By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 9-29-06
The McIver Statue is the site for the annual Founders Day wreath-laying ceremony.
GREENSBORO, N.C. - History and tradition will be observed by faculty, staff, alumni and students at UNCG during the institution's Founders Day on Oct. 5, 2006.
Major events during the day are:
• 8 a.m. – Students First Campaign leaders breakfast with UNC President Erskine Bowles speaking. Cone Ballroom, Elliott University Center.
• 9:45 a.m. – Dedications for the Maud F. Gatewood Studio Arts Building, and the Beverly Cooper Moore and Irene Mitchell Moore Humanities and Research Administration Building. Main foyer of the Studio Arts Building, Highland Avenue. Tours afterward.
• 4:30 p.m. – Traditional wreath laying and presentation of the Young Alumni Award. Charles Duncan McIver Statue in front of Jackson Library.
• 5 p.m. – Unveiling of a plaque commissioned by Friends of the Library and remarks by Fred Chappell, North Carolina Poet Laureate emeritus and professor emeritus of English and creative writing. McIver Statue.
Founders Day commemorates UNCG’s opening on Oct. 5, 1892, as the State Normal and Industrial School, with an initial student body of 223 and a faculty of 15. There were two main buildings on a 10-acre plot of land and the curriculum featured three areas of study.
Today, UNCG has more than 16,600 students and over 900 faculty members. Degrees are offered at the undergraduate level in 88 areas of study, at the master's level in 66 areas, and doctoral degrees in 22 areas. The campus has approximately 210 acres and more than 70 buildings.
The memorial wreath tradition has been continued annually for many years by the UNCG Alumni Association, which also places wreaths on the graves of past presidents and chancellors of the university who are buried in Greensboro.
