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

The Most Mouthwatering Burger in North Carolina Is Waiting For You at Al’s Burger Shack
Ask a University of North Carolina student where to find the best burger in the state, and they’ll point you to Al’s Burger Shack. Al’s...
Sat May 30, 2026

31 Carolina faculty named ‘highly cited researchers’
UNC has 31 faculty on Clarivate’s 2025 list of Highly Cited Researchers, recognizing those who have demonstrated significant and broad influence in their fields of...
Thu May 28, 2026

UNC Alumni on Pulitzer-Winning Journalism Teams
Three alumni of the Hussman School of Media and Journalism — Brian Cassella ’05, Alex Kormann ’19 and Emmy Martin ’25 — were part of...
Wed May 27, 2026

Eric Church Uses His Guitar To Deliver Powerful Commencement Speech At UNC
UNC-Chapel Hill held its 2026 graduation ceremony, and the commencement address was delivered by North Carolina native and diehard Tar Heel fan Eric Church. And...
Mon May 25, 2026