From its modest beginning to evolving into one of the finest research universities in the country, the University has made remarkable achievements over the last 150 years. The first major success was in issuing college degrees – no small feat for a largely undeveloped state with a small population at the tail end of the Comstock boom.
Further achievements have included the issuing of graduate degrees, and vastly increasing course offerings, programs, and facilities. From those first four degrees offered in 1887 to today’s 13 colleges and schools and 40 academic departments offering hundreds of programs, the University has grown to meet the needs of students, community, and the evolving world.
Research was a priority from the beginning, with abundant activity in Agriculture among the early students and faculty. The University achieved the highest level of Carnegie Classification for a research university in 2018 and was awarded Community Engaged status in 2020. Today, the University is also recognized as an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution, seeking to improve support of Hispanic and Latinx students. With sights set on the future, the University is striving to earn the highly-coveted invitation to join the American Association of Universities.