University of North Carolina

This article is about the 17-campus public university system in North Carolina. Some references to the "University of North Carolina", such as in NCAA college athletics, may be specifically referring to the university's founding campus. For that campus, see University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. For that school's athletic program, see North Carolina Tar Heels.

University of North Carolina
Established	1789 (Chapel Hill) 1972 (current structure)
Type	Public
President	Thomas W. Ross
Academic staff	13,564 (2008 Fall)
Admin. staff	30,664 (2008 Fall)
Students	222,322 (2009 Fall)
Undergraduates	176,133 (2009 Fall)
Postgraduates	46,189 (2009 Fall)
Location	North Carolina, United States
Campus	Multi-campus university system
Former names	Consolidated University of North Carolina
Website	www.northcarolina.edu

Chartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century. Originally comprising a single campus in Chapel Hill, today it is a multi-campus university composed of all 16 of North Carolina's public universities, as well as the NC School of Science and Mathematics, the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students. Commonly referred to as the University of North Carolina system or the UNC system to differentiate it from the original campus in Chapel Hill, the university has a total enrollment of over 183,000 students and confers over 75% of all baccalaureate degrees in North Carolina in 2008. UNC campuses conferred 43,686 degrees for 2008–2009, the bulk of which were Bachelor's level with 31,055 degrees awarded.

History

File:Old Well and McCorkle Place 2005.jpg

The Old Well on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus

Founded in 1789, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is the oldest public university in the United States. 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, 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.

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 University, and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The three campuses came under the leadership of just one board and one president. 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.

In 1971, North Carolina passed legislation bringing into the University of North Carolina all 16 public institutions that confer bachelor degrees. This round of consolidation granted each constituent institution a Chancellor and a Board of Trustees. In 1985, the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, a 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.

Structure

File:Pulstar2.jpg

PULSTAR Reactor. North Carolina State is one of several research institutions in the University.

Article IX of the North Carolina State Constitution provides authorization for the creation of the University of North Carolina. Under this authorization, Chapter 116 of the North Carolina General Statutes entrusts the University of North Carolina to its Board of Governors. The Board of Governors is the policy-making body charged with "the general determination, control, supervision, management, and governance of all affairs of the constituent institutions." It elects the president, who administers the university. The 32 voting members of the Board of Governors are elected by the General Assembly for four-year terms. The current Chairman of UNC's Board of Governors is Peter Hans, who was preceded by Hannah Gage. The president of the UNC Association of Student Governments (ASG) is also a non-voting member.

Each of the UNC campuses is headed by a chancellor who is chosen by the Board of Governors on the president's nomination and is responsible to the president. Each university has a board of trustees consisting of eight members elected by the Board of Governors, four appointed by the governor, and the president of the student body, who serves ex officio. (The UNC School of the Arts has two additional ex officio members; and the NC School of Science and Mathematics has a 27-member board as required by law.) Each board of trustees holds extensive powers over academic and other operations of its campus on delegation from the Board of Governors.

Legal mandate

The legal authority and mandate for the University of North Carolina can be found in the North Carolina Constitution. Article 9 of the constitution deals with all forms of public education in the state. Sections 8 and 9 of that article stipulate the function and cost to students of the University of North Carolina.

File:UNCCNewQuad.jpg

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

• 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.

Institutions

Within its seventeen campuses, UNC houses two medical schools and one teaching hospital, ten nursing programs, a school of dentistry, and a school of pharmacy, as well as a veterinary school, two law schools, 15 schools of education, three schools of engineering, and a school for performing artists. 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 33,819 students as of 2009 Fall.

