Editing University of North Carolina (section)

== History ==

=== Foundations ===
Founded in 1789, the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] (at the time called the University of North Carolina) is one of three schools to claim the title of [[oldest public university in the United States]]. It closed from 1871 to 1875, faced with serious financial and enrollment problems during the [[Reconstruction era]]. In 1877, the state of North Carolina began sponsoring additional higher education institutions. Over time, the state added a [[Women's colleges in the United States|women's college]] (now known as the [[University of North Carolina at Greensboro]]), a [[land-grant university]] ([[North Carolina State University]]), five [[historically black colleges and universities|historically black institutions]] ([[North Carolina A&T State University]], [[North Carolina Central University]], [[Winston-Salem State University]], [[Fayetteville State University]], and [[Elizabeth City State University]]) and one to educate [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indians]] (the [[University of North Carolina at Pembroke]]). Others were created to prepare [[Normal school|teachers for public education]] and to instruct [[Art school|performing artists]].

=== Initial Consolidation ===
During the [[Great Depression]], the [[North Carolina General Assembly]] searched for cost savings within state government. Towards this effort in 1931, it redefined the University of North Carolina, which at the time referred exclusively to the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]]; the new ''Consolidated University of North Carolina'' was created to include the existing campuses of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University), and the Woman's College (now the University of North Carolina at Greensboro). The three campuses came under the leadership of a single board of trustees and a single president, with "Deans of Administration" serving as day-to-day leaders of the three campuses. In 1945, the title "Dean of Administration" was changed to "[[Chancellor (education)|Chancellor]]." By 1969, three additional campuses had joined the Consolidated University through legislative action: the [[University of North Carolina at Charlotte]], the [[University of North Carolina at Asheville]], and the [[University of North Carolina at Wilmington]].

=== 1971 to present ===
In 1971, North Carolina passed legislation bringing into the University of North Carolina all 16 public institutions that confer bachelor's degrees. This latest round of consolidation gave each constituent school its own chancellor and [[board of trustees]]. In 1985, the [[North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics]], the nation's first public residential high school for gifted students, was declared an affiliated school of the university. In 2007, the high school became a full member of the university.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}}

Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, the UNC system lowered its minimum [[ACT score]] for admission from 19 to 17.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=David |date=2025-05-14 |title=Let's try to figure out what's best |url=https://www.cherokeescout.com/opinion/lets-try-figure-out-whats-best |access-date=2025-05-16 |work=[[Cherokee Scout]] |publisher=[[Community Newspapers Inc.]] |location=Murphy, N.C. |page=4A}}</ref>

=== Presidents ===
{{For|presiding professors of the University of North Carolina prior to 1804|Leaders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill}}
[[File:Univ north carolina original seal.png|thumb|170px|Original seal of the University of North Carolina {{circa}} 1791]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
!| Number
!| Name
!| Term
|-
| 1
| [[Joseph Caldwell]]
| 1804–1812
|-
| 2
| [[Robert Hett Chapman]]
| 1812–1816
|-
| -
| [[Joseph Caldwell]]
| 1816–1835
|-
| *
| ''[[Elisha Mitchell]]''<nowiki>*</nowiki>
| 1835
|-
| 3
| [[David L. Swain|David Lowry Swain]]
| 1835–1868
|-
| 4
| [[Solomon Pool]]
| 1869–1872
|-
| **
| ''Charles Phillips''<nowiki>**</nowiki>
| 1875–1876
|-
| 5
| [[Kemp P. Battle|Kemp Plummer Battle]]
| 1876–1891
|-
| 6
| [[George T. Winston|George Tayloe Winston]]
| 1891–1896
|-
| 7
| [[Edwin Alderman|Edwin Anderson Alderman]]
| 1896–1900
|-
| 8
| [[Francis Preston Venable]]
| 1900–1914
|-
| 9
| [[Edward Kidder Graham]]
| 1914–1918
|-
| *
| ''Marvin Hendrix Stacy''<nowiki>*</nowiki>
| 1918–1919
|-
| 10
| [[Harry Woodburn Chase]]
| 1919–1930
|-
| 11
| [[Frank Porter Graham]]
| 1930–1949<br /><small>(''UNC Consolidation in 1931'')</small>
|-
| *
| ''William Donald Carmichael, Jr.'' <nowiki>*</nowiki>
| 1949–1950
|-
| 12
| [[Gordon Gray (politician)|Gordon Gray]]
| 1950–1955
|-
| *
| ''J. Harris Purks''<nowiki>*</nowiki>
| 1955–1956
|-
| 13
| [[William C. Friday|William Clyde Friday]]
| 1956–1986<br /><small>(''acting until 1957'')</small>
|-
| 14
| [[Clemmie Spangler]]
| 1986–1997
|-
| 15
| [[Molly Corbett Broad]]
| 1997–2006
|-
| 16
| [[Erskine Bowles]]
| 2006–2011
|-
| 17
| [[Thomas Warren Ross|Thomas W. Ross]]
| 2011–2016
|-
| *
| Junius J. Gonzales<nowiki>*</nowiki>
| 2016
|-
| 18
| [[Margaret Spellings]]
| 2016–2019
|-
| *
| [[William L. Roper]]<nowiki>*</nowiki>
| 2019–2020<ref>{{cite news |title=UNC Health CEO, William Roper, named interim president of UNC system |url=https://abc11.com/education/unc-health-ceo-william-roper-named-interim-president-of-unc-system/4590141/ |access-date=2 July 2020 |work=ABC11 Raleigh-Durham |date=1 November 2018 |language=en}}</ref> 
|-
| 19
| [[Peter Hans]] 
| 2020–present<ref name="Hans">{{cite news |last1=Seltzer |first1=Rick |title=UNC System Names New President |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2020/06/22/unc-system-names-new-president |access-date=2 July 2020 |work=Inside Higher Ed |date=June 22, 2020 |language=en}}</ref>
|}
An asterisk (<nowiki>*</nowiki>) denotes acting president.
Two asterisks (<nowiki>**</nowiki>) denotes chairman of the faculty.