DeRionne Pollard, president of Nevada State College, gives a report during a Board of Regents meeting at the College of Southern Nevada in North Las Vegas Friday, March 10, 2023.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023 | 10:51 a.m.
Nevada State College is becoming Nevada State University after Gov. Joe Lombardo signed a bill codifying the renaming into law.
Lombardo on Saturday signed Senate Bill 273, which allowed for the name change. The bill was introduced in the Nevada Legislature on March 14 and had bipartisan support.
“Renaming this institution to Nevada State University reflects our progress and growth over the past 20 years, while also serving as a testament to our mission of providing intentional access and superior education to a gloriously diverse student population,”DeRionne Pollard, president of the school, said in a press release.
“This action further validates our students' hard-earned degrees through the distinction attributed to Nevada State's educational offerings,” Pollard said.
The bill also calls for the removal of any references to Sierra Nevada College in northern Nevada, which was acquired by UNR last year.
The Henderson-based institution plans to switch to its new name on July 1, but the renaming will be done in phases, according to a news release.
Pollard has previously said the costs affiliated with the name change — for things such as changing signs — will be covered through donations.
School officials believe positioning the institution as university instead of a college will raise students’ post-graduation earnings by about $1,500 a year and grow the university population.
Colleges that change to universities typically see a 5.2% increase in first-time students within the following five years and 7.2% after six years, officials said.
Efforts to rename the school began several years ago under the college’s former president, Bart Patterson. Pollard took over the mission when she was hired in 2021.
