225 years of Tar Heels: Hinton James

Posted Feb 13, 2019
First-year students living in Hinton James Residence Hall are no strangers to long walks to campus. Neither was the namesake of that building, Hinton James, who — legend has it — walked from his home in Wilmington, NC, to Chapel Hill in 1795 and became the first student to enroll. James arrived at UNC on Feb. 12, 1795, almost a month after the University opened its doors. (UNC.edu)

Related: Campus Connections

Katie Homan keeps gold medalists upright
When Katie Homan was growing up in Ohio, hockey "wasn’t a thing" for her. It still wasn’t a thing in 2011, when she earned a...
Wed Mar 11, 2026

UNC junior builds algorithm to aid disaster recovery
When Esha Singaraju first arrived on campus in 2023, she wasn’t sure what path she wanted to follow. One class unexpectedly shaped her academic journey:...
Tue Mar 10, 2026

Chapel Hill gives parking to land high-paying jobs, keep UNC startup in town
A contribution of 10 parking spaces is going to keep a homegrown concessions delivery company growing on Franklin Street. The Chapel Hill Town Council approved...
Sun Mar 8, 2026

UNC journalism students report on Winter Olympics in Milan, 'rush' a fountain when UNC beats Duke
Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Hussman School has sent students to cover the Games multiple times under professor C.A. Tuggle — but this was...
Sat Mar 7, 2026