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

Pantry Bowl 2025 combats campus hunger
UNC and NC State will again come together on something both can agree on — making sure no student goes to class hungry. The fifth...
Tue Nov 25, 2025

How UNC superfan, Randall Keen, rallies in Carolina blue
Living with ALS hasn’t stopped 64-year-old Randall Keen from cheering for nearly every Tar Heel team — or from teaching his daughter, Avery, what it...
Tue Nov 25, 2025

UNC honors murdered student body president Eve Carson on 40th birthday
Eve Carson is frozen in time as the bubbly, beloved UNC student body President. A bright future was cut short in 2008, when she was...
Sun Nov 23, 2025

Another Record-High Graduation Success Rate For UNC Student-Athletes
For the sixth consecutive year, UNC student-athletes established a record-high multi-year graduation rate as reported in the NCAA's annual Graduation Success Rates. The overall student-athlete...
Fri Nov 21, 2025