University of North Carolina at Asheville

University of North Carolina
at Asheville

Former names	Buncombe County Junior College (1927-1930) College of the City of Asheville (1928-1930) Biltmore Junior College (1930-1934) Biltmore College (1934-1936) Asheville-Biltmore College (1936-1969)
Motto	Levo Oculos Meos In Montes (Latin)
Motto in English	"I Lift My Eyes to the Mountains"
Type	Public liberal arts college
Established	September 12, 1927;97 years ago (September 12, 1927) [1]
Parent institution	University of North Carolina
Accreditation	SACS
Academic affiliations	COPLAC
Endowment	$70.4 million (2021) [2]
Chancellor	Kimberly van Noort (interim)
Academic staff	220 (fall 2022)
Students	2,958 (fall 2023)
Undergraduates	2,958 (fall 2023)
Postgraduates	5 (fall 2021)
Location	Asheville , North Carolina , United States
Campus	Small city [3] , 365 acres (1.48 km2)
Newspaper	The Blue Banner
Colors	Blue and white [4]
Nickname	Bulldogs
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division I FCS – Big South ASUN
Mascot	Rocky
Website	unca.edu

The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNC Asheville, UNCA, or simply Asheville) is a public liberal arts university in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. UNC Asheville is the designated liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system. ^[5] It is a member and the headquarters of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. ^[6]

History

UNC Asheville was founded in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College, part of the Buncombe County public school system. ^[7] It was the first tuition-free public college in North Carolina. ^[7] It was located in the Biltmore School in south Asheville on Hendersonville Road (U.S. 25). In 2001, Biltmore School was recognized by the Save America's Treasures program.

During the Great Depression, the college started charging tuition. ^[7] In 1930 the school merged with the College of the City of Asheville (founded in 1928) to form Biltmore Junior College. ^[7] In 1934 the college was renamed Biltmore College. ^[7] In 1936, the name changed to Asheville-Biltmore College, and control was transferred to the Asheville City Schools. ^[7]

Overlook in 1920

In 1949, the college relocated to the 20,000-square foot Overlook Castle, also known as Seely's Caste, which included 29 acres on the crest of Sunset Mountain. ^[8] Evelyn Grove Seely, widow of Fred Loring Seely, sold Overlook to the college $125,000; she also donated $50,000 to the acquisition fund. ^[8] The college renamed the house Seely Hall, as requested by the seller. ^{[8] [9]} The house, no longer part of the college, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. ^{[10] [8]}

In 1961, Asheville-Biltmore College moved to the present UNC Asheville campus in north Asheville. ^[11] That year, the college desegregated with the enrollment of Etta Mae Whitner Patterson. ^[12] In 1963 it became a state-supported four-year college, and awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1966. ^[13] Its first residence halls were built in 1967. It adopted its current name in 1969 upon becoming part of the Consolidated University of North Carolina, since 1972 called the University of North Carolina System. ^[13]

UNC Asheville desegregated its faculty in 1981, along with all schools in the University of North Carolina. ^{[14] [15]} It is one of three baccalaureate colleges within the University of North Carolina System, and has been classified as a Liberal Arts I institution since 1992. ^[13]

Administration

The university operates under the guidance and policies of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Asheville. ^[16] Members of the board are appointed by the governor of North Carolina. ^[16] As part of the seventeen-campus University of North Carolina System, UNC Asheville also falls under the administration of the system's president, Peter Hans. ^[17] The UNC System is administered by the UNC Board of Governors, which is elected by the North Carolina Legislature, and advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly. ^{[18] [19]} Kimberly van Noort, former interim provost, is currently serving as interim chancellor of UNC Asheville, following the departure of Nancy Cable in December 2022. ^[20]

Chief executive officers

Presidents/deans

• 1927–1932: S.B. Conley, Dean ^[13]
• 1932–1936: A.C. Reynolds, President ^[13]
• 1936–1941: Charles A. Lloyd, Dean ^[13]
• 1945–1946: William H. Morgan, Dean ^[13]
• 1946–1947: Clarence N. Gilbert, Dean ^[13]
• 1947–1947: R.A. Tomberlin, President ^[13]
• 1947–1962: Glenn L. Bushey, President ^{[11] [13]}
• 1962–1969: William E. Highsmith, President ^[13]

