UNC honors 211-year history

An air of tradition surrounded Hill Hall on Tuesday morning as faculty members dressed in academic regalia processed into the auditorium.

University faculty, staff, students and alumni gathered to commemorate the establishment of the nation's oldest public university and to wish UNC a heartfelt "Happy Birthday."

Tuesday's events marked the commemoration of University Day, the 211th anniversary of UNC since founders laid the cornerstone of Old East.

"Today is an opportunity to remember our aspirations for the present and the future," Chancellor James Moeser said during the ceremony. "We must aspire to keep the lamp burning: the lamp that represents light and liberty."

During the annual University Day convocation, speakers concentrated on the importance of continued improvement.

"We are focused on exploring what it really means to be the greatest in public education and focusing on excellence," said Richard "Stick" Williams, chairman of the Board of Trustees. "Excellence in teaching, excellence in research and excellence in developing character."

James Henry Johnson delivered the University Day address. Johnson is the William Rand Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of Management and director of the Urban Strategies Center at UNC.

"Jim is a scholar's scholar," said Judith Wegner, chairwoman of the faculty, as she introduced his speech. "He asks hard questions and asks others to do likewise."

Johnson focused on how national demographic and economic changes will affect higher education institutions in coming years.

"Higher education can play a critical role in preparing our increasingly diverse society for the new world economy," he said. "But only if it transforms itself into a more nimble, entrepreneurial and catalytic agent for change."

Johnson emphasized that minority populations are growing faster than is the white population, a phenomenon he said will lead to more ethnically diverse universities. "This will require a radical rethinking and re-engineering of the way we do the business of higher education."

Another factor Johnson predicted will change the way the University trains its graduates is the outsourcing of jobs.

"The curriculum must be fundamentally restructured to train students to become far more resourceful and innovative in creating 'outside-of-the-box' solutions to pressing problems," he said.

Johnson concluded his address by saying he believes the University will reap benefits by responding to challenges produced by change.

"(Responding) will ensure that future graduates of this institution are able to compete successfully for employment and business opportunities in the knowledge economy of the 21st century," he said.

Faculty members said that Johnson's speech was an important guideline for the University.

"It provided an enormously rich and detailed outline for our University," Professor Pete James said. "He did a great job."

Students who attended the festivities also responded to the speech and the University Day tradition.

"I came to (University Day) when I was a kid," said junior Seth Dearmin. "Now that I'm a student, I feel that it's even more important to come and learn about my University."

Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.