University of North Carolina at Wilmington

History

UNCW opened its doors on September 4, 1947 as Wilmington College. At the time the school operated as a junior college, offering freshman-level courses to 238 students during the first school year, 75% of whom were veterans returning from military service following World War II. Under the control of the New Hanover County Board of Education, Wilmington College earned accreditation from the North Carolina College Conference in 1948 and became a member of the American Association of Junior Colleges. Further accreditation came in 1952 from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

In 1958, Wilmington College was placed under the Community College Act of North Carolina, passing control from the New Hanover County Board of Education to a board of trustees as a state-supported college under the supervision of the North Carolina Board of Higher Education.

Wilmington College became a senior college on July 1, 1963, when the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation allowing the school to offer a four-year curriculum and award bachelor's degrees. Six years later, July 1, 1969, the name of the school was changed to "The University of North Carolina at Wilmington", making UNCW the fifth campus of the University of North Carolina system. On August 22, 1977, UNCW was authorized to offer its first graduate programs at the master's level.^[1] The school offers 54 bachelor's degrees, 29 master's degrees and four doctoral degrees: Ed.D. Educational Leadership; Ph.D. Marine Biology and Psychology and a Doctorate in Nursing Practice.^[2]

Campus life

The university offers degrees in humanities, sciences, health, business and professional fields. The university’s highly ranked marine science program draws a variety of undergraduate and graduate students from across the United States. The proximity to the Atlantic Ocean is a draw for incoming freshmen.

Teal is the official school color of UNCW, with navy and gold as alternate colors.

The average high school GPA was 4.13 for incoming freshmen in 2016, and the SAT average score was 1192.

Student facilities

In 2000, the Student Recreation Center was opened to students, staff, and faculty members. It houses three basketball courts, exercise machines, a weight training area, an indoor running track, and an indoor climbing wall. It also includes a group exercise room which supports multiple clubs and activities, including Yoga, Pilates, and an Aikido club. In 2012, the Student Recreation Center completed an expansion of facilities, as well as construction on a new nadatorium. This construction doubled the size of the existing Recreation Center.

Lumina Theater, named after the boardwalk theater that was once found on Wrightsville Beach features 360 stadium seats, a 15.5' x 30' screen, Dolby Digital surround sound, 35mm capabilities and a digital projection system. Lumina screens blockbusters, independents, cult classics, art films, international films and student films throughout the academic year, four or more days a week, except during University holidays and breaks. Some notable Lumina events included a multi-part, high-definition screening of BBC's Planet Earth series over the span of several weekends, and a yearly 24-hour lock-in.

Residential accommodation

Galloway Hall is UNCW's first residence facility on campus, and has a standard hall-style double room arrangement with shared bathrooms for the entire hall. Housing 400 students, predominately first-years, Galloway has a very social atmosphere.

Graham-Hewlett and Belk residence halls are configured in suite-style hall arrangements with up to eight individuals sharing a bathroom. Graham-Hewlett houses 384 residents and Belk houses 192 residents, and both facilities consist of predominately first-year students. Originally a co-ed facility, Belk Hall was all female for quite some years before returning co-ed beginning in the 2016-2017 academic year.

Schwartz Hall houses 160 residents, and is home to mostly first-year students. A double room layout features shared bathrooms but is distinguished by its "pod" layout in contrast with the typical hall style areas.

Newer residence halls on campus include Honors (100 Honors Scholar residents), Innovation (100 residents) and Cornerstone Hall (265 residents) and are arranged with a courtyard between them to form what is referred to as "Tri-House". These residence halls were constructed in the late 1990s and early 2000s and are home to the living and learning communities and the Honors college.

In addition to standard residence halls, UNCW also has on-campus apartments and suites. University Apartments house four students each, who all have separate bedrooms and share a bathroom, living room, and kitchen. There are 13 buildings which can serve as home to 400 students.

University Suites, built in the late 1980s, include seven suite buildings which can also house 400 students. Two floor plans consist of six bedroom units housing 12 students and 10 bedroom units housing ten students. All residents of the Suites share bathrooms, living rooms, and kitchens. University Suites are home to various sororities who have personalized suites in the area.

