UNCG will dedicate a new campus landmark, the Nicholas A. Vacc Bell Tower, at 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 15.

The 47-foot brick tower at Spring Garden Street and College Avenue is a gift from Dr. Nancy Vacc in memory of her husband, Dr. Nicholas Vacc. Both were longtime faculty members in the School of Education.

Nicholas was a professor at UNCG from 1979 until his death in June 2002 and chaired the Department of Counseling and Educational Development from 1986-96. A prolific author and scholar, he held the Joe Rosenthal Excellence Professorship, and during his department chairmanship the counseling program was twice honored as the nation’s best. Nancy retired from the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in 2003.

Nancy recalls her husband after one of his daily strolls around campus commenting that UNCG lacks a bell tower, an icon at many universities. After his death, she decided to build the tower in his honor.

Standing on Anniversary Plaza beside the Alumni House, the tower includes a four-faced clock and four bells. Its standing-seam zinc roof will be matched by those on the Studio Arts Center and the Hall for Humanities and Research Administration, both currently under construction. Once the tower is dedicated, its bells will toll every 15 minutes.

The half-hour dedication ceremony will include remarks from Chancellor Patricia A. Sullivan, Nancy Vacc, Provost A. Edward Uprichard and James Verdin, president of the Verdin Company, the designer of the tower.