'''University of Nevada''' could refer to either of the two universities in the University of Nevada system: University of Nevada, Reno or University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and other institutions of higher learning.
Nevada’s Nevada's Board of Regents governs the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), similarly to a corporate board of directors. The 13 Regents are each elected for six years, and during that time, they set policies and approve budgets for Nevada's public system of higher education. This includes four community colleges, one state college, two universities, and one research institute.<ref>https://nshe.nevada.edu/leadership-policy/board-of-regents/overview/</ref>
The eight institutions the Regents govern include: College of Southern Nevada; Desert Research Institute; Great Basin College; Nevada State College; Truckee Meadows Community College; University of Nevada, Las Vegas; University of Nevada, Reno; and Western Nevada College. For fall semester 2009, more than 108,000 students were enrolled in these institutions.<ref>[http://system.nevada.edu/Board-of-R/index.htm NSHE; Board of Regents]</ref>
== University of Nevada, Las Vegas ==
[[File:UNLV logo 2.jpg|right|200px]]
In 1951, when the post-[[World War II]] boom had swollen [[Las Vegas]]' metropolitan population to more than 50,000, the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), established an extension program. It began in the dressing rooms of Las Vegas High School's auditorium with Twenty-eight students. Three years later, the Nevada Board of Regents founded the Southern Regional Division of the University of Nevada, popularly known as Nevada Southern, in 1954. Students also adopted the Rebel name and mascot to reflect their desire to break free from UNR. With pressure from the the Las Vegas residents, the regents decided to buy an 80-acre parcel of land for the a campus. This was located right by the Maryland Parkway, which was a two-lane dirt road at the time. This road is now known as Las Vegas Boulevard, "The Strip".<ref>[http://www.unlv.edu/about/history/ UNLV Website; History]</ref>
On September 10, 1957, the first classes were held on campus in a new 13,000-square-foot building, and full accreditation was received the following year.