UNC Campus Connections

Complete coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels Campus Connections.

'Power of theater': UNC Department of Dramatic Art receives $2 million gift from alumna

University of North Carolina alumna Kathleen Ford has given a $2 million gift to the Department of Dramatic Art. The gift consists of a $1 million endowed fund and a $1 million expendable fund. Kathryn Hunter-Williams, chair and associate professor in the Department of Dramatic Art, said that the gift will be able to support theater experiences on all levels. (Daily Tar Heel)

Mexico defeats Turkey, 1-0, in international friendly soccer match at Kenan Stadium

Mexico’s men’s soccer national team defeated Turkey, 1-0, on Tuesday at Kenan Stadium in an international friendly soccer match as a part of the 2025 MexTour. A crowd of over 25,000 fans attended. The match marked the third straight year that an international soccer game has been held at Kenan Stadium with Manchester City playing Celtic last year. (Daily Tar Heel)

Triangle Turkish Community Welcomes Chance to See National Team, Soccer Matchup vs. Mexico

The center’s namesake is quite a football fan too. Dr. Aziz Sancar – who is a national hero to the Turks for winning the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry – had dreams of being a goalkeeper for Türkiye. Despite their tight schedule arriving to the Triangle, the football federation president and members of the national team paid a visit to the Sancar Center. (Chapelboro.com)

2024-25 in review at Carolina

The University of North Carolina had a lot to celebrate this academic year: groundbreaking research, national championships, a chancellor installation, the announcement of a new children's hospital, and even some snow on campus. In the fall, UNC celebrated its 13th chancellor, Lee H. Roberts, at an installation ceremony on University Day. (UNC.edu)

New Bern celebrates Caleb Bradham's birthday, honoring the inventor of Pepsi Cola

Caleb Bradham, inventor of Pepsi, was born in Duplin County on May 27, 1867. He went to the University of North Carolina, and moved to New Bern in 1891. Bradham tried several professions. Then eventually opened a pharmacy in 1893, and he invented Pepsi Cola in 1898. Bradham’s legacy can be seen all over New Bern including in the Pepsi store. (WCTI12.com)

Gary Birdsong, longtime UNC ‘Pit Preacher,’ dies at 81

When UNC students return to campus in the fall, they’ll notice that a familiar voice in the Pit has fallen silent. Gary Eugene Birdsong, a controversial "Pit Preacher," died this past February. He was well-known by the Carolina community for spreading the gospel in the sunken brick courtyard on campus, which he did for the past four decades. (Daily Tar Heel)

UNC history professor Kathleen DuVal wins Pulitzer Prize

Kathleen DuVal, a professor of history who specializes in early America, was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for her book “Native Nations: A Millennium in North America.” Teaching is just as important to DuVal as writing and scholarship. She has been a history professor at UNC for 22 years and said she is “planning on being here a long time." (Daily Tar Heel)

USA Today 10Best named Morehead Planetarium among the best in the country

Hundreds of people gathered outside the Chapel Hill planetarium in April 2024 to witness the solar eclipse. Decades earlier, at the beginning of the country’s crusade to explore space, the site had been a training ground for NASA astronauts, who were sent to the planetarium to learn how to navigate space manually in the event of a mechanical failure. (Charlotte Observer)

‘Priceless Gems’ from UNC’s History, Now on Display at Wilson Library

You can see and hear all those artifacts – plus a letter written by a University of North Carolina student in 1795, a telescope from the early 1800s, a guitar once owned by Andy Griffith, basketball plays hand-drawn by Dean Smith, and more – all on display at the Wilson Library through June. And the Wilson staff will be happy to show you around. (Chapelboro.com)

129 years after founder attended UNC, Pepsi secures exclusive vending rights

Caleb Bradham , Pepsi’s founder, studied medicine at UNC before heading back to his hometown of Chinquapin, NC, due to financial troubles. The Pepsi-Cola Collectors Club found documentation suggesting that Bradham began experimenting with ingredients to create differently flavored drinks in 1896, before Pepsi was officially born in 1898. (Daily Tar Heel)

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