University of North Carolina

The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC System to differentiate it from its flagship, UNC-Chapel Hill.

University of North Carolina
Latin: Universitas Carolinae Septentrionalis
TypePublic university system
Established1789 (Chapel Hill)
1972 (current structure)
PresidentPeter Hans[1]
Governing bodyUNC Board of Governors
Academic staff
13,564 (2008 Fall)[2]
Administrative staff
30,664 (2008 Fall)[2]
Students244,507 (2021 Fall)[3]
Undergraduates191,517 (2021 Fall)[3]
Postgraduates52,990 (2021 Fall)[3]
Location, ,
United States
Campus17 campuses
Websitewww.northcarolina.edu
App State
ECSU
FSU
Asheville
Charlotte
Pembroke
Wilmington
WCU
University of North Carolina System locations
  • Durham – NC Central and NCSSM
  • Greensboro – UNC Greensboro and NC A&T
  • Winston-Salem – WSSU and UNCSA

The university system has a total enrollment of 244,507 students as of fall 2021.[3] UNC campuses conferred 62,930 degrees in 2020–2021, the bulk of which were at the bachelor's level, with 44,309 degrees awarded.[4] In 2008, the UNC System conferred over 75% of all baccalaureate degrees in North Carolina.[5][6]

History

Foundations

Founded in 1789, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of three schools to claim the title of oldest public university in the United States. It closed from 1871 to 1875, faced with serious financial and enrollment problems during the Reconstruction era. In 1877, the state of North Carolina began sponsoring additional higher education institutions. Over time, the state added a women's college (now known as the University of North Carolina at Greensboro), a land-grant university (North Carolina State University), five historically black institutions (North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina Central University, Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, and Elizabeth City State University) and one to educate American Indians (the University of North Carolina at Pembroke). Others were created to prepare teachers for public education and to instruct performing artists.

Early consolidation

During the Depression, the North Carolina General Assembly searched for cost savings within state government. Towards this effort in 1931, it redefined the University of North Carolina, which at the time referred exclusively to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; the new Consolidated University of North Carolina was created to include the existing campuses of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University), and the Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). The three campuses came under the leadership of a single board of trustees and a single president, with "Deans of Administration" serving as day-to-day leaders of the three campuses. In 1945, the title "Dean of Administration" was changed to "Chancellor." By 1969, three additional campuses had joined the Consolidated University through legislative action: the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Consolidation continued

In 1971, North Carolina passed legislation bringing into the University of North Carolina all 16 public institutions that confer bachelor's degrees. This latest round of consolidation gave each constituent school its own chancellor and board of trustees. In 1985, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students, was declared an affiliated school of the university. In 2007, the high school became a full member of the university.

Protocols during the COVID-19 pandemic

In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UNC System shut down in-person instruction at all of its campuses indefinitely. In an unprecedented move to limit the spread of the disease, institutions were asked to remove as many students from on-campus housing as possible, implement remote work wherever practical, and to transition to distance education.[7]

Presidents

Number Name Term
1 Rev. Joseph Caldwell 1804–1812
2 Robert Hett Chapman 1812–1816
- Rev. Joseph Caldwell 1816–1835
* Elisha Mitchell * 1835
3 David Lowry Swain 1835–1868
4 Rev. Solomon Pool 1869–1872
** Rev. Charles Phillips** 1875–1876
5 Kemp Plummer Battle 1876–1891
6 George Tayloe Winston 1891–1896
7 Edwin Anderson Alderman 1896–1900
8 Francis Preston Venable 1900–1914
9 Edward Kidder Graham 1914–1918
* Marvin Hendrix Stacy* 1918–1919
10 Harry Woodburn Chase 1919–1930
11 Frank Porter Graham 1930–1949
(UNC Consolidation in 1931)
* William Donald Carmichael, Jr. * 1949–1950
12 Gordon Gray 1950–1955
* J. Harris Purks * 1955–1956
13 William Clyde Friday 1956–1986
(acting until 1957)
14 Clemmie Spangler 1986–1997
15 Molly Corbett Broad 1997–2006
16 Erskine Bowles 2006–2011
17 Thomas W. Ross 2011–2016
* Junius J. Gonzales * 2016
18 Margaret Spellings 2016–2019
* William L. Roper * 2019–2020[8]
19 Peter Hans 2020- [1]

An asterisk (*) denotes acting president. Two asterisks (**) denotes chairman of the faculty.

