University of Nevada, Reno

The University of Nevada was founded in 1874 and moved to its present location in Reno in 1885. Built upon a bluff that overlooks the city, Morrill Hall was the first component of the 10-acre campus. It housed not only the classrooms but also the offices of the president and registrar, a library, a museum, and the groundskeeper's living quarters.

The initial focus of the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) was Liberal Arts. The first diplomas were awarded in 1891. Since 1938, the university has offered competitive degree programs at the doctoral level, as well as for undergraduates and graduates, under accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.

Over time, colleges of business, education, engineering, journalism, and medicine were added. These were complemented in 1959 by the creation of the Desert Research Institute (DRI), with research programs for atmospheric physics, desert biology, anthropological studies, computer science, and water resources.

Today, UNR is a top-level, land-grant research university with a student body of 17,000 and a full-time faculty approaching 1,000. The school nickname is the Wolf Pack; its colors are silver and blue; and its mascot is a wolf called Alphie. The UNR campus is located at 1664 North Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada 89557-0208.