The Tar Heel State

Making a difference in our state

Whether it’s working directly with communities to overcome challenges or translating research from the lab to communities, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is dedicated to serving the people of our state. Public service is at the core of Carolina’s mission.

While we are formally known as the University of North Carolina, we might better be known as the University for North Carolina. We want our state to be a place where small towns and cities live side by side, working together and benefiting one another. We want the people of our state to live healthy, productive, secure lives.

Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz

University for North Carolina

From student service projects to cutting-edge research to UNC-Chapel Hill's impact on the state economy, Carolina serves North Carolinians from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Crystal Coast.

Press the play button above to see Carolina's impact throughout our state

Supporting North Carolina

Seafood mislabeling in North Carolina
Two recent student-led papers based on research in the undergraduate “Seafood Forensics” class at UNC-Chapel Hill show that seafood mislabeling in North Carolina is a big problem.
‘Hope grows here’
Carolina's Farm at Penny Lane operates the 40-acre property just six miles south of campus to provide services to approximately 2,000 people in the Triangle area with serious mental health conditions, addictive disorders or intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Carolina leads Collaboration in PFAS Research
Working across disciplines, UNC-Chapel Hill environmental engineer Orlando Coronell and chemist Frank Leibfarth have developed a filtration resin that has thus far been successful in removing hazardous substances from water.
New UNC-Chapel Hill center helps prepare North Carolina for increasing environmental threats
The Center for Resilient Communities and Environment is working with North Carolina communities to understand their vulnerability to natural stressors and help them develop strategies to strengthen their community’s resilience.
Preparing North Carolina’s future leaders
UNC-Chapel Hill is strengthening the state's public institutions and supporting local communities through the School of Government's Lead for North Carolina program. Lead for NC recruits, train and places promising young leaders in paid local government fellowships.
Precision nutrition
Not only is the UNC Nutrition Research Institute changing lives of North Carolinians through its research, but it is revitalizing the Kannapolis community.