Introduction Section I, Page 1
Revised September 1994.
THE UNIVERSITY AND CHAPEL HILL
History of the University
The University of North Carolina was anticipated by a section of the first state constitution drawn up in 1776 directing the establishing of "one or more universities" in which "all useful learning shall be duly encouraged and promoted." State support, it directed, should be provided so that instruction might be available "at low prices." The American Revolution intervened, and it was not until 1789, the year that George Washington became president of the new nation, that the University was chartered by the General Assembly.
Despite constitutional instructions to the contrary, no state appropriations were made, and the trustees were left to secure land and money themselves. On October 12, 1793, the cornerstone was laid for a brick building on a hilltop near the center of the state amidst the colorful fall foliage of dogwood, oak, and tulip trees.
The site, lying at the crossing of north-south and east-west roads, was marked only by a small Anglican chapel that soon shared part of its name - New Hope Chapel Hill - with the community that developed there. Legislator and trustee William R. Davie, who had been instrumental in securing passage of the charter, took the lead in organizing the University. Davie presided over the Masonic ritual of the laying of the cornerstone. In time he came to be called "the Father of the University." Many years later a large poplar or tulip tree, first mentioned in 1818 and still standing near the center of the old campus, was called Davie Poplar in his honor.
The first building and, indeed, the only building for two years, was a two-story brick structure that came to be called Old East. It is now a National Historic Landmark, the oldest state university building in America. Opened to students on January 15, 1795, The University of North Carolina received its first student, Hinton James of New Hanover County, on February 12. By March there were two professors and forty-one students present. The next building on the Carolina campus was Person Hall, begun in 1796 and long used as the chapel. The cornerstone of Main or South Building was laid in 1798. All three are older than any other American state university building.
The Civil War was responsible for the closing of many colleges and universities, but the University was one of the few Southern institutions to remain open throughout the war. During Reconstruction, however, it was closed from 1870 until 1875; buildings had deteriorated, equipment had disappeared during the Federal occupation of the campus, and politicians attempted to direct the course of the University by naming professors, trustees, and other officers. With a change in the political leadership of the
Introduction Section I, Page 2
state, however, the University reopened under new trustees who soon began to inaugurate programs that once again marked it as a leading university.
With the beginning of the twentieth century, the University entered a period of renewed growth and service. Special notice was taken in 1915 when student enrollment for the first time reached one thousand. By 1930 there were 2,600 students at the University and a faculty of 222 full- and 85 part-time members. Teaching, study, and research took place at undergraduate, graduate, and professional levels in twelve colleges and schools and in twenty-one departments.
The General Assembly in 1931 consolidated the University with the Woman's College at Greensboro (now UNC-Greensboro) and North Carolina State College at Raleigh (now North Carolina State University) under a single Board of Trustees. As an economy measure during the Depression and as a means of eliminating duplication, the trustees allocated each unit specific roles in higher education for the state. The offices of the Consolidated University were established on the Chapel Hill campus and University President Frank Porter Graham became the Consolidated University's first president.
New laws in 1963 that defined the purpose and function of the University placed it at the apex of the State's higher education pyramid and set procedures by which other institutions could be added to the consolidated system. Charlotte College was added as the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1965, and Asheville-Biltmore College and Wilmington College became the University of North Carolina at Asheville and the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, respectively, in 1969. The University of North Carolina, consisting of six institutions, was governed by a 100-member Board of Trustees elected by the General Assembly.
On October 30, 1971, the General Assembly, in special session, added the ten other state-supported senior institutions to The University of North Carolina. The restructuring became effective on July 1, 1972. The Board of Trustees became the Board of Governors and its size was reduced to thirty-two members elected by the General Assembly. Each constituent institution has its own board of trustees, faculty, and student body headed by a chancellor as its chief administrative officer. The General Administration offices of the University, headed by the President, are located in Chapel Hill on the Raleigh Road ~C 54) at the western approach to US 15-501 By-pass.
Introduction Section I, Page 3
By 1990 the campus of what had come to be known as The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was the site of nearly two hundred perrnanent buildings. Over 22,000 students were enrolled and the faculty consisted of around 1,900 full-time members. The Alumni Association counted more than 168,000 living alumni. During its two centuries, the University has trained just over 754,000 men and women, exclusive of those who attended summer school or special courses.
