History tistry, medicine, pharmacy and law. Five health schools -- Students Carolina was the nation’s first state university to open its which, with UNC Hospitals, comprise one of the nation’s Recent freshman classes at Carolina have set new standards doors and the only public university to award degrees in the most complete academic medical centers -- are integrated of excellence as measured by the rigorous coursework stu- 18th century. with liberal arts, basic sciences and high-tech academic dents have taken, as well as their grades and SAT scores. Authorized by the N.C. Constitution in 1776, the universi- programs. The incoming freshmen of 2001 are continuing that trend. ty was chartered by the N.C. General Assembly Dec. 11, In fall 2000, Carolina enrolled 24,872 students from all 100 Besides setting a new record for high school preparation, 1789, the same year George Washington first was inaugu- North Carolina counties, the other 49 states and nearly 100 the newest class will become the very best group of first- rated as president. other countries. Eighty-two percent of Carolina’s 15,608 year students Carolina has ever admitted. The cornerstone was laid for Old East, the nation’s first undergraduates were from North Carolina. Sixty-three per- state university building, Oct. 12, 1793. Hinton James, the cent of Carolina’s students were undergraduates, 28 percent UNC students have a long tradition of outstanding achieve- first student, arrived from Wilmington, N.C., Feb. 12, 1795. ment. Thirty-five have been awarded the Rhodes Location Scholarship since it was created in 1902, including the first The 729-acre central campus includes the two oldest state U.S. black woman recipient. Twelve UNC students have university buildings, Old East and Person Hall. Old East won the Rhodes since 1980. and Playmakers Theatre, an 1852 Greek-revival building UNC students regularly win other prestigious merit awards are National Historic Landmarks. in the United States and abroad. In 2001, for example, UNC The American Society of Landscape Architects selected the produced its 22nd Luce Scholar, economics major Alex Carolina campus as one of the most beautifully landscaped Mehfar, through a program funded by the Henry Luce spots in the country.That list, released in 1999 timed to the Foundation. Julius Lucks, a chemistry major, earned a society’s centennial, represents just the latest affirmation of Churchill Scholarship, one of only 11 awarded nationwide, the charm of mighty oaks, majestic quadrangles, brick side- to study at the University of Cambridge in England. Lucks walks and other landscaping synonymous with UNC. also received a prestigious Hertz Fellowship, one of 25 A campus master plan approved in spring 2000 by awarded by the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, to sup- Carolina’s trustees represents a visionary look forward, port his graduate work. offering a striking view of how the campus should exist in The newest Tar Heels entering Carolina this fall will the long-term future to meet the needs of students, faculty, include 15 Robertson Scholars. Along with 15 others who staff and the surrounding community. The plan aims to cap- will matriculate at Duke University, they are part of the ture the ambience of north campus in the Polk Place and inaugural class of this unique scholarship program, created McCorkle Place quadrangles and use it to transform the last year by a $24 million gift from Julian and Josie southern region of campus into an equally wonderful place Roberston. The full-tuition scholarship will allow each stu- in which to learn, teach, work and live. dent to spend a semester in residence at the other campus. Chapel Hill has been called "the perfect college town" by The scholarships bring together two of the nation’s finest publications including Sports Illustrated. universities and attract top students to the Triangle. UNC anchors one corner of the famed Research Triangle Learning Park, which has played a vital role in nurturing the eco- This fall’s freshman class will be the second wave of nomic development of North Carolina. Carolina students required to own laptop computers as part Recent Rankings of the Carolina Computing Initiative. In 2000, 3,400 In the U.S. News and World Report magazine’s 2000 Chapel Hill freshmen became the largest class in the United “Annual Guide to America's Best Colleges,” UNC tied for States ever required to own laptops during the first year of third among the nation’s top public universities and tied for the initiative’s implementation. Students can access a world 25th overall among both public and private campuses. of knowledge at their fingertips and communicate with fac- Among undergraduate business programs, the Kenan- ulty and peers with just a few keystrokes. Flagler Business School tied for fifth nationwide in the Carolina is making it easier for students and others with same issue of the magazine. laptops to connect to the Internet, e-mail and the campus U.S. News also ranked 