Menu

January 15, 1795: UNC Holds Its Opening Ceremony


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:

When Every Second Counts: This UNC Device is Saving Lives
A breakthrough from UNC is helping frontline teams fight America’s drug crisis. Chemist Mike Ramsey’s research led to the MX908, a handheld mass spectrometer, that...

Forbes Names Carolina to “Best Large Employer” List
The University of North Carolina is the top-ranked public institution in North Carolina on the Forbes 2026 Best Large Employer List released Tuesday. UNC is...

For Tift Merritt, Time and Patience Have Made the Difference
Tift Merritt never thought she’d end up back in her hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina. For about 15 years she toured through America and Europe...

Rich Eisen can’t bring himself to watch Stuart Scott ’30 for 30' yet
ESPN’s latest 30 for 30 documentary stays close to home, covering the life of Stuart Scott, an icon of the Worldwide Leader’s SportsCenter era. Rich...