The University has been recognized for the quality of its graduate programs in every national survey conducted in the past third of this century. A survey of graduate programs published by the National Academy of Sciences ranked UNC-Chapel Hill first in the South and eighteenth in the nation.
In 1990 US. News and World Report published a survey of American colleges and universities which cited the University as twentieth among the 450 best colleges in the nation. In an earlier survey UNC-Chapel Hill was one of only three state institutions to be considered among the top research universities.
The accolades reflect the quality of the curriculum and of the faculty, whose research orientation allows them to share with their students not only the thrill of discovery, but the latest advancements and new knowledge. Another asset that contributes to this reputation is UNC-Chapel Hill's superb library system containing more than three million volumes. It is ranked among the top research libraries in the United States and Canada by the Association of Research Libraries.
The University, after 200 years, is the most comprehensive institution in North Carolina, both in the range of its programs at all levels and in the breadth of its specialized research and public service programs.
The University's fourteen colleges and schools provide instruction in more than one hundred fields, offering 67 baccalaureate, 88 master's, and 62 doctoral programs, as well as professional degrees in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and law. It has more than remained faithful to its founding fathers' charge to duly encourage and promote all useful learning for the betterment of humanity.
William S. Powell, Professor Emeritus
Department of History
Introduction Section I, Page 4
Town of Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill is located in the southeastern corner of Orange County - almost the geographical center of North Carolina. Its elevation is 440 feet above sea level. Local highways are U.S. 15-501, N.C. 54 and N.C. 86. Interstate Highways 85 and 40 are just a few miles to the north and east and serve to connect Chapel Hill with Raleigh, Durham, and the Research Triangle Park. Raleigh-Durham International Airport, with more than 400 flights daily, is located just off Interstate 40 between Chapel Hill and Raleigh.
A committee was delegated in 1792 to choose a site for the proposed
University. New Hope Chapel, a Church of England establishment, because of its
location at the crossing of two primary roads - one from
As a result of the recommendations of this committee, the University
trustees on December 5th ordained that "the said New Hope Chapel
Hill" was to be the seat of the University. On the same day they appointed
commissioners "to erect the buildings of the University and lay off a Town
adjacent thereto." As the first University building began to rise, the
town of
Throughout the ante-bellum period
After a brief period of dire financial trouble following the war, during
which it had to shut down, the University reopened its doors in 1875, thus
stimulating a new period of growth for the town. This era also saw the
establishment of a railroad spur (1882) to a point one mile west of the center
of
Introduction Section I, Page 5
Today, the University provides a strong and steady foundation for the local
economy. The town has built upon this foundation in order to provide services
and meet the growing, changing needs of the community. The town's population
has grown to approximately 30,000 year-round residents and about 9,000
town-dwelling students.
The
Chapel Hill water supply, electric, gas, and telephone utilities are
serviced by the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA), Duke Power Company,
Public Service Company of North Carolina, and Southern Bell, respectively.
Recreational sites include nine city and county parks, three public and two
private golf courses and three swimming pools. Events in
Introduction Section I, Page 6
The
The University is a research university. Fundamental to this designation is a faculty actively involved in research, scholarship, and creative work, whose teaching is transformed by discovery and whose service is informed by current knowledge.
The mission of the University is to serve all the people of the State, and indeed the nation, as a center for scholarship and creative endeavor. The University exists to expand the body of knowledge; to teach students at all levels in an environment of research, free inquiry, and personal responsibility; to improve the condition of human life through service and publication; and to enrich our culture.
To fulfill this mission, the University must:
- acquire, discover, preserve, synthesize, and transmit knowledge;
- provide high quality undergraduate instruction to students within a community engaged in original inquiry and creative expression, while committed to intellectual freedom to personal integrity and justice, and to those values that foster enlightened leadership for the State and the nation;
- provide graduate and professional programs of national distinction at the doctoral and other advanced levels to future generations of research scholars, educators, professionals, and informed citizens;
- extend knowledge-based
services and other resources of the University to the citizens of
- address, as appropriate, regional, national, and international needs.
Introduction Section I, Page 7
This mission imposes special responsibilities upon the faculty, students, staff, administration, trustees, and other governance structures and constituencies of the University in their service and decision-making on behalf of the University.
Adopted by the Board of Trustees,