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

Official name (Previous name)	Official abbrev.	Location	Enrollment As of 2009 Fall	Carnegie Classification	Founded	Joined system	References
Appalachian State University (Appalachian State Teacher's College, until 1967)	ASU, App State (for athletics)	Boone, Watauga County	16,968	Master's University	1899	1972
East Carolina University (East Carolina College, until 1967)	ECU, East Carolina (for athletics)	Greenville, Pitt County	27,654	Doctoral/Research University	1907	1972
Elizabeth City State University (Elizabeth City State College, until 1969)	ECSU	Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County	3,264	Baccalaureate College	1891	1972
Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville State College, until 1969)	FSU	Fayetteville, Cumberland County	6,283	Master's University	1867	1972
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (The Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina, until 1969)	NC A&T	Greensboro, Guilford County	10,614	Doctoral/Research University	1891	1972
North Carolina Central University (North Carolina College at Durham, until 1969)	NCCU, NC Central (for athletics)	Durham, Durham County	8,587	Master's University	1909	1972
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics	NCSSM	Durham, Durham County	650	-	1980	2007
North Carolina State University at Raleigh (North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering, until 1963)	NCSU, State, NC State, (for athletics)	Raleigh, Wake County	33,819	Doctoral/Research University	1887	1932
University of North Carolina at Asheville (Asheville-Biltmore College until 1969)	UNCA	Asheville, Buncombe County	3,897	Baccalaureate College	1927	1969
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina, until 1963)	UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC North Carolina (for athletics)	Chapel Hill, Orange County	28,916	Doctoral/Research University	1789	1932
University of North Carolina at Charlotte (Charlotte College, until 1965)	UNC Charlotte, Charlotte (for athletics)	Charlotte, Mecklenburg County	24,701	Doctoral/Research University	1946	1965
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (North Carolina College for Women, until 1963)	UNCG	Greensboro, Guilford County	21,306	Doctoral/Research University	1891	1932
University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Pembroke State University, until 1996)	UNCP	Pembroke, Robeson County	6,661	Master's University	1887	1972
University of North Carolina at Wilmington (Wilmington College, until 1969)	UNCW	Wilmington, New Hanover County	12,924	Master's University	1947	1969
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (North Carolina School of the Arts, until 2008)	UNCSA	Winston-Salem, Forsyth County	872	Special Focus Institution	1963	1972
Western Carolina University (Western Carolina College, until 1967)	WCU, Western Carolina (for athletics)	Cullowhee, Jackson County	9,429	Master's University	1889	1972
Winston-Salem State University (Winston-Salem Teacher's College, until 1969)	WSSU	Winston-Salem, Forsyth County	6,427	Baccalaureate College	1892	1972

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: http://www.northcarolina.edu/web/facts.php . This does not include the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, the figure for NCSSM is taken from its own website: http://www.ncssm.edu/about-ncssm/facts.php .

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 the Advancement of Teaching	Cullowhee, Jackson County	1985
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 Television (UNC-TV)	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

Presidents

For presiding professors of the University of North Carolina prior to 1804, see Leaders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

File:ErskineBowles.jpg

Erskine Boyce Bowles, President of the University of North Carolina from 2006 to 2011.

Name	Term
Rev. Joseph Caldwell	1804–1812
Robert Hett Chapman	1812–1816
Rev. Joseph Caldwell	1816–1835
Elisha Mitchell *	1835
David Lowry Swain	1835–1868
Rev. Solomon Pool	1869–1872
Rev. Charles Phillips	1875–1876
Kemp Plummer Battle	1876–1891
George Tayloe Winston	1891–1896
Edwin Anderson Alderman	1896–1900
Francis Preston Venable	1900–1914
Edward Kidder Graham	1914–1918
Marvin Hendrix Stacy	1918–1919
Harry Woodburn Chase	1919–1930
Frank Porter Graham	1930-1949 (UNC Consolidation in 1931)
William Donald Carmichael, Jr. *	1949–1950
Gordon Gray	1950–1955
J. Harris Purks *	1955–1956
William Clyde Friday	1956–1986 (acting until 1957)
Clemmie Spangler	1986–1997
Molly Corbett Broad	1997–2006
Erskine Bowles	2006–2011
Thomas W. Ross	2011–present

An asterisk (*) denotes acting president.

Reputation

In January 2013, a group of students and alums filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights, alleging that the university violates the rights of sexual assault victims.

See also

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

External links

• Official website