University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)

UNC Greensboro creates remarkable real-world impact, every day. You see it every day. In the hard work, inventive ideas, and powerful collaborations that define our communities. You see it in our students – those who have excelled their entir r students – those who have excelled their entire lives and those who are full of potential. You see it in faculty who – in the classroom, the lab, and the community – discover and share the knowledge that makes our region and our world healthier, more vibrant, and more prosperous. You see it in the engagement of our faculty, staff, and students with our hometown – in the center of our state – where we are an engine of prosperity, innovation, creativity, and service. UNC Greensboro was established by legislative enactment on February 18, 1891. The City of Greensboro, situated near the geographical center of the state, was selected for the location of the new institution after its citizens approved $30,000 in bonds for its first buildings. R.S. Pullen and R.T. Gray gave the original 10-acre site. The institution opened on October 5, 1892, with a student body of 198 and a faculty of 15 – and the final enrollment reached 223 at the end of the first year. Classes were organized in three departments: commercial, domestic science, and pedagogy. UNCG founder Charles Duncan McIver and the faculty of the State Normal Industrial School. The institution came into being as a direct result of a crusade by Dr. Charles Duncan McIver on behalf of the education of women. Other pioneers in public school education – notably, Edwin A. Alderman, James Y. Joyner, and M.C.S. Noble – assisted McIver, but to him, more than to any other individual, the University owes its foundation. During the past century, the University’s mission has evolved, as suggested by its sequence of names. It was known first as the State Normal and Industrial School, and after 1897 as the State Normal and Industrial College until 1919. During the period 1919-1931, it was known as the North Carolina College for Women and became the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina from 1932 to 1963. It is warmly remembered as “the WC” by its many alumnae of the period. From 1932 to 1963 the University was one of the three branches of the Consolidated University of North Carolina. The other campuses included The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the North Carolina State College of Agriculture and Engineering at Raleigh (now N.C. State University). In 1962, the Board of Trustees recommended that the Greensboro campus become coeducational at all levels of instruction. Subsequently, by an act of the General Assembly in the spring of 1963, the name of the institution was changed to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The first African American students were admitted in 1956, and men were first admitted as part of the general student body in 1964. In December of 1934, during the years of the Consolidated University, the Woman’s College Section of the Alpha of North Carolina Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa was installed. (Alpha Chapter is the one at Chapel Hill.) On February 17, 1956, the Epsilon Chapter of North Carolina was installed at this campus. In 2006, UNCG’s chapter was voted the best in the nation on a public university campus by the national Phi Beta Kappa organization. In October of 1971, the North Carolina General Assembly adopted legislation that combined all 16 of the state-supported institutions of higher education into a single University of North Carolina. The UNC System is governed by a board of governors and administered by a president. Each constituent institution has a separate board of trustees and is administered by a chancellor. UNCG’s chancellor is Dr. Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr., who took office on May 22, 2015. He came to UNCG from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he was dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs. It is as true today as it has been for more than 130 years: UNC Greensboro is relentlessly focused on helping each student unleash their potential and make a meaningful impact on their life, in our community, and around the world, every day. UNC Greensboro will redefine the public research university for the 21st century as an inclusive, collaborative, and responsive institution making a difference in the lives of students and the communities it serves. A learner-centered, accessible, and inclusive community fostering intellectual inquiry to prepare students for meaningful lives and engaged citizenship; An institution offering classes on campus, off-campus, and online for degree-seeking students and life-long learners; A research university where collaborative scholarship and creative activity enhance the quality of life across the life-span; A source of innovation and leadership meeting social, economic, and environmental challenges in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, and beyond; and A global university integrating intercultural and international experiences and perspectives into learning, discovery, and service. UNC Greensboro offers exceptional opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to thrive. Ranked for excellence in affordability, academic rigor, and social mobility, UNCG is committed to closing achievement gaps and supporting first-generation and Pell-eligible students. With robust academic programs, a focus on research and community service, and a global perspective, UNCG fosters an environment where students make an impact—both locally and globally—ensuring success for all students and creating pathways for leadership in the workforce. $1 BILLION economic impact in the Piedmont Triad Over $65 million in external funding annually 103,530 alumni live, work, and make a difference in North Carolina UNCG graduates over 400 educators and over 300 nurses each year. Carnegie Foundation classification for higher research activity and community engagement. UNCG’s Weatherspoon Art Museum, one of the leading collections of 20th and 21st-century American art in the Southeast, serves nearly 36,000 visitors each year. ...view more