Nevada State College is making a bid to change its name to Nevada State University.
Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Nevada State College is hoping to become Nevada State University.
The Nevada Board of Regents in early September will consider the request from the Henderson school, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
“Education, just like any other industry, evolves and this is going to help us really capture that evolution,” Nevada State College President DeRionne Pollard said. “The name ‘college’ is not a name you traditionally see on this side of the country for a four-year institution (of this size) that enrolls both undergraduate and graduate students.”
The idea originated with Pollard’s predecessor Bart Patterson, who partnered with a marketing company to survey students, alumni, and officials about the benefits of a name change. A total of 82% of respondents supported the change, because “a degree from a ‘university’ is more valuable than a ‘college’ degree.”
The renaming “is designed to accurately reflect” what the institution does and will be “critical” for the college’s “economic mobility and competitiveness in Nevada,” Pollard said.
Riley Acton, an economics professor at Miami University in Ohio, found that “a university name change increases yield rates, meaning more admitted students choose to enroll once an institution uses ‘university’ in its name.”
The renaming process also included getting the blessing of the Henderson City Council, which on Aug. 23 announced its support. Additionally, officials say U.S. Reps. Dina Titus and Susie Lee, both D-Nev., UNLV President Keith Whitfield and College of Southern Nevada President Federico Zaragoza are each in support.
“They all understood that this was something that was important for Nevada,” Pollard said.
Pollard stresses that while the institution is attempting to be renamed, that will not change its mission or tuition. Tuition is $185 per credit for undergraduate programs; $249.25 for graduate level. And 45% of the enrollees are first-generation college students.
“We believe in equity for our students who have hard-earned degrees from Nevada State and that their diplomas should reflect the same level of distinction as other university degrees,” Pollard said.
Nevada State College debuted Sept. 3, 2002, as Nevada’s first state college. That first year featured 177 students taking courses in an old vitamin factory that was repurposed into classrooms.
There were nearly 3,400 students by 2012 and 7,215 students in 2022. And the main campus is now on 509 acres in the south Henderson.
“Nevada State is a new university — for all,” Pollard said. “A renaming to ‘University’ during its 20th anniversary is the best way to demonstrate Nevada State’s growth and bright future.”
