UNIVERSITY DAY
Service to the People
University Day is an occasion to remember the University’s past and contemplate its future. The date, October 12, is the anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone for Old East, the institution’s first building and the oldest state university building in the nation.
University Day commemorations began in 1877 under President Kemp Plummer Battle, who voiced the hope that “pointing out the great work [the University] has done in the past will nerve all friends of education to labor for its increased usefulness in the future.” Over the years, alumni and students have celebrated the day with gatherings and service projects on campus and in their hometowns.
The Carolina community has observed University Day with speeches from distinguished members of the faculty and honored guests. President John F. Kennedy spoke in 1961, as did Bill Clinton in 1993. North Carolina governors have made University Day a traditional stop during their first term of office—including James Hunt, Terry Sanford, James Martin, Bev Perdue, Pat McCrory and Roy Cooper.
In 1971, the Carolina faculty established the Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Awards, presented on University Day, to recognize those Tar Heels who have made outstanding contributions to humanity.
The growth of the UNC System and the creation of the position of chancellor gave rise to a new University Day tradition. Beginning in 1957 with the University’s second chancellor, William B. Aycock, University Day became the traditional inauguration day for new chancellors: Paul F. Sharp in 1964, J. Carlyle Sitterson in 1966, N. Ferebee Taylor in 1972, Christopher Fordham in 1980, Paul Hardin in 1988, Michael Hooker in 1995, James Moeser in 2000, Holden Thorp in 2008, Carol Folt in 2013 and Kevin Guskiewicz in 2020.
Public higher education began in Chapel Hill in 1793, and Carolina continues to symbolize the importance of education in a democratic nation. It remains a place defined by those values, as noted by Governor Terry Sanford in 1987, of “freedom and liberty and tolerance, the search for truth, the defense of dignity, courage to arrive freely at convictions, and the personal courage to stand for those hopes and truths.”
Notes on Academic Dress
The following information, based in part on “An Academic Costume Code and Ceremony Guide” (published by the American Council on Education), may be helpful in identifying academic attire worn during today’s ceremony. Faculty wear the regalia of the institution that conferred their highest degree. The doctoral gowns are usually faced with black velvet, although the color of the velvet may vary according to the field of study. Hoods, which differ in length according to the level of the degree held, are lined with official colors of the university or college that conferred the degree, usually with one color forming a chevron pattern over the other. Some colors you will see on faculty and administrators’ robes are, for example, the crimson of Harvard, the maroon of Chicago, the orange and black of Princeton, the dark blue of Yale and the light blue and white of North Carolina. Faculty hoods are edged and bound with velvet in the color appropriate to the field of study. The colors in the hoods and gowns of faculty and administrators represent the following fields in which degrees were taken:
Apricot: Nursing
Brown: Fine Arts
Citron: Social Work
Crimson: Journalism
Dark Blue: Philosophy
Golden Yellow: Science
Green: Medicine
Lemon Yellow: Library Science
Light Blue: Education
Lilac: Dentistry
Olive Green: Pharmacy
Orange: Engineering
Peacock Blue: Public Administration
Pink: Music
Purple: Law
Sage Green: Physical Education
Salmon Pink: Public Health
Scarlet: Theology
Yellow Brown: Commerce, Business, Accountancy
White: Arts, Letters, Humanities
Board of Trustees
John P. Preyer Chair Chapel Hill, NC
Malcolm K. Turner Vice Chair Henderson, NV
Ramsey R. White Secretary Washington, DC
Patrick Ballantine Wilmington, NC
James Blaine II Raleigh, NC
David L. Boliek Jr. Fayetteville, NC
Bradford B. Briner Chapel Hill, NC
Robert P. Bryan III Charlotte, N
Jennifer Lloyd Chapel Hill, NC
Perrin W. Jones, MD Charlotte, NC
Vimal P. Kolappa Chocowinity, NC
W. M. “Marty” Kotis III Greensboro, NC
Ralph W. Meekins Sr. Shelby, NC
Vinay B. Patel Charlotte, NC
Jaleah Taylor Ex-Officio Member Student Body President Chapel Hill, NC
Commemorating the Laying of the Cornerstone of Old East on October 12, 1793
