Endowment $21.1 million Acceptance rate 73.1% (2014) Mascot Rocky the Bulldog Colors White, Blue | Established 1927 Chancellor Mary K. Grant Total enrollment 3,595 (2012) Phone +1 828-251-6600 | |
Motto Levo Oculos Meos In Montes Motto in English I Lift My Eyes to the Mountains Undergraduate tuition and fees Local tuition: 6,977 USD (2016), Domestic tuition: 23,372 USD (2016) Notable alumni Similar Western Carolina University, Asheville–Buncombe Technical Communi, Warren Wilson College, University of North Carolina, Winthrop University Profiles | ||
The University of North Carolina at Asheville (UNCA) is a co-educational, four year, public liberal arts university. The university is also known as UNC Asheville. Located in Asheville, Buncombe County, in the U.S. state of North Carolina, UNC Asheville is the only designated liberal arts institution in the University of North Carolina system. UNC Asheville is member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. In 2016, The Princeton Review ranked the university number one in its listing of "Best Schools for Making an Impact".
Contents
History
UNC Asheville was founded in 1927 as Buncombe County Junior College, part of the Buncombe County public school system. In 1930 the school merged with the College of the City of Asheville (founded in 1928) to form Biltmore Junior College. In 1934 the college was renamed Biltmore College and placed in the control of a board of trustees. 1936 brought both a further change of name to Asheville-Biltmore College, and control was transferred to the Asheville City Schools.
The 20,000-square foot Overlook, or "Seely's Castle", home of Fred Loring Seely, who designed Grove Park Inn, described as "one of Asheville’s most pretentious private residences", became part of Asheville-Biltmore College in 1949. The house, no longer part of the college, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
In 1961 Asheville-Biltmore College moved to the present UNC Asheville campus in north Asheville. In 1963 it became a state-supported four-year college, and awarded its first bachelor's degrees in 1966. 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. It is designated as one of three liberal arts universities within that system, and has been classified as a Liberal Arts I institution since 1992.
UNC Asheville has more than 215 full-time faculty members and an enrollment of approximately 3,600 students. Classified by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education as a Baccalaureate College—Arts & Sciences (Bac/A&S), the university offers thirty-six baccalaureate programs and a master's degree in liberal arts and sciences, first granted in 1991.
Precis of the University's history
Year - Name and Levels
Academics
The school's quality and value has drawn praise from national college guidebooks. UNC Asheville ranks first nationally on the "Best Schools for Making an Impact" list as part of the new Princeton Review guidebook, Colleges That Pay You Back: The 200 Best Value Colleges and What It Takes to Get In - 2016 Edition. UNC Asheville is one of the nation's best values in public colleges, with the sixth lowest total cost of attending for in-state students, and the 21st lowest average debt among graduates of public universities nationally, according to Kiplinger's "Best Values in Public Colleges." UNC Asheville ranks eighth in the nation among public liberal arts colleges in U.S. News & World Report's "2016 Best Colleges." The Princeton Review features UNC Asheville among “The Best 380 Colleges” 2016 Edition, selected primarily based on academic strength and surveys of students. Students quoted said: UNC Asheville’s professors “are brilliant and are invested in their students.” “Lectures are a rarity and most [class] time is spent in discussion.” UNC Asheville’s environment is “incredibly welcoming and open-minded.” “A personalized, liberal arts education at a public school price.” “A smaller university in a beautiful city,” a “perfect student town” that offers “incredible restaurants, night life, music, dancing, and more.” UNC Asheville is named a "Best Buy," in The Fiske Guide to Colleges, 2016 Edition, along with UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University - the only North Carolina public universities to earn a place on this international ranking list reflecting academic quality and affordability. For 12 consecutive years, UNC Asheville's Environmental Studies Program has been named to the list of pre-professional programs with unusual strength in preparing students for careers.
Majors
UNC Asheville offers four-year undergraduate programs leading to Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 36 majors.
Administration
The university is led by Mary K. Grant the chief administrative officer, along with Provost Joseph Urgo and several advisory groups. The institution operates under the guidance and policies of the Board of Trustees of the University of North Carolina at Asheville.
As part of the University of North Carolina's 17-campus university system, UNC Asheville also falls under the administration of President Margaret Spellings and the UNC Board of Governors advised by the UNC Faculty Assembly.
Chief Executive Officers
Chief Executive Officers of the university:
Student Government Association
UNC Asheville's Student Government Association (SGA) consists of two branches, an 18-seat Student Senate and an executive branch comprising a President, Vice-President, and Cabinet. Representation in the Student Senate is divided among the four classes, with three additional seats each being given to residential and commuter students. SGA's authority is derived from the Chancellor and the Board of Governors.
Athletics
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.
Highlights
Points of interest
Faculty
UNC Asheville has 296 faculty members, mostly holding doctorate degrees.