Sierra Nevada University

Sierra Nevada University
Former name
Sierra Nevada College 1969-2020
MottoWisdom, Responsibility, Freedom
TypePrivate university
Active1969–2022
PresidentRob Valli[1]
Administrative staff
24 full time faculty,
50 part time faculty
Location
Incline Village
,
Nevada
,
United States

39°14′40″N 119°56′20″W / 39.2444°N 119.9388°W / 39.2444; -119.9388
CampusMountain Community
ColorsRoyal Blue and White[2]
   
NicknameEagles
Sporting affiliations
NAIA
MascotEli (an American Eagle)
Websitewww.sierranevada.edu

Prim Library, opened on September 9, 2004

Sierra Nevada University (SNU) was a private university in Incline Village, Nevada, in the Sierras. In 2022, it was announced that the school would no longer be independent and would be merged into the University of Nevada, Reno system.

History

Founded in 1969, Sierra Nevada College was accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Prior to 2020, the institution was known as Sierra Nevada College.[3] In the summer of 2019, Dr. Ed Zschau became the interim president of Sierra Nevada University and, among other initiatives, spearheaded the change in the institution's name.[4] It was announced in July 2021 that the Sierra Nevada University is being merged into the University of Nevada, Reno over a period of years. Certain programs, courses and professors of Sierra Nevada University would be kept by the University of Nevada Reno.[5] On July 21, 2022, the university formally ceased operations and became the Wayne L. Prim Campus at the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe.

Academics

The Departments of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business, and Science and Technology offered traditional majors as well as Interdisciplinary Studies programs. The Business department at SNU also offered Ski Business and Resort Management as a four-year degree. The teacher education program lead to Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Arts in Administration and Masters in Education degrees as well as to teacher licensure in Nevada. The college also operated two low-residency, Masters of Fine Arts programs. Creative Writing and Interdisciplinary Arts MFA's used a low-residency format and individual mentoring to prepare artists and writers for professional and artistic success.

The MFA-IA program focused on site-specific and community practice, with a large part of each residency taking place off site at partner locations such as the Sagehen Creek Field Station.[6][7]

SNU, in collaboration with UC Davis Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC), housed the Tahoe Center for Environmental Sciences, a facility conducting research on Lake Tahoe.

From 2016 to 2019, as part of an initiative to expand access to four-year degrees, SNU also operated extension centers on community college campuses. There were SNU Extension centers on the campus of Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe, Truckee Meadows Community College's Dandini Campus in Reno, Nevada. Each Extension Center offered degrees specific to demand on the campus where they are located, and included B.A. in Psychology, B.A. or B.S. in General Studies, a B.S. in Business Administration (B.S.B.A) in Entrepreneurship or Global Business Management.[8]

Summer visiting artist workshops

Sierra Nevada University hosted an extensive program of Summer Visiting Artist Workshops which featured well-known artists from multiple disciplines. Artists such as printmaker Sean Starwars, and visual artist and experimental filmmaker Tim Guthrie were regular workshop leaders.[9]

Athletics

The Sierra Nevada athletic teams were called the Eagles. The university was a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the California Pacific Conference (CalPac) from 2015 to 2016 (when the school joined the NAIA) to 2021–22.

Sierra Nevada competed in 13 intercollegiate athletic teams: Men's sports included alpine skiing, cross country, freeskiing, golf, lacrosse, snowboarding and soccer; while women's sports included alpine skiing, cross country, freeskiing, golf, snowboarding and soccer.

Skiing

The Eagles won many United States Collegiate Ski and Snowboard Association national championships in both men's and women's events.[10]

Notable faculty, past and present

  • Laura McCullough – poet (Masters in Fine Arts Program)
  • Suzanne Roberts – American poet, travel writer, and photographer (Creative Writing Faculty – Distinguished Writer-in-Residence 2011–2012)
  • Carolee Schneeman – Experimental filmmaker (Visiting professor, 1994) [11]
  • Brian Turner – poet (Program Chair - Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program)
  • Patricia Smith – poet (Creative Writing Faculty)
  • Gayle Brandeis – author (Creative Writing Faculty - Distinguished Visiting Professor/Writer in Residence 2014–2015)

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ "A New President for Sierra Nevada University". Sierra Nevada University (Press release). September 1, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  2. ^ "SNU Brand Book 2020" (PDF). Sierra Nevada University. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Announcing Sierra Nevada University". Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  4. ^ "Face the State - KTVN Reno". Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  5. ^ Higher Ed Dive: September 16, 2021: How many colleges and universities have closed since 2016
  6. ^ "MFA-IA Website". Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  7. ^ "MFA-IA Website". Sierra Nevada College Low-Residency Mfa in Interdisciplinary Arts [Mfa-Ia]. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  8. ^ "Extension Center Majors". Sierra Nevada College. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  9. ^ Fine Arts Department at Sierra Nevada University. "Summer Workshop Schedule 2016". Sierra Nevada University. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  10. ^ "Eagles win 14th National title in a row". Tahoe Daily Tribune. March 11, 2004. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  11. ^ "artist's website". Retrieved August 19, 2016.
  12. ^ "Matea Ferk". Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  13. ^ "Assemblyman Philip P.K. O'Neill". Nevada Legislature. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  14. ^ "Tea PALIC - Olympic Alpine Skiing | Croatia". International Olympic Committee. June 26, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  15. ^ "PALIC Tea - Biographie". data.fis-ski.com. Retrieved October 29, 2017.