Seahawk Village is an apartment complex of housing 524 students in 2- 3- or 4 bedroom apartments and houses upperclassmen students. Seahawk Village features a club house with swimming pool. The apartments are fully furnished and feature a full-service kitchen and washer and dryer in each apartment.

Seahawk Landing features living arrangements similar to that found in the Seahawk Village facility, with expanded amenities including a sandwich shop, convenience market, and an on-site mail center. Seahawk Landing houses 603 students in seven apartment buildings, predominately upperclassmen.

Seahawk Crossing is the most recent addition to residential facilities on campus. Seahawk Crossing’s four apartment buildings comprise four, six, and eight bedroom apartments and house 662 students. Apartment-pod style rooms are fully furnished, and residents are allowed access to the Seahawk Crossing parking deck.

Off-campus housing

There are many apartments and condos in the neighborhoods surrounding the university. The Seahawk Perch, which is maintained by the Dean of Students Office, is available to assist off-campus students.

Campus dining

UNCW has several options for campus dining. The primary venue for dining on campus is Wagoner Hall, commonly referred to as Wag by students and staff. Wagoner Hall serves as a standard dining hall setup, with various stations offering a variety of foods, including a salad bar and assorted desserts. Wagoner Hall is also host to "Wagsgiving", thanksgiving for students. Students have termed the sick feeling resulting from overeating at Wagoner Hall as getting "the Waggles."

The newly renovated Dub’s Café, located in Warwick Hall, offers fewer options than Wagoner Hall, but is modeled in a similar cafeteria style.

The Fisher University Union houses Hawk’s Nest, a dining center where students can choose from a wide assortment of available options. Hawk’s Nest offers Mexican food, pizza, Asian cuisine, hamburgers and fries, sushi, Chick-fil-A and Quiznos. Also in Hawk's Nest there is a green and locally inspired grab and go restaurant.

Other on-campus dining options include Einstein Bros. Bagels, Courtside Bagel Shop, Dunkin Donuts, Java City, Landing Sandwich Shop and multiple convenience stores.

Greek life

Greek-letter societies became an early part of student life at UNCW when the first social fraternity was formed in January 1964, just six months after Wilmington College became a four-year institution. Fraternities and Sororities have continued to grow at UNCW with membership now above 12 percent of the overall student population, exceeding the national average. There are 16 social fraternities and 10 social sororities. The National Pan-Hellenic Council has 6 historically black organizations, three fraternities and three sororities. UNCW also has one Christian sorority. Several fraternities and sororities have on-campus housing in University Suites and University Apartments.

Fraternities

There are currently 15 national fraternities and one local fraternity at UNCW:

Sororities

There are currently 10 national sororities at UNCW:

National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc.

The 4 historically black fraternities include:

The 3 historically black sororities include:

Christian sorority

Honors fraternity

Academics

The university is organized into seven colleges:

The university has 52 undergraduate degree programs, 36 master's degree programs and four doctoral programs.

Randall Library

William Madison Randall Library supports the mission of UNCW through the provision of information resources, services and programs relevant to the needs of its students, faculty and staff. To accomplish this mission, the library provides diverse collections of informational resources in multiple formats, including assistance and instruction in identifying, evaluating and interpreting these resources.

Randall Library has two floors. The first floor features computer banks, group work areas, the Technology Assistance Center, and a coffee shop for students. The floor has a very social atmosphere, and is commonly used to complete group assignments. The second floor has a strictly enforced quiet policy.

Most recently added to the library are charging kiosks. The kiosk located near TAC in the back of the library "provides six secure lockers to store your [iPhone, Android, iPad or other tablets] while it charges."

Centers, Institutes, Extensions

Athletics

The UNCW athletic teams are known as the Seahawks. They are NCAA's Division I members fielding 18 teams, 8 varsity athletic teams for men (baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track) and 10 for women (basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball, beach volleyball). UNCW is a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The men's and women's basketball teams play at Trask Coliseum and the baseball team plays at Brooks Field. The teams' colors include navy blue, teal, and gold. The baseball team has made eight appearances in the NCAA tournament (2003, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016) while the men's basketball team postseason accolades include five NCAA tournament appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016), two trips to the NIT (1998, 2001) and one invitation to the Collegeinsider.com tournament in 2015.

Leadership

Presidents

Chancellors

Athletic Directors

Notable professors