Great U.S. colleges series: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Victor Restis is making the most of his time in quarantine by writing about the many great colleges in the U.S. His goal is that when this global health crisis is over, and people can once again go about their daily lives, they can make informed decisions on which college best suits them.

Today's college of choice is the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, otherwise known as UNLV.

UNLV can be found in Paradise, a suburb of Las Vegas. This public research university is classified as a research-intensive university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. UNLV has the best hospitality programs in the country and has had many of its events attended by dozens of luminaries throughout the years.

UNLV's roots can be traced back to September 1957 when the Nevada Board founded it as the Southern Division of the University of Nevada. In 1959, the Southern Division offered a class in Las Vegas High School. That class was to be the pilot college class of what would be UNLV. The first commencement ceremony was held in 1964, with 29 students serving as the first batch of UNLV graduates.

In 1965, the name was changed to Nevada Southern University. Donald C. Meyer was named the school's first president. In 1969, the name was formally changed to what people know now – the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Do you want to learn more about UNLV? Be sure to let Victor Restis know in the comments section below.