INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Sierra Nevada University will be joining the University of Nevada, Reno family following approval by the Board of Trustees this past week.

After enrollment dropped to half of what it was only five years ago, the school made the announcement that they would be merging with the Reno-based university, pending further approval of the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents and other regulatory bodies.

“We could not be more excited at the prospect of having Sierra Nevada University join the Wolf Pack Family,” said University of Nevada, Reno President Brain Sandoval in a press release. “This is an historic agreement, a very important first step in what will be several more to come to ensure that this process will be done thoughtfully and carefully.”

SNU campus operations will continue as usual for the 2021-22 academic year, with extracurriculars and athletics going unchanged. Students at SNU will be offered the opportunity to pursue a degree with SNU or UNR, with the SNU campus gradually merging into the operations of UNR over time.

Chair of the Sierra Nevada University Board of Trustees Atam Lalachandani pointed out that the school, which values collaborative education, small class sizes, and unique location, is now open to many more opportunities due to the merger.

“The SNU student experience is the heart of our institution and will continue,” Lalachandani said. “We are so proud to bring new possibilities into that experience.”

But not everyone is thrilled about the prospect of the schools merging. SNU alumni and Truckee local Lloyd Garden said recently in an email sent to the Tribune that he feels there are more options for the school to look into rather than merging with a larger school.

“Many other students and I chose SNU as it was not a part of the massive university system but instead focused on the individual student,” Garden said. “This is something I believe the school has forgotten over the past few years.”