A memorial service for Emeritus President Joseph Neil Crowley being dubbed “Just Call Me Joe” is set for Saturday on the University of Nevada, Reno campus.
The event is scheduled for 2 p.m. in the Joe Crowley Student Union’s Glick Ballroom. Parking will be free in the Brian J. Whalen and West Stadium garages, according to UNR.
Crowley served as UNR’s 13th president from 1978 to 2001. He passed away Nov. 28 from complications of pneumonia. He was 84.
The service will include friends and colleagues of Crowley’s, who will speak about his life.
During his tenure at UNR, the longest for a president in campus history, Crowley oversaw significant increases in growth.
According to UNR, Crowley launched initiatives that included KUNR, a national public radio station; KNPB, a community-owned TV station; a long-term legislative relations strategy; and a federal relations program to help diversify the university’s financial support. Also implemented was a large-scale campus expansion and remodeling plan with significant property acquisitions, which included the Redfield campus in south Reno, along with efforts to increase UNR’s land grant missions.
Other accomplishments credited to Crowley include expanding the medical school, creating a college of health sciences, and establishing the journalism school.
In 2007, UNR opened the Joe Crowley Student Union that was named in his honor. The 167,000-square-foot, environmentally-friendly building replaced the Jot Travis Student Union.
Crowley was born in 1933 in Oelwein, Iowa and served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa, a graduate degree from California State University, Fresno, and his doctoral degree from the University of Washington.
Crowley leaves behind wife of 56 years, Joy, four children, and seven grandchildren. All his children are UNR graduates.
