T h e M ay
C o M M e n C e M e n T
of
Th e on e hu n dr e d Sev e nT e e nT h
ye ar o f Th e un iv e r S i Ty
The univerSiTy of norTh Carolina
at Greensboro
Greensboro Coliseum
Greensboro, North Carolina
Ten O’Clock
Friday Morning , May 16
Two Thousand Eight
2
a Brief hiSTory of
The univerSiTy of norTh Carolina aT GreenSBoro
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro was established by legislative enactment on
February 18, 1891 and opened its doors on October 5, 1892.
The institution came into being as a direct result of the efforts of Dr. Charles Duncan McIver
on behalf of the education of women. To Dr. McIver, more than any other individual, the Uni-
versity owes its foundation. He became its first president and served until his death in 1906.
Since its founding, the institution’s name has been changed several times: 1891–1919—State
Normal and Industrial College; 1919–1932—North Carolina College for Women; 1932–1963—The
Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina. In the 1963 General Assembly the name
was changed to The University of North Carolina at Greensboro and by the same Act the in-
stitution became co-educational. In the fall of 1964 the first class of male students was admit-
ted. In 1972 the General Assembly in special session merged all State supported institutions
of Higher Education into The University of North Carolina without changing the names of
each campus. Thus, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro is now a member of the
16-campus University.
From a student body of 223 and a faculty of 15 in 1892, The University of North Carolina
at Greensboro has grown to a student body of 17,157—22% of whom are graduate students—
and a total faculty of 1,080. The Division of Continual Learning has grown to an enrollment
in academic credit courses of 771.
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro includes the following academic units: the
College of Arts and Sciences, the Joseph M. Bryan School of Business and Economics, School
of Education, School