UNC Charlotte. The university expanded significantly in the 1960s and 1970s.

The legal authority and mandate for the University of North Carolina is contained in the State's first Constitution (1776),[9] which provided in Article XLI

That a school or schools shall be established by the Legislature, for the convenient instruction of youth, ... and all useful learning shall be duly encouraged, and promoted, in one or more universities,

The state legislature granted a charter and funding for the university in 1789.[10]

Article IX of the 1971 North Carolina Constitution deals with all forms of public education in the state. Sections 8 and 9 of that article address higher education.[11]

  • Sec. 8. Higher education.

The General Assembly shall maintain a public system of higher education, comprising The University of North Carolina and such other institutions of higher education as the General Assembly may deem wise. The General Assembly shall provide for the selection of trustees of The University of North Carolina and of the other institutions of higher education, in whom shall be vested all the privileges, rights, franchises, and endowments heretofore granted to or conferred upon the trustees of these institutions. The General Assembly may enact laws necessary and expedient for the maintenance and management of The University of North Carolina and the other public institutions of higher education.

  • Sec. 9. Benefits of public institutions of higher education.

The General Assembly shall provide that the benefits of The University of North Carolina and other public institutions of higher education, as far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense.

Statutory provisions stipulate the current function and cost to students of the University of North Carolina.[12]

Institutions

Within its seventeen campuses, UNC houses two medical schools and one teaching hospital, ten nursing programs, two schools of dentistry, one veterinary school and hospital, and a school of pharmacy, as well as a two law schools, 15 schools of education, three schools of engineering, and a school for performing artists.[5] The oldest university, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, first admitted students in 1795. The smallest and newest member is the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a residential two-year high school, founded in 1980 and a full member of the university since 2007. The largest university is North Carolina State University, with 34,340 students as of fall 2012.

While the official names of each campus are determined by the North Carolina General Assembly, abbreviations are determined by the individual school.[13]

Official name
(Previous name)
Official abbrev. Location Enrollment
As of Fall 2019
Carnegie Classification Founded Nickname Joined system References
Appalachian State University
(Appalachian State Teacher's College, until 1967)
ASU,
App State
(for athletics)
Boone, Watauga County 19,280 master's university 1899 Mountaineers 1972 [14][15]
East Carolina University
(East Carolina College, until 1967)
ECU,
East Carolina
(for athletics)
Greenville, Pitt County 28,651 doctoral/research university 1907 Pirates 1972 [16][17]
Elizabeth City State University
(Elizabeth City State College, until 1969)
ECSU Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County 1,772 baccalaureate college 1891 Vikings 1972 [18][19]
Fayetteville State University
(Fayetteville State College, until 1969)
FSU Fayetteville, Cumberland County 6,551 master's university 1867 Broncos 1972 [20][21]
North Carolina A&T State University
(The Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, until 1969)
NC A&T Greensboro, Guilford County 12,556 doctoral/research university 1891 Aggies 1972 [22][23]
North Carolina Central University
(North Carolina College at Durham, until 1969)
NCCU,
NC Central
(for athletics)
Durham, Durham County 8,011 master's university 1909 Eagles 1972 [24][25]
North Carolina State University
(North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, until 1963)
NCSU,
NC State or State
(for athletics)
Raleigh, Wake County 36,304 doctoral/research university 1887 Wolfpack 1932 [26][27]
University of North Carolina at Asheville
(Asheville-Biltmore College until 1969)
UNCA or
Asheville
Asheville, Buncombe County 3,600 baccalaureate college 1927 Bulldogs 1969 [28][29]
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
(University of North Carolina, until 1963)
UNC-Chapel Hill,[30][31]
UNC-CH, North Carolina, or Carolina
(for athletics)
Chapel Hill, Orange County 29,877 doctoral/research university 1789 Tar Heels 1932 [32][33]
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
(Charlotte College, until 1965)
UNC Charlotte,
Charlotte
(for athletics)
Charlotte, Mecklenburg County 29,615 doctoral/research university 1946 49ers 1965 [34][35]
University of North Carolina at Greensboro
(The Woman's College of the University of North Carolina, until 1963)
UNCG Greensboro, Guilford County 20,196 doctoral/research university 1891 Spartans 1932 [36][37]
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
(Pembroke State University, until 1996)
UNCP Pembroke, Robeson County 7,698 master's university 1887 Braves[38] 1972 [39][40]
University of North Carolina Wilmington
(Wilmington College, until 1969)
UNCW Wilmington, New Hanover County 17,499 doctoral/research university 1947 Seahawks 1969 [41][42]
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
(North Carolina School of the Arts, until 2008)
UNCSA Winston-Salem, Forsyth County 1,086 special-focus institution 1963 The Fighting Pickle 1972 [43][44]
Western Carolina University
(Western Carolina College, until 1967)
WCU,
Western Carolina
(for athletics)
Cullowhee, Jackson County 12,167 master's university 1889 Catamounts 1972 [45][46]
Winston-Salem State University
(Winston-Salem Teacher's College, until 1969)
WSSU Winston-Salem, Forsyth County 5,124 baccalaureate college 1892 Rams 1972 [47][48]
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics NCSSM Durham, Durham County 680 residential high school 1980 Unicorns 2007 [49][50]

