Nevada’s largest research university boasts a long list of achievements that are changing the world
When Dr. Keith E. Whitfield, president of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), said the institution is truly a special place, he was not exaggerating.
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has given the university the nation’s highest recognition for both research and community engagement. The public urban research institution is also one of the only two universities in the country that has multiple scientists working on the NASA project to Mars. It offers 76 undergraduate majors and more than 175 graduate degrees and certificate programs, with highly respected programs in engineering, law, hospitality and health care. UNLV also displays a genuine commitment to the future economic success of its students.
“Our mission is to be a world-class research university that provides students with limitless opportunities while connecting with communities and the world,” says Dr. Whitfield, an accomplished researcher and administrator who joined UNLV as president in August 2020. “UNLV mixes excitement with education, research and experiences. It’s a wonderful combination of all of those things that makes our university a unique place.”
Located in the entrepreneurial and thriving city of Las Vegas, UNLV is among the top for campus ethnic diversity, according to the U.S. News & World Report. About half of its more than 31,000 students are also the first in their families to graduate from college, thus changing their economic circumstances.
UNLV is home to Nevada’s only law and dental schools and has been named by the White House as a model university for its cybersecurity program. Its commitment to solving community issues is shown in its efforts to train more teachers and nurses, while its Department of Brain Health is home to the world’s only Alzheimer’s drug development observatory.
“What makes UNLV really magical is our incredible faculty that truly cares about our students,” says Dr. Whitfield. “That’s a piece that we’ve been doing really well on top of being a leading research university, and it gives our students opportunities they wouldn’t get elsewhere.”
Learn more about University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) at unlv.edu.