Chancellors

• 1969–1977: William E. Highsmith ^[13]
• 1977–1977: Arnold K. King, acting ^[13]
• 1977–1984: William E. Highsmith ^[13]
• 1984–1990: David G. Brown ^[13]
• 1990–1991: Roy Carroll, interim ^[13]
• 1991–1993: Samuel Schuman ^[13]
• 1994–1994: Larry Wilson, interim ^[13]
• 1994–1999: Patsy Reed ^{[21] [13]}
• 1999–2005: James H. Mullen, Jr. ^{[22] [23]}
• 2005–2014: Anne Ponder ^{[23] [24]}
• 2014–2015: Doug Orr, interim ^[24]
• 2015–2017: Mary K. Grant ^{[25] [24]}
• 2017–2018: Joseph Urgo, interim ^[26]
• 2018–2022: Nancy J. Cable ^[20]
• 2022–present: Kimberly van Noort, interim ^[20]

Campus

The campus includes 365 acres in a small city setting. ^[27] Noteworthy campus features include:

• Bob Moog Electric Music Studio is named for Robert Moog, former professor and inventor of the Moog synthesizer. ^[27]
• Botanical Gardens at Asheville is adjacent to campus and features 600 plant species on ten acres with walking trails. ^{[11] [28]}
• Carol Belk Theatre seats 200 people and is used for Theatre UNCA and other performances. ^[28]
• Kimmel Area, with seating for 3,200 people, is used for basketball and concerts. ^[28]
• Lookout Observatory for astronomical research is open to the public for stargazing and includes a collection of images from the universe. ^{[29] [27]}
• N.C. Center for Health & Wellness, including biofeedback lab and meditation space ^[27]
• Wilma Dykeman Writers-in-Residence home ^{[30] [27]}
• S. Tucker Cooke Gallery is used for student and faculty art exhibits. ^[31]
• Earthworks from the Civil War Battle of Asheville are preserved on campus. ^{[32] [33]}

Academics

Curriculum

UNC Asheville operates on a semester calendar. ^[27] It offers four-year undergraduate programs leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science degrees in 36 majors, and is classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a Baccalaureate College–Arts & Sciences (Bac/A&S). ^{[34] [35]}

The University's most popular majors include biology/biological sciences, business administration and management, computer science, digital arts, English language and literature, mass communication/media studies, psychology, and sociology. ^[27] It also offers joint degrees with North Carolina State University, including a 2-2 B.S. in engineering, a 3-1 B.S. in engineering, and a joint B.S. in engineering in mechatronics concentration. ^[27]

All students complete a capstone or culminating academic experience. ^[27] UNC Asheville founded the National Conference on Undergraduate Research and has hosted the event five times. ^[29] Some sixty percent of student complete undergraduate research or creative project. ^[27] Around 20% of students participate in study abroad or study away. ^[6] More than 48 of its graduates have received Fulbright Fellowships. ^[29]

Located on campus, the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute has some 220 faculty and offer more than 350 classes each year. ^{[29] [28]}

Faculty

UNC Asheville had 222 full-time faculty members the fall of 2022, with 87% holding terminal degrees in their field. ^[6] Another 99 faculty serve part-time. ^[36] Faculty teach all classes; there are no teaching assistants. ^[29] Nearly 60% of the classes have less than 20 students. ^[27] As of 2022, the student-faculty ratio was 14:1. ^{[27] [37]}

Admissions

UNC Asheville's acceptance rate for the fall of 2021 was 82%. ^[27] At that time, total enrollment was 3,233, with 57% female students and 43% male students. ^{[27] [37]} As of fall 2020, students came from 43 states and seventeen countries; 12% of the current study body was from outside of North Carolina. ^{[6] [37]} The student demographics were 73.57% White, 8.84% Hispanic, 5.11% Black, 1.68% Asian, and 5.08% unknown. ^[37] 87% of the enrollees were full-time students. ^[37]

There are deadlines for admissions, and either a ACT or SAT is required. ^[27] In the 2020-2021 academic year, 35% of students received a Pell Grant. ^[27]

