The commemoration of the University's 209th birthday began at 9:30 a.m. in Hill Hall on Saturday as faculty and administrators walked down the aisle to the sounds of the Crown Chamber Brass playing Johann Pezel's Sonata No. 22.
Several administrators, including Chancellor James Moeser, gave remarks on the history of UNC, as well as the progress the school is making with such projects as the Carolina First Campaign.
William Ferris, a professor of history and senior associate director of the Center for the Study of the American South, was the keynote speaker for University Day.
Ferris stressed the role of public universities in maintaining America's democracy. "We cannot sustain our democratic institutions as a nation if we do not nurture outstanding teachers within universities like UNC," Ferris said. "Public universities and their teachers are the backbone of our nation's educational infrastructure."
As an adjunct professor in the curriculum in folklore and an author of 10 books and 15 documentary films, mostly dealing with folklore and black music from the Mississippi delta, Ferris explained why he wanted to join the UNC staff and pass on his knowledge of the South.
"Having studied the American South for over 40 years, I was well aware of UNC's unparalleled resources among its faculty and in its library for study of the region," Ferris said.
"I am here today not as a visiting dignitary who will speak today and make my exit tomorrow but as a partner ready to roll up my sleeves and work with you to deepen UNC's commitment to the study of the American South."
To end his speech, Ferris pulled out his guitar and played a personal favorite originating from the Mississippi delta titled "Baby, Please Don't Go."
University Day also featured the giving of the Distinguished Alumna and Alumnus Award. Moeser presented two recipients -- Phillip Clay and Benjamin Long IV -- with the award this year.
Clay is now chancellor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Mass. Clay, a 1968 graduate of UNC, went on to receive his doctorate from MIT in 1975, deciding then to join the MIT faculty. After becoming chancellor in 2001, he became the highest-ranking black official MIT has ever had.
Long is an artist known worldwide for his frescos. After leaving UNC, he apprenticed for fresco painter Pietro Annigoni. Long has received the prestigious Leonardo da Vinci International Art Award for his fresco "Mary, Great with Child." His work can be found all over the world, with pieces commissioned in the United States and Italy as well as other exhibitions across Europe.
At a breakfast held before the University Day event, each was presented with a crystal trophy engraved with an image of the Old Well.
The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.
