UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA (SYSTEM)

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Described here are the records of various offices and bodies within the University of North Carolina (System), including those of the Presidents, Trustees, and Governors of the System. These records embrace both the Consolidated University and the current University System.

The Consolidated University was established in 1932 by an act of the state's General Assembly. At that time it included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro. A single Board of Trustees governed the three campuses. During the 1960s the number of campuses in the Consolidated system doubled, and in 1963 the names of the original three changed. The University of North Carolina became the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Woman's College became the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and North Carolina State College became North Carolina State of the University of North Carolina at Raleigh. The latter was changed again in 1965, to North Carolina State University at Raleigh. Also in 1965, the General Assembly made Charlotte College, which it renamed University of North Carolina at Charlotte, part of the Consolidated University. Two more campuses were added in 1969: Asheville-Biltmore College, which became the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and Wilmington College, which became the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

The current University System dates from 1972, when the General Assembly completely restructured higher education in North Carolina, bringing all state-supported institutions of higher learning into a single system. Today the University of North Carolina System consists of sixteen campuses: the six listed above plus Appalachian State University, East Carolina University, Elizabeth City State University, Fayetteville State University, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina Central University, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pembroke State University, Western Carolina University, and Winston-Salem State University.

Records groups included in this section are:

  1. Minutes of the Board of Trustees, 1932-1972.
    17 volumes.

    With the creation in 1932 of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, which included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro, the North Carolina General Assembly appointed a new hundred-member Board of Trustees as its governing body. From 1932 to 1972 there were no individual boards for the constituent campuses. The new Consolidated Board governed on matters affecting individual campuses as well as on systemwide matters; in particular, it set policies on and gave final approval to budgets, faculty hiring and promotions, and new degree programs.

    Minutes of meetings of the Board of Trustees and of its Executive Committee, 1932-1972.

    Microfilm copy available.

  2. Secretary of the Board of Trustees, 1932-1956.
    600 items.

    The Secretary of the Board of Trustees was responsible for correspondence, minutes, and general record keeping. An Assistant Secretary worked closely with the University President's office, providing more continuity to the Board's records than had existed prior to Consolidation.

    Files of the Secretary and Assistant Secretary pertaining to the work of the Board's committees and containing mostly background material for reports to the Board or its Executive Committee. These are not the actual records of the committees.

  3. Building Committee (UNC-Chapel Hill) of the Board of Trustees, 1945-1953.
    1.5 linear ft.

    The Building Committee (UNC-Chapel Hill) of the Board of Trustees studied and made recommendations for construction and property use at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the three campuses of the Consolidated University.

    Correspondence and other files of the Committee and its chairman, Collier Cobb, Jr. These records contain material on all new buildings, additions, and renovations at the University of North Carolina's Chapel Hill campus from 1945 to 1953. More than half deal with the construction of North Carolina Memorial Hospital and related projects.

  4. Committee on Inauguration, 1950.
    40 items.

    The Board of Trustees appointed the Committee on Inauguration in February 1950 to oversee planning for the inauguration of Gordon Gray as President of the Consolidated University in October.

    Correspondence pertaining to program details, session sites on each campus, speakers, and finances for the inauguration of Gordon Gray as President of the Consolidated University of North Carolina; inauguration programs are filed with the correspondence.

  5. Committee to Nominate a President, 1956.
    80 items.

    Following the resignation of Gordon Gray as President of the Consolidated University, the Board of Trustees appointed the Committee to Nominate a President to recommend his successor. The Committee's nomination of William C. Friday was approved by the Board on 26 October 1956.

    Meeting minutes, suggestions, and comments on the qualifications for President and data on the candidates considered. These records cover January through May 1956 only.

  6. Minutes of the Board of Governors, 1972-1974.
    3 volumes (on 1 microfilm reel).

    On 1 July 1972 the University of North Carolina System was expanded to include sixteen campuses; and its Board of Trustees was replaced by a Board of Governors composed of thirty-two members elected by the North Carolina General Assembly. The Board of Governors was given responsibility for the general control and supervision of all affairs of the constituent institutions and, in particular, the power to set policies on and give final approval to budgets, faculty hiring and promotions, and new degree programs.

    Minutes of meetings of the Board of Governors, its preliminary Planning Committee, and its four standing committees, 1972-1974. The Planning Committee met from January to July 1972 to establish the organization and functions of the Board prior to its first official meeting on July 7. The four standing committees, whose minutes are included in those of the full Board, are Committee on Budget and Finance; Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs; Committee on Personnel and Tenure; and Committee on University Governance.

  7. Office of President : Frank Porter Graham files, 1932-1949.
    49.5 linear ft.

    Frank Porter Graham (1886-1972) was the first President of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, which included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro.

    Correspondence and other files relating to the administration of, and academic programs at, the three campuses of the Consolidated University. Of particular significance are records relating to desegregation of the University, to communism in the University, and to World War II and national defense.

    See also Records of the Board of Trustees, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice President for Finance, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School.

    See also Frank Porter Graham Papers (#1819); Louis Round Wilson Papers (#3274), Southern Historical Collection.

  8. Office of President : Gordon Gray files, 1950-1955.
    22.5 linear ft.

    Gordon Gray (1909-1982) succeeded Frank Porter Graham (1886-1972) as President of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, which included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro.

    Correspondence and other files relating to the administration of, and academic programs at, the three campuses of the Consolidated University. Topics of particular importance addressed in these records include desegregation of the University, communism in the University, growth of development programs and endowments, establishment of the Division of Health Affairs at the Chapel Hill campus, expansion of health affairs curricula, and construction of North Carolina Memorial Hospital.