25 graduate degree programs and computer network – whether they are in classrooms, labs, specialty areas at UNC among the top 25 nationwide, in libraries and nearby outdoor sites – thanks to new wireless March 2001. The magazine rated programs in the schools technology. Wireless access points are being installed at of business, education, law, medicine, public health, and key locations on campus, allowing students whose comput- master’s and doctoral programs in the College of Arts and ers have adapter cards to connect to cyberspace without Sciences and other units. Several schools, degree programs graduates and another 9 percent were professional degree- physically plugging into the campus network. and specialty areas were in the top 10. seekers. UNC continues to enhance scholarly opportunities avail- The Fiske Guide to Colleges called UNC one of the 19 pub- Those students learn from a faculty that totaled 2,782 in fall able to undergraduates, especially freshmen. Freshman lic universities in the United States and Canada that were 2000. Many of those faculty members hold or have held seminars, averaging about 15 students each and taught by the “best college buys” for 2001. Such schools offer major posts in virtually every national scholarly or profes- outstanding senior faculty, are designed to develop critical “remarkable educational opportunities at a relatively mod- sional organization and have earned election to the most thinking, writing and speaking skills. Also, UNC opened est cost.” prestigious academic groups. the James M. Johnston Center for Underg r a d u a t e The January 2001 issue of Black Enterprise magazine UNC ranks 12th nationally among public research univer- Excellence, housed in the privately supported renovation of placed Carolina 14th in its “Black Enterprise-DayStar Top sities for the number of prestigious awards that faculty have Graham Memorial Building. The Johnston Center united 50 Colleges and Universities for African Americans” list, received in the arts, humanities, science and health. under one roof the honors program, Carolina Leadership up from 19th the previous year and the highest ranking The Carolina academic community benefits from a library Development, an undergraduate research office, scholarly among major public universities. DayStar, a research firm, with more than 5.1 million volumes and perennially ranks fellowship programs and other functions that enrich under- gathered the data for the list, which is based on responses among the best research libraries in the nation as judged by graduate education. to questions about which schools were both a good aca- the Association of Research Libraries. UNC’s North On Oct. 12, 2001, Carolina will launch the largest fund- demic and social fit for African-American students. Carolina Collection is the largest of its kind among state- raising campaign in its history and build upon impressive Business Week magazine ranked the Kenan-Flagler oriented collections on campuses nationwide. And the recent progress in seeking the private support that will help Business School’s master of business administration pro- Southern and rare book collections also are among the determine the university’s future excellence. Private gifts gram 15th in its 2000 rankings of the “Best Business country’s finest. create scholarships and professorships, purchase library Schools” published in October. Making up the overall rank- Carolina’s 227,388 alumni live in all 50 states and around collections and benefit academic units campuswide. ing were a graduate ranking of 11th and a corporate rank- the world. Notable alumni include writers Thomas Wolfe, Faculty ing of 16th. In special mentions, the school ranked fifth for Shelby Foote and Jill McCorkle; athletes Michael Jordan, Two professors recently were elected to the National "schools that are best responding to student concerns" and Vince Carter, Mia Hamm, Marion Jones and Davis Love Academy of Sciences: Fred P. Brooks Jr., Kenan professor for "greatest rise in MBAsatisfaction.” III; and journalists Roger Mudd, Charles Kuralt, Stuart of computer science, and Maurice S. Brookhart, Kenan pro- In October 2000, Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine Scott and Tom Wicker. Others include former White House fessor of chemistry. UNC-Chapel Hill now has 10 faculty rated UNC first among a list of the 100 best buys in U.S. Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles; former White House members in the prestigious academy. Carolina also has five public colleges and universities because of its combination Communications Director Don Baer; U.S. Sen. John members of the National Academy of Engineering, 20 of top-quality academics and low cost. Kiplinger’s called Edwards; Bill Harrison, chief executive officer of Chase members of the Institute of Medicine and 23 members of UNC “a place where high achievers are in good company.” Manhattan Bank; Scott Livengood, Krispy Kreme the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.