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

'You can't escape the story': UNC class feels for indentations on Old East left by enslaved laborers
A class of first-year students spent an hour carefully running their hands along the grooves of Old East's brick exterior. Their goal? To find...
Sun Jun 7, 2026

Tasting the Town: The 'fryerarchy' of Chapel Hill
We have always said it is impossible to mess up french fries. However, we are also a proponent of the concept of a fry hierarchy...
Sat Jun 6, 2026

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Openings, Closings and Updates in January-March 2026
Kipos Greek Taverna returned to operations in Eastgate Crossing after months of restoration following Chantal’s flooding last summer. Located in the back corner of the...
Fri Jun 5, 2026

UNC Journalism School Takes Hearst Prize for 8th Consecutive Year
The University of North Carolina Hussman School of Journalism and Media won the overall intercollegiate first place title at the Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Intercollegiate...
Thu Jun 4, 2026