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
Archaeological digs at UNC's New East yield centuries-old relicsOn a sunny morning in late April, a group of North Carolina faculty and students hunched down on the ground outside New East and sifted...
Wed Nov 12, 2025James Blizzard is living out his Carolina dream
When James Rolf Blizzard ’24 was 5 years old, his dad took him to a Carolina basketball game at the Smith Center. There Rolf Blizzard...
Mon Nov 10, 2025
Carolina Brewery Celebrates 30 Years
Few Tar Heels have a pedigree as lengthy as Robert Poitras, a fourth-generation UNC alum who grew up tailgating at Kenan Stadium and cheering on...
Sun Nov 9, 2025
Meet 10 Tar Heel military heroes
UNC has a longstanding history of supporting veterans on campus. Before or after they served their country, they spent time in Chapel Hill learning from...
Sat Nov 8, 2025