University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In 1789, William Richardson Davie wrote the act that established the university. The university’s website calls the University of North Carolina the first public university in the nation.⁠[1]

In 1793, Davie and fellow trustees laid the cornerstone of the first building, Old East. University Day on October 12 each year marks the laying of that cornerstone; the university describes Old East as the oldest state university building in the nation.⁠[1]

Students arrived in 1795, when the university first opened its doors; its website states that it was the only public university to award degrees in the 18th century.⁠[1][2]

The School of Law was established in 1845. Other graduate programs began in 1876, followed by a summer school for teachers in 1877 and a medical program in 1879. Over the next century, the university broadened its mission to include research and public service.⁠[1]

In 1922, the Association of American Universities admitted the university as a member, in recognition of its growth in research and graduate programs.⁠[1]

In 1931, the North Carolina General Assembly established a Consolidated University made up of the Chapel Hill campus, the Woman’s College at Greensboro and North Carolina State College at Raleigh.⁠[1]

In 1972, the General Assembly created the UNC System, joining 16 state colleges and universities under a president and a board of governors.⁠[1]

In 2000, Julian RobertsonJulian RobertsonJulian Robertson (1932–2022) was an American hedge fund manager and philanthropist, the founder of the hedge fund Tiger Management, who trained and seeded a generation of hedge fund managers known as the “Tiger Cubs.” He also developed golf resort lodges in New Zealand and carried out large-scale philanthropy through several foundations.Open the full entry, a 1955 graduate of the university, and his wife Josie created the Robertson Scholars Leadership ProgramRobertson Scholars Leadership ProgramThe Robertson Scholars Leadership Program is an undergraduate scholarship and leadership program created in 2000 by Julian Robertson and his wife Josie. Its scholars hold student privileges at both Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the program covers eight semesters of full tuition, room and board.Open the full entry, which supports students across Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill; its scholars receive student privileges at both universities.⁠[3]

Lee H. Roberts is the 13th chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. A longtime financial executive and former state budget director, he served as interim chancellor before the UNC System Board of Governors elected him chancellor in August 2024.⁠[4]

The university’s leadership page states that the chancellor oversees a $4.5 billion budget and about 32,000 students, 4,300 faculty and 10,100 staff, and that the university is an R1 research university and a member of the Association of American Universities (page as accessed in November 2026).⁠[4]

The university’s website lists the Carolina Covenant among its life-changing opportunities; the program promises a debt-free education to low-income students.⁠[2]

ABCABCABC (American Broadcasting Company) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It grew out of NBC’s Blue radio network, took its name after becoming independent in 1943, developed into a national television network after merging with United Paramount Theatres in 1953, was acquired by Capital Cities in 1985, and has been owned by The Walt Disney Company since 1996. With CBS and NBC it is one of the three traditional U.S. broadcast networks, and it is one of the five networks that rotate in the White House television pool.Open the full entry News correspondent Jaclyn LeeJaclyn LeeJaclyn Lee is a multiplatform reporter for ABC News, which she joined in 2023 after working as an anchor and reporter at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia and as a reporter and weekend evening anchor at WVEC-TV in Norfolk, Virginia.Open the full entry holds a degree in broadcast journalism from the university.⁠[5]

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: Official website: https://www.unc.edu/ (opens in a new window).⁠[6]

Robertson Scholars Leadership Program: Official website: https://robertsonscholars.org/ (opens in a new window).⁠[7]

Duke University: Official website: https://www.duke.edu/ (opens in a new window).⁠[8]

X: Public account: https://x.com/unc (opens in a new window).⁠[9]

Instagram: Public account: https://www.instagram.com/uncchapelhill/ (opens in a new window).⁠[10]

Facebook: Public page: https://www.facebook.com/uncchapelhill/ (opens in a new window).⁠[11]

YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is Google’s video-sharing and creator platform, founded in 2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim and acquired by Google in 2006. Built around video uploading, viewing, and creator earnings, the platform has developed Shorts, YouTube Music, Premium, YouTube TV, and products for children, and is headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States.Open the full entry: Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/uncchapelhill (opens in a new window).⁠[12]

TikTok: Public account: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncchapelhill (opens in a new window).⁠[13]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: School page: https://www.linkedin.com/school/university-of-north-carolina-at-chapel-hill/ (opens in a new window).⁠[14]