have been a part of BMI’s programming include Toni Morrison, Joyce Carol Oates, Layli Long Soldier, and Percival Everett. Black Mountain Institute champions writers and storytellers through programs, fellowships and community engagement. From the brightest spot on the planet, Black Mountain Institute amplifies writing and artistic expression to connect us to each other in the Las Vegas Valley, the Southwest, and beyond.

The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine continues to make Nevadans healthier, this time with a new initiative to empower autistic children. Dr. Jaineet Chhabra, co-chief resident of the Department of Family & Community Medicine held the inaugural camp of “Dr. Jai Basketball: It’s for Everyone!” The camp was one of the few sports clinics specifically designed to augment the performance of those with special needs. Future camps will be development to extend adaptive sports to disabled veterans athletes, with the goal to create a community where sports medicine leaves no one behind. 

For 30 years, the Rebel Recycling program has served the UNLV community by promoting sustainable living and providing comprehensive waste reduction, recycling, and resource management services across campus. The program helps reduce air pollution, conserve water and energy, and preserve both finite and renewable resources. By minimizing what the university sends to landfills, Rebel Recycling supports Nevada’s statewide recycling goal of 25%, helps UNLV avoid landfill fees, and advances the initiatives of the UNLV Sustainability Council.

UNLV continues to expand its degree offerings to meet the demands of growing industries. The university will be the first to offer a bachelor's degree in insurance and risk management in Nevada, and has also launched a bachelor's in cybersecurity to complement a hybrid master's program that began earlier in 2025. New bachelor’s degrees in audio production and engineering technology are also available to prepare students for Nevada's increasingly diversified workforce.

UNLV welcomed more than 33,000 students to campus this semester — the largest-ever fall enrollment in university history — marking the third consecutive year of growth. This record class includes over 8,000 new students, among them nearly 6,700 first-year and transfer students. More than 350 newly admitted student veterans and military family members also joined the UNLV community this semester, bringing the total number of military-affiliated students to nearly 1,800. Together, the university community continues its upward trajectory to accelerate innovation, workforce development, public service and the incredible potential of our students.

A massive UNLV letters installation, inspired by the iconic LOVE sculpture at the Venetian, is now available near the Alumni Amphitheater located north of the Student Union. With a bold presence and color-changing programmable lights, the letters, sure to be a new campus landmark, are more than just a photo op. They are a love letter to Rebel pride and Vegas flair. The signage was made possible through the support of the UNLV Foundation to show who UNLV is as a university — bold, modern, and welcoming.

Gabson Baguma, a Ph.D. student in civil and environmental engineering, was one of just over 600 young scholars representing 100 nations to attend the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting: Chemistry Transforming Society this summer. He’s only the fourth student in UNLV’s history — all have come from the College of Engineering — to attend the prestigious gathering. The international forum provided an opportunity for an exchange between different generations, cultures, and disciplines and put UNLV on the global stage.