University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Banquet
Begun in 1981 as a fundraising event for the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation, the Foundation Banquet is the premiere social event in the community. Keynote speakers for the banquet are of the highest caliber and are widely respected in their fields and around the world.
The roster of past speakers of the University of Nevada, Reno Foundation Banquet includes:
| 1981 Gerald Ford | 1997 Bill Cosby |
| 1982 John Chancellor | 1998 Bob Newhart |
| 1983 Alexander Haig | 1999 Sam Donaldson |
| 1984 Sander Vanocur | 2000 Brain Mulroney |
| 1985 Peter Ueberroth | 2001 Madame Jehan Sadat |
| 1986 Arkady Shevchenko | 2002 Cokie Roberts |
| 1987 Jeane Kirkpatrick | 2003 Fred Thompson |
| 1988 Tip O'Neill | 2004 Jeff Greenfield |
| 1989 James R. Schlesinger | 2005 Thomas Friedman |
| 1990 Beverly Sills | 2006 Benazir Bhutto |
| 1991 Alex Haley | 2007 George F. Will |
| 1992 Art Buchwald | 2008 Forrest Sawyer |
| 1993 Jack Kemp | 2009 Atul Gawande |
| 1994 Dave Barry | 2010 Buzz Aldrin |
| 1995 Mark Russell | 2011 Steven D. Levitt |
| 1996 Charles Osgood |