By Steve Gilliam, University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 9-21-09
GREENSBORO, N.C. – History and tradition will be observed at UNCG during the institution's Founders Day on Monday, Oct. 5.
The observance kicks off with a 1 p.m. ceremony at the statue of Charles Duncan McIver, the man who was UNCG's first president, followed by a cake cutting.
Then things move to the Elliott University Center Auditorium at 2 p.m. for a celebration of UNCG traditions with university archivist Betty Carter. At 3 p.m., everyone can enjoy a Founders Day reception just outside the EUC auditorium.
Poet and professor emeritus Fred Chappell and his wife, Susan Nicholls Chappell, will do a reading from “Shadow Box,” Chappell's new book of poetry, as part of the celebration at 4 p.m. in the Faculty Center on College Avenue.
Throughout the day, UNCG will honor alumni and pay special tribute to the dedicated members of the Harriet Elliott Society – those who have made gifts to the university for 25 or more consecutive years.
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 and headed by President Charles Duncan McIver. 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 18,000 students and over 1,000 faculty members. Degrees are offered at the undergraduate level in 86 areas of study, at the master's level in 65 areas, and doctoral degrees in 23 areas. The campus has approximately 210 acres and more than 70 buildings.
Since 1909, the memorial wreath tradition has been continued annually 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.