    See also Records of the Board of Trustees, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice President for Finance, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Provost; Records of the Office of Chancellor: R.B. House series.

    See also Gordon Gray Papers (#3824), Southern Historical Collection.

  9. Office of President : William C. Friday files, 1957-1986.
    138.0 linear ft.

    William C. Friday succeeded Gordon Gray in 1957 as President of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, which included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro. During the 1960s, three more campuses were added to the Consolidated University. In 1972, through a major reorganization of higher education in North Carolina, the Consolidated University became the University of North Carolina (System), and Friday became its President. Eventually the system was expanded to include sixteen schools.

    Correspondence and other files relating to the administration of, and academic programs at, the campuses of the Consolidated University of North Carolina and its successor, the University of North Carolina (System). Notable in these files are records pertaining to desegregation of the University and the related lawsuit filed by the U.S. Dept. of Health, Education, and Welfare (later Dept. of Health and Human Services) against the University as well as material relating to the speaker ban law.

    See also Records of the Board of Trustees, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Board of Governors, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice President for Finance, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice President for University Relations University of North Carolina (System).

  10. Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, 1949-1971.
    12.0 linear ft.

    The Vice President for Academic Affairs is the senior academic affairs administrator of the University of North Carolina (System). Established in 1932, the System initially included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro; in 1972 it was reorganized and expanded to include sixteen schools. The Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs was created in 1951 and was then called simply Vice President; subsequently it was called Provost, Vice President and Provost, Vice President for Graduate Studies and Research, and finally, in 1964, Vice President for Academic Affairs.

    Correspondence and other files relating to academic programs and administrative matters at the three campuses of the University System. Individuals who have held this position and who figure significantly in these records include William M. Whyburn, Donald B. Anderson, and William Smith Wells.

    See also Records of the Office of President, University of North Carolina (System); Records of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate School.

  11. Office of the Vice President for Finance, 1923-1967 (bulk 1940-1960).
    28.5 linear ft.

    The Vice President for Finance is the senior financial officer of the University of North Carolina (System). Established in 1932, the System initially included the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina State College in Raleigh, and Woman's College in Greensboro; in 1972 it was reorganized and expanded to include sixteen schools. The name of the Office of the Vice President for Finance was originally Comptroller and has been, at various times, Vice President and Controller, Business Manager and Treasurer, and Assistant Vice President and Treasurer.

    Correspondence and other files relating to the University budget and fiscal matters. These records predate the 1972 reorganization and expansion of the University System. They are largely the files of William Donald Carmichael, Jr., who was the University's chief financial officer from 1938 to 1961. The records reflect Carmichael's interest in development activities, especially fund raising. Included are files on contracts and grants, development programs, and construction and maintenance of buildings and grounds at the three campuses of the University. Also included are files on the desegregation of the University, on communism in the University, and on the University's role in national defense during World War II. Actual budgets and audit reports are not included in these records.

    See also Records of the Office of President, University of North Carolina (System).

    See also University of North Carolina (System) budgets and audits, North Carolina Collection.

  12. Office of the Vice President for University Relations, 1940-1969 (bulk 1961-1969).
    6.0 linear ft.

    The Vice President for University Relations of the University of North Carolina (System) advised the President on matters involving, and served as liaison with, the Trustees of the System, the North Carolina General Assembly, agencies of state government, and other outside agencies with which the University had official relationships. The office originated in 1950 as Assistant to the President and was subsequently called Secretary of the University, Vice President for Administration, and then in 1966 Vice President for University Relations. After 1969 the duties of the Vice President were distributed to other offices.

    Correspondence and other files of a general administrative nature, relating to the University System. The records in this group are largely those of Fred H. Weaver, who held the office from 1961 to 1968; and although they reflect some of his duties, they contain little material relating to the Trustees or the General Assembly.

    See also Records of the Office of President, University of North Carolina (System).

  13. Advisory Committee on Public Radio, 1978-1979.
    1.5 linear ft.

    The Advisory Committee on Public Radio was appointed in June 1978 by the President of the University of North Carolina (System) to study North Carolina's FM radio facilities and to make recommendations to the North Carolina Task Force on Public Telecommunications, a group appointed earlier that year by the governor. The Advisory Committee, chaired by Wesley H. Wallace of the Dept. of Radio, Television, and Motion Pictures at the University's Chapel Hill campus, was soon given the additional responsibility of fulfilling the University System's obligation, under an act of the General Assembly, to "design, plan, and implement a statewide public FM radio network."

    Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, reports, and expense accounts of the Advisory Committee on Public Radio, including audio cassette recordings of some meetings. Also included are informational materials produced and distributed by the North Carolina Task Force on Public Telecommunications.

  14. University Advisory Council, 1968-1972.
    1.5 linear ft.

    From 1968 to 1972, the University Advisory Council served as liaison between the President of the University of North Carolina (System) and the faculties of the constituent campuses. Consisting of the chancellors and the faculty advisory committees of the individual campuses, the Council expressed faculty attitudes on matters of systemwide policy. In 1972, with the reorganization of the University System, the Council was reconstituted as the Faculty Assembly.

    Records of the University Advisory Council include meeting agendas and minutes; the Council's charter and bylaws; and assessments of Council activities.

    See also Records of the Office of President, University of North Carolina (System).

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This page was last updated February 1996.
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Copyright University Archives and Records Service, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1996.