Notes

The enrollment numbers are the official headcounts (including all full-time and part-time, undergrad and postgrad students) from University of North Carolina website.[51] This does not include the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the figure for NCSSM is taken from its own website.[52]

The following universities became four-year institutions after their founding (date each became a four-year institution in parentheses):

  • East Carolina University (1920)
  • North Carolina Central University (1925)
  • Winston-Salem State University (1925)
  • Western Carolina University (1929)
  • Appalachian State University (1929)
  • Elizabeth City State University (1937)
  • University of North Carolina at Pembroke (1939)
  • Fayetteville State University (1939)
  • University of North Carolina at Asheville (1963)
  • University of North Carolina at Charlotte (1963)
  • University of North Carolina at Wilmington (1963)

With the exception of the University of North Carolina at Pembroke and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, the institutions that joined the University of North Carolina in 1972 did so under their current name. As of 1972, all public four-year institutions in North Carolina are members of the university.

Affiliates

Name Location Founded
North Carolina Arboretum Asheville, Buncombe County 1989
North Carolina Center for International Understanding Raleigh, Wake County
North Carolina Center for Nursing Raleigh, Wake County
North Carolina State Approving Agency Raleigh, Wake County
North Carolina State Education Assistance Authority Raleigh, Wake County
UNC Center for Public Media (PBS NC) Research Triangle Park, Durham County 1955
UNC Faculty Assembly Chapel Hill, Orange County
University of North Carolina Press Chapel Hill, Orange County 1922
UNC Staff Assembly Chapel Hill, Orange County

See also

  • List of colleges and universities in North Carolina
  • North Carolina Community College System

References

  1. Seltzer, Rick (June 22, 2020). "UNC System Names New President". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  2. "UNC Employees" (PDF). UNC System. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-20. Retrieved 2010-08-14.
  3. "Enrollment Measure: Student Count". UNC Data Dashboard. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. "Stats, Data, & Reports". UNC System. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. "University Facts". University of North Carolina. 2008-01-10. Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2008-03-18.
  6. "About UNC". UNC General Administration. Archived from the original on 2011-05-11. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  7. "UNC System Updates Guidance to Constituent Institutions". Archived from the original on 2020-03-26.
  8. "UNC Health CEO, William Roper, named interim president of UNC system". ABC11 Raleigh-Durham. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  9. "Constitution of North Carolina: December 18, 1776". avalon.law.yale.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  10. "About the University". unc.edu. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  11. "Article IX". North Carolina Constitution. North Carolina General Assembly. 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-09-01. Retrieved 2008-06-09.
  12. "Chapter 116 – Higher Education". North Carolina General Statutes. North Carolina General Assembly. 2006. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
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Further reading

  • McGrath, Eileen, and Linda Jacobson. "The Great Depression and Its Impact on an Emerging Research Library: The University of North Carolina Library, 1929–1941," Libraries and the Cultural Record, (2011), 46#3 pp 295–320.

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