D. Hiden Ramsey Library

Library

D. Hiden Ramsey Library is located in the center of campus. ^[38] It includes the Media Design Lab and the crAFT (Creativity, Art, Fabrication, and Technology) Studio. ^[38] The library's holdings include Special Collections and University Archives which started in 1977 as the Southern Highlands Research Center and focuses on the history Asheville and Western North Carolina. ^[39]

Annually, the library gives the Ramsey Library Community Author Award; the winner receives a yearlong residency in the library. ^[40]

Rankings and reputation

In 2022-2023, UNC Asheville's ranking in U.S. New & World Report 8 in Top Public Liberal Arts Schools and 136 in National Liberal Arts Colleges. ^[27] It also ranked 130 in Best Undergraduate Engineering Program for institutions that do not offer a doctorate. ^[27]

Academic rankings
Liberal arts
U.S. News & World Report [41]	136
Washington Monthly [42]	76
National
Forbes [43]	494
WSJ/College Pulse [44]	501–600

The Princeton Review ranked UNC Asheville as number six for Green Matters, number nine for LGBTQ-Friendly, number 25 for Best Quality of Life, number 22 for Most Politically Active Students, and number 15 for its College City. ^[37]

The 2022 edition of The Fiske Guide named UNC Asheville a best-buy; the list only includes ten public and ten private universities from across the United States. ^[37] In 2019, Forbes magazine ranked UNC Asheville number 494 in Top Colleges, number 176 in Public Colleges, and number 165 in Liberal Arts Universities. ^[45] Washington Monthly ranked UNC Asheville number 76 on its 2022 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: Southeast and number 77 for its national Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking. ^{[46] [47]}

Student life

Organizations and activities

There are more than sixty campus clubs and organizations. ^[6] Student activities include Greek organizations, with 2% of males belonging to a fraternity and 1% of females belonging to the one sorority. ^{[27] [37]} Some 44% of students participate in a service learning project, while 11% participate in intramural sports. ^[27]

UNC Asheville's Student Government Association (SGA) consists of two branches, an eighteen-seat Student Senate and an executive branch comprising a president, vice-president, and Cabinet. UNCA Out is a student group dedicated to students that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, asexual, queer, questioning, two-spirit, intersexed, and straight allies. ^[37]

UNC Asheville's Concerts on the Quad features weekly outdoor concerts during the summer months. ^[28] The North Asheville Tailgate Market is open Saturdays, April through November, and features around 40 local vendors. ^[28]

Dining

UNC Asheville Dining Services are located in Brown Dining Hall. ^[29] They serve about 265,000 meals annually, and donate to Food Connections on a weekly basis. ^[29]

Housing

In the fall of 2021, 46% of students lived on campus. ^{[27] [37]}

Athletics

Main article: UNC Asheville Bulldogs

UNC Asheville's athletics teams are known as the Bulldogs. They are a member of the NCAA's Division I and compete in the Big South Conference. ^{[48] [27]} The university's colors are blue and white. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, soccer, tennis, and both indoor and outdoor track and field. ^[37] Women's sports include basketball, cross country, diving, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and field, and volleyball. ^[37]

Notable alumni

• Sarah Addison Allen – author
• Anne-Marie Baiynd – author and analyst in the financial field
• Timothy Lee Barnwell – photographer and author ^[49]
• Molly Burch – singer-songwriter
• Tony Campana – professional baseball player ^[50]
• Cliff Cash – stand-up comedian
• Wiley Cash – author
• Michael Cogdill – journalist, news anchor, novelist, screenwriter, and film producer
• Claude DeBruhl, North Carolina House of Representatives
• Ryan Dull – professional baseball player
• Wilma Dykeman – writer and environmentalist
• Jason Faunt – actor
• Kenny George – tallest player (7'7") in NCAA men's basketball history
• Joey Harrell – professional basketball player
• Keith Hornsby – professional basketball player
• Lassi Hurskainen – professional soccer player
• Todd Interdonato – college baseball coach
• Ashley Johnson – member of Puerto Rico national soccer team
• Veronica Johnson – meteorologist at WJLA-TV
• Autumn Kent – mathematician
• Kevin Mattison – professional baseball player
• Nick McDevitt – college basketball coach
• Alana McLaughlin – mixed martial artist
• Henry Patten – tennis player
• Drew Pember – professional basketball player
• Josh Pittman – professional basketball player
• J. P. Primm – basketball player
• Jaleel Roberts – professional basketball player
• Ann B. Ross – author
• Andrew Rowsey – professional basketball player
• Jalen Seegars – basketball player
• Mike Shildt – professional baseball manager
• Topper Shutt – meteorologist
• Bryan Smithson – professional basketball player
• Stemage (Grant Henry) – guitarist and composer
• Dwayne Sutton – professional basketball player
• Patrick Tate – former professional soccer player
• Roy A. Taylor – member of U.S. Congress ^{[51] [52]}
• MaCio Teague – professional basketball player
• Jethro Waters – filmmaker ^[53]
• Ty Wigginton – professional baseball player
• Susana Žigante – professional soccer player

Notable faculty and staff

Academics

• Wiley Cash – author and writer in residence
• Richard Chess – literature and language professor, director of the Center for Jewish Studies and the Creative Writing Program.
• Jane Fernandes – former provost and vice-chancellor
• Grant Hardy – historian
• Tommy Hayes – former faculty, author, and founder of the Great Smokies Writing Program ^{[54] [55] [56]}
• David Brendan Hopes – professor of literature
• Elliot Mazer – audio engineer and record producer
• Robert Moog – inventor of the Moog synthesizer and former research professor of music ^[27]
• Christopher Oakley – animator and professor of new media
• Ann B. Ross – literature instructor
• Sylvia Wilkinson – author and former faculty

Athletics

• Steve Adlard – former director of soccer and former professional soccer player
• Eddie Biedenbach – former men's basketball coach and professional basketball player
• Jim Bretz – former baseball coach
• Herbert Coman – former football coach
• Janet Cone – athletic director
• Michelle Demko – former women's soccer coach
• Don Doucette – former basketball coach
• Ed Farrell – former athletic director
• Scott Friedholm – baseball coach
• Jerry Green – former basketball coach
• Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick – former women's basketball head coach
• Katie Meier – former assistant women's basketball coach
• Mike Morrell – basketball coach
• Matt Myers – former baseball coach
• Ryan Odom – former assistant basketball coach
• Matt Reid – former baseball coach
• Mike Roberts – former baseball coach
• Tom Smith – former baseball coach
• Sammy Stewart – former baseball coach and former professional baseball player
• Monte Towe – former assistant basketball coach

