An ambitious vision has characterized the 50-year existence of the university.  The history of UNLV includes a number of planning exercise that have provided vision for its growth.   

The commentary of UNLV's first president, Donald Moyer, in a 1965 interview provided the seminal planning directive for the university.  He said, "Those persons who have been planning campuses haven't been thinking big enough.  We have to lay out a big broad view of the campus which will be adequate for future needs." …….and, the rest, is indeed, history.

In March 1971, the Final Report of the President's Ad Hoc Committee on the Developing University (PDF) was completed as a result of extensive campus dialogue.

Subsequently, a series of academic master plans were developed that address the critical areas of discovering, preserving, disseminating and applying knowledge.

Twenty-five Years and the Future to Serve (PDF) acknowledges the solid foundation that was laid during the first twenty-five years of the existence of UNLV.  The focus of this academic plan was to build on the next ten years, using that foundation to strengthen the quality of services in the essential academic functions.

The 1993-1997 Academic Master Plan (PDF) placed a special emphasis on increasing undergraduate degree programs; cultural diversity; economic development; and, assessment.

In 1995, President Carol Harter, engaged the university community in an extensive and inclusive planning process that resulted in a new mission statement and an institutional strategic plan.  To generate wide-spread participation a draft of the planning document, UNLV – A Premier Urban University:  A Public Agenda for the Decade (PDF) and the fourteen white papers that supported the planning document was disseminated to campus constituents to elicit their participation in the planning process.  Subsequently, the final document, University of Nevada, Las Vegas-Premier Urban University: A Public Agenda For the Decade 1996-2005 (PDF) was approved by the Board of Regents in June 1996.

Since the 1993 Academic Master Plan was developed, dramatic change occurred at UNLV.  New campus leadership; rapid program development; increasing student enrollments; a comprehensive institutional planning process; and, major academic restructuring characterized the years between 1993 and 1998.  Accordingly, the Academic Master Plan for 1998-2003 (PDF) was supported by the newly developed institutional strategic plan and UNLV's new mission statement.

The January 1999 Addendum (PDF) to the1998 Academic Master Plan reflected additional educational choices and new ways of offering them.

In response to the dynamic nature and rapid growth of the university, the institutional planning document required revision before the decade had passed.  The original document outlined a series of institutional aspirations.  The revised version, The University of Nevada Las Vegas The Engaged Research University: Extending the Agenda 2002-2007, acknowledged the progress that had been made and provided an ambitious agenda for UNLV as it progressed to its 50th anniversary.

From 1995 to 2005, eleven planning retreats have been convened providing the opportunity for the university community to discuss a variety of issues important to UNLV's future.  The 2001 Planning Retreat, UNLV's Research Infrastructure (PDF); and, the 2003 Plannng Retreat, Achieving the Agenda: Success by 50 (PDF) , are representative of the issues that have been addressed.

To place UNLV's planning activities in a broader context, the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) Master Plan establishes goals, targets, and philosophical directions for the future of all higher education institutions in Nevada.  In fact, as part of its planning history, the name of the System was changed in May 2005 from the University and Community College System of Nevada (USSCN) (PDF) to Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), to more accurately reflect its growth and development.

To ensure progress toward system goals, each NSHE institution is required to have an individual strategic plan that clearly reflects the overarching goals of the System plan while also setting forth more specific goals, targets, and directions based on the institution's overall mission and service area.

According to System policy, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Nevada, Reno shall each offer a wide array of academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as research and public service programs to serve their respective regions, the state, and the nation.  System policy further states that each institution shall strive to complement the other through its programs and through cooperative inter-institutional activities with one another and when appropriate with Nevada State College and the Desert Research Institute.  The universities are further directed by the System policy to strive to avoid unnecessary duplication of academic, research, and public service programs.

An integral part of the planning history at UNLV is campus master planning to guide the physical development of the campus.  Inextricably, driven by the academic and institutional strategic plans, these activities have become more robust and comprehensive over time.  The following documents reflect those efforts:

• Development Plan Nevada Southern University, 1968-1978
• Campus Master Plan Study Preliminary Report, October 27, 1977
• Long Range Development Plan, April 1978
• Long Range Development Plan, 1989-2009
• Comprehensive Master Plan Update to 2015 (date of report unknown)
• Comprehensive Campus Master Plan, March 2004

The March 2004 Master Plan, in particular, had an overarching goal to create a well-ordered, safe, educationally effective and distinctive environment for UNLV.

Most recently, the Urban Land Institute was commissioned to create a plan for the Midtown UNLV (PDF) public/private partnership project.  Their assignment was to create strategies to revitalize Midtown UNLV as a more urban university district while creating better but compatible physical links with neighboring areas.

During UNLV's first 50 years of development, a variety of planning exercises have provided the vision for its growth and expansion.  Now, as the university approaches its next half century, the current environment of a more stable enrollment requires focused and deliberate investments of limited resources. 

It is appropriate and timely, therefore, that UNLV engage in another planning initiative to consider the university's identity and unique nature at age 50, with an ultimate goal of organizational improvement and change.  At the University Days Academic Convocation on September 12, 2007, President Ashley officially launched UNLV's comprehensive planning process, "Focus: 50 to 100," during his "State of the University" address.