January 15, 1795: UNC Holds Its Opening Ceremony

Posted Jan 15, 2018
UNC held its opening ceremony on January 15, 1795, and soon after became the first state university to enroll students. The winter of 1794-1795 had been rough, and the roads were a muddy mess. It was a cold, windy, rainy day and the area looked more like a construction site than a college campus. Only the East Building and the unpainted wooden house of the Presiding Professor had been completed. (UNC.edu)

Related: Campus Connections

UNC alum, former Tar Heels soccer player Jenny Chiu hosts FIFA World Cup TV series
Jenny Chiu ’17 always aimed to become a soccer star. And she has — just not in the way she imagined. As 48 countries compete...
Sat Jun 27, 2026

UNC Connections to the Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes
Mike Sundheim has been with the Carolina Hurricanes in some capacity for 28 years. Sundheim graduated from UNC in 2000, meaning he started with the...
Thu Jun 25, 2026

Take a closer look at South Building’s new copper roof
The weathervane at the top of South Building hasn’t been the highest point on campus in nearly a century, but for now, anyway, it is...
Wed Jun 24, 2026

UNC ranked No. 55 among universities across the world
The University of North Carolina is the 55th best school in the world, according to U.S. News. Carolina’s best subject areas, according to the rankings,...
Tue Jun 23, 2026