References

1. "Founders Day 2022 at UNC Asheville - YouTube".
2. "Data USA: University of North Carolina at Asheville". Data USA. October 4, 2023.
3. "IPEDS-University of North Carolina at Asheville".
4. "Color Palette | Communication and Marketing". Communication.unca.edu. Archived from the original on 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2016-04-01.
5. "UNC Asheville – UNC System". The University of North Carolina System. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
6. "Quick Facts". UNC Asheville. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
7. Williams, Wiley J. (2006). "University of North Carolina at Asheville | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
8. Elliston, Jon (2014-03-03). "Castle in the Sky". WNC Magazine. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
9. Slusser, Dale Wayne. ""Overlook"-Fred Seely's Stone Castle: Forde Abbey Transposed on Overlook Mountain". The Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
10. Lois Staton (July 1980). "Overlook" (PDF). National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory. North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 8, 2019. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
11. "Today in Asheville history: Botanical gardens created". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 13, 2015. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2015.
12. Judson, Sarah. “‘I Am a Nasty Branch Kid’: Women’s Memories of Place in the Era of Asheville’s Urban Renewal.” The North Carolina Historical Review, vol. 91, no. 3, 2014, pp. 323–50. JSTOR, Accessed 24 Dec. 2022.
13. "UNC Asheville Fact Book 2007-2008". University of North Carolina Asheville. February 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
14. "Division of Legal Affairs of the University of North Carolina (System) Records, 1927-1999 (bulk 1970-1981)". finding-aids.lib.unc.edu. Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
15. Sexton, Taylor (April 10, 2018). "Dwight Mullen reflects on his career at UNCA". The Blue Banner. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
16. "Janice Brumit Becomes Acting Chair of UNC Asheville Board of Trustees". www.asheville.com. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
17. DeWitt, Dave (2021-11-05). "Learning more about UNC System President Peter Hans". WUNC. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
18. "Leadership and Governance – UNC System". www.northcarolina.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
19. "UNC System Faculty Assembly (FA)". The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
20. Barrows, Kari (2022-10-15). "UNCA Chancellor Nancy Cable announces plans to step down, interim appointed". WLOS. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
21. "Patsy Reed is Installed as Chancellor at UNC-Asheville". scholar.lib.vt.edu. The Virginian-Pilot. September 16, 1995. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
22. Fisher, Kerra Bolton. "UNCA officially installs new chancellor". Hendersonville Times-News. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
23. "Asheville native to be UNCA chancellor". Wilmington Star-News. May 13, 2005. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
24. Blake, Casey (August 1, 2014). "New chancellor announced for UNC Asheville". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
25. Steward, Kristy (2017-09-13). "UNCA Chancellor Mary K. Grant has resigned". WLOS. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
26. "UNC Asheville selects Urgo as interim chancellor as search begins". The Asheville Citizen Times. October 19, 2017. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
27. "University of North Carolina Asheville". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
28. "University of North Carolina at Asheville - UNCA". RomanticAsheville.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
29. "19 cool facts about UNC Asheville". AVLtoday. 2019-08-28. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
30. Narcisse, Eric. "Wilma Dykeman's residence now home to writer-in-residence program". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
31. "UNC Asheville Art and Art History | Faculty Exhibition and Grand Re-Opening Celebration". aah.unca.edu. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
32. "Battle of Asheville Historical Marker". www.hmdb.org. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
33. "Top 10 Civil War Sites for Asheville & Western North Carolina". RomanticAsheville.com. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
34. "University of North Carolina at Asheville". Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. 2008. Archived from the original on 2020-11-20. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
35. "UNC Asheville Degrees". University of North Carolina at Asheville. April 27, 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-04-27. Retrieved 2014-04-27.
36. "UNC Ashville Fact Book 2018-19" (PDF). University of North Carolina Asheville. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved December 26, 2019.
37. "University of North Carolina Asheville - The Princeton Review College Rankings & Reviews". www.princetonreview.com. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
38. "Ramsey Library". UNC Asheville. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
39. "Home". Special Collections & University Archives. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
40. "UNC Asheville accepting applications for first Ramsey Library Community Author Award". Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce. 2016-11-01. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
41. "2023-2024 National Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". U.S. News & World Report . September 18, 2023. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
42. "2024 Liberal Arts Colleges Rankings". Washington Monthly . August 25, 2024. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
43. "America's Top Colleges 2024". Forbes . September 6, 2024. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
44. "2025 Best Colleges in the U.S." The Wall Street Journal/College Pulse. September 4, 2024. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
45. "University of North Carolina, Asheville". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
46. "2022 Best Bang for the Buck Rankings: Southeast". Washington Monthly. 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
47. "2022 Liberal Arts Colleges Ranking". Washington Monthly. 2022. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
48. "Big South Conference History". bigsouthsports.com. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
49. "Barnwell, Tim 1955- | Contemporary Authors". Cengage Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
50. "TONY CAMPANA - Featured Baseball Factory Alumnus". Baseball Factory. 2005-05-17. Retrieved 2022-12-25.
51. "Honorary Degree Recipients". University of North Carolina Asheville. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
52. "Roy A. Taylor Award". UNC ASHEVILLE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 26 February 2012.
53. "UNC Asheville Alumnus Jethro Waters Wins Emmy Award". UNC Asheville. March 9, 2021. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
54. "Tommy Hays: A Writer in Full — The Great Smokies Review". www.thegreatsmokiesreview.org. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
55. "Tommy Hays". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
56. "Hays, Tommy | Contemporary Authors". Cengage Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2022-12-24.

External links

• Official website
• Official website of UNC Asheville Athletics

35°36′58″N82°33′58″W / 35.61619°N 82.56614°W / 35.61619; -82.56614