Las Vegas is one of the fastest growing cities in America, adding many new cultural and entertainment attractions every day. Like any other large metropolitan area, the city has fine libraries, museums, community theaters, art galleries, and parks which are enjoyed and supported by more than 1.5 million local residents.

University cultural events provide yet another form of entertainment in a city which bills itself as the Entertainment Capital of the World. Two of the university's yearly series, the Charles Vanda Master Series and the Barrick Lecture Series, are extremely popular with students and community residents.

The Charles Vanda Master Series offers visiting performers of the caliber of Isaac Stern, Andres Segovia, the London Symphony, and Itzhak Perlman. The Barrick Lecture Series brings well-known persons to campus for free public lectures on a variety of topics. Lecturers have included Walter Cronkite, Louis Rukeyser, Benazir Bhutto, Tom Wolfe, Henry Kissinger, Jimmy Carter, Cokie Roberts, and Mark Russell. The series has also featured important academicians such as Stephen Jay Gould, George Wald, Carl Sagan, Jane Goodall, Mortimer Adler, and Richard Leakey.

In addition to the intellectual and cultural stimulation provided by the university, the environment of the region cannot be overlooked. The beauty of the Southwest and the desert temperatures make outdoor recreation possible throughout the year in Southern Nevada. Within a 30-mile radius lie the shores of Lake Mead, massive Hoover Dam and the Colorado River recreation area, the snowskiing and hiking trails of 12,000-foot Mount Charleston, and a panorama of red rock mountains and eroded sandstone landscapes.