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University News

Join us virtually for Kevin M. Guskiewicz’s installation

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced adjustments to any number of Carolina traditions in 2020, and that will include University Day in October. In a historic event, Kevin Guskiewicz will be formally installed Carolina's 12th chancellor on Sunday, Oct. 11. The ceremony can be viewed at installation.unc.edu.

A medallion on a bible.
The Chancellor’s Medallion, given to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1993 by John Sanders, was updated in 2013 by Pittsboro sculptor Pete Hinton with a sterling silver Chain of Office that includes links engraved with names of previous UNC chancellors, the Old Well and the Davie Poplar.

Dear Carolina Community,

As you know, this fall has been a semester like no other before it. From remote learning to no fans at Carolina football games this month, everyone is making necessary adjustments and doing our best to roll with the changes. To our students, faculty, staff and members of the local Chapel Hill-Carrboro community, I offer my heartfelt gratitude for your perseverance toward our University mission and commitment to community standards to help keep us safe.

Among the changes we have had to make this fall involves University Day, celebrated every Oct. 12, when we mark the birth of the University of North Carolina and public higher education in America. This year, it was to have the double distinction of honoring Carolina’s birthday and formally installing Kevin Guskiewicz as our University’s 12th chancellor.

That, too, has been adjusted due to COVID-19, but will not dampen the historic significance of such an occasion.

It is my privilege to share that Kevin Guskiewicz will be installed as chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on Sunday, Oct. 11, as part of a special two-day University Day observance. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, I regret in-person attendance will be limited to invitation only. This historic event, though greatly scaled back from previous years, will be aired on the University’s YouTube channel and will feature live and recorded content, including brief remarks from Nortn Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, UNC System President Peter Hans and faculty and staff leaders. In a keynote address, Chancellor Guskiewicz will share his vision for the University’s future.

For more details, please visit https://installation.unc.edu. The link to watch the ceremony will be available on the installation website closer to the event.

Though Chancellor Guskiewicz was officially named chancellor by the Board of Governors last December, we planned to follow tradition and hold his formal ceremony in conjunction with University Day, Oct. 12. This year, as that date falls on a Monday – and in response to the tighter academic schedule – we have created a two-day, virtual event by moving the installation to Sunday so that class schedules can operate without interruption. This year, University Day will still be observed on Oct. 12 without the traditional ceremonial event in Memorial Hall, but via the University’s owned media and social media platforms.

This has been an extraordinarily challenging year, and the Board of Trustees and I are incredibly grateful for Chancellor Guskiewicz and his leadership.

Sincerely,

Richard Y. Stevens
